Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lausanne and Cham

For one person, living is cheaper in Cham: $3,575 a month against $3,837 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lausanne outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

183

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
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Lausanne Living Index
172

Cost of Living Index in Cham
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Cham Living Index

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Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,837

/mo nomad

Cham

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,575

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lausanne and in Cham

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lausanne and in Cham actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,837 in Lausanne versus $3,575 in Cham.

Lausanne $3,837
Cham $3,575

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,789 in Lausanne versus $5,453 in Cham.

Lausanne $5,789
Cham $5,453

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,741 in Lausanne versus $7,331 in Cham.

Lausanne $7,741
Cham $7,331

Living in Lausanne is roughly 7% more expensive than in Cham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lausanne 182% above, Cham 163% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.81 CHF 25.56

$29.74 CHF 24.67

3.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$116 CHF 96.0

$122 CHF 101

-4.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.81 CHF 14.77

$17.93 CHF 14.87

-0.67%

Cappuccino

$6.13 CHF 5.08

$5.82 CHF 4.83

5.33%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 CHF 4.29

$5.32 CHF 4.42

-2.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 CHF 3.44

$4.87 CHF 4.04

-14.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.14 CHF 8.42

$8.45 CHF 7.01

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.59 CHF 7.95

$6.53 CHF 5.42

46.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CHF 1.84

$2.13 CHF 1.76

4.23%

White Bread (500g)

$3.81 CHF 3.16

$3.76 CHF 3.12

1.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.28 CHF 2.72

$3.62 CHF 3.00

-9.39%

Eggs

$7.24 CHF 6.00

$7.27 CHF 6.03

-0.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.40 CHF 20.24

$26.38 CHF 21.88

-7.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.51 CHF 22.82

$28.65 CHF 23.77

-3.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.81 CHF 33.02

$42.06 CHF 34.89

-5.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 CHF 2.93

$3.91 CHF 3.25

-9.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 CHF 1.78

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 CHF 2.07

$3.10 CHF 2.57

-19.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 CHF 3.73

$4.58 CHF 3.80

-1.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CHF 1.54

$2.25 CHF 1.87

-17.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 CHF 1.61

$2.24 CHF 1.86

-13.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 CHF 1.65

$2.39 CHF 1.98

-16.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 CHF 1.40

$1.11 CHF 0.92

52.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.99 CHF 9.12

$11.02 CHF 9.15

-0.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.96 CHF 12.41

$12.08 CHF 10.02

23.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 CHF 2.19

$2.82 CHF 2.34

-6.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 CHF 2.60

$3.10 CHF 2.58

0.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.68 CHF 3.88

$5.13 CHF 4.26

-8.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.1 CHF 79.7

$146 CHF 121

-34.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.94 CHF 6.58

$4.44 CHF 3.69

78.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.45 CHF 3.69

$2.96 CHF 2.45

50.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.5 CHF 69.2

$59.7 CHF 49.49

39.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 CHF 1.91

$2.19 CHF 1.82

5.48%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$39.4K CHF 32.7K

$39.7K CHF 32.9K

-0.69%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$39.6K CHF 32.8K

$39.9K CHF 33.1K

-0.89%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$299 CHF 248

$286 CHF 237

4.51%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$37.02 CHF 30.71

$29.15 CHF 24.18

27.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.2 CHF 43.26

$54.8 CHF 45.49

-4.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.6 CHF 58.6

$85.3 CHF 70.7

-17.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.90 CHF 40.56

$40.01 CHF 33.19

22.22%

Cinema Ticket

$24.49 CHF 20.32

$22.10 CHF 18.34

10.81%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,960 CHF 2,455

$1,488 CHF 1,234

98.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.8K CHF 30.5K

$24.7K CHF 20.5K

48.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$143 CHF 119

$137 CHF 114

4.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.8 CHF 65.4

$54.0 CHF 44.76

46.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 CHF 116

$157 CHF 130

-11.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$213 CHF 177

$249 CHF 206

-14.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,369 CHF 1,966

$1,780 CHF 1,477

33.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,863 CHF 1,545

$1,566 CHF 1,299

18.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,244 CHF 3,520

$2,896 CHF 2,402

46.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,230 CHF 2,680

$2,704 CHF 2,243

19.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.4K CHF 15.3K

$13.0K CHF 10.8K

41.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.6K CHF 11.2K

$11.7K CHF 9,730

15.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,587 CHF 5,465

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.95

2.03

-3.94%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Lausanne: October 27, 2026

Last update for Cham: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Lausanne

$1.9K 48.6%

Cham

$1.6K 43.8% 15.9% $296

Groceries & Markets

Lausanne

$583 15.2%

Cham

$597 16.7% 2.5% $15

Eating Out

Lausanne

$481 12.5%

Cham

$458 12.8% 4.8% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lausanne

$388 10.1%

Cham

$370 10.4% 4.7% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Lausanne

$259 6.7%

Cham

$268 7.5% 3.8% $9.9

Getting Around

Lausanne

$145 3.8%

Cham

$186 5.2% 28.2% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Lausanne

$120 3.1%

Cham

$129 3.6% 8.2% $9.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,369 in Lausanne and $1,780 in Cham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $116 in Lausanne vs $122 in Cham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $583 vs $597 per month, with Lausanne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🇨🇭 Cham

🕒 Local time

14:00 2:00 PM

Same time as Lausanne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,521

17,060

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Lausanne Cham 160 km

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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lausanne vs Cham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cham is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. The 7% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $5,756 in Lausanne and $5,362 in Cham to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,369 in Lausanne versus $1,780 in Cham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lausanne runs roughly 34% less than in Cham. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $3,837 per month in Lausanne versus $3,575 in Cham – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Cham is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Lausanne and Cham are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.