Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lausanne and Chur

For one person, living is cheaper in Chur: $3,283 a month against $3,837 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

183

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
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Lausanne Living Index
158

Cost of Living Index in Chur
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Chur Living Index

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Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,837

/mo nomad

Chur

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,283

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lausanne and in Chur

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 Chur actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,837 per month in Lausanne vs $3,283 in Chur, rent included.

Lausanne $3,837
Chur $3,283

A couple spends around $5,789 per month in Lausanne vs $5,109 in Chur, rent included.

Lausanne $5,789
Chur $5,109

A family of three spends $7,741 per month in Lausanne vs $6,934 in Chur, rent included.

Lausanne $7,741
Chur $6,934

Lausanne costs about 17% more than Chur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Lausanne and Chur sit above the global median – Lausanne by 182%, Chur by 141%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.81 CHF 25.41

$29.44 CHF 24.28

4.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$116 CHF 95.5

$111 CHF 91.4

4.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.81 CHF 14.69

$15.99 CHF 13.19

11.38%

Cappuccino

$6.13 CHF 5.05

$5.67 CHF 4.68

8.11%

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

$5.17 CHF 4.27

$5.51 CHF 4.54

-6.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 CHF 3.42

$5.08 CHF 4.19

-18.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.14 CHF 8.37

$8.69 CHF 7.16

16.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.59 CHF 7.91

$8.68 CHF 7.16

10.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CHF 1.83

$2.15 CHF 1.78

3.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.81 CHF 3.15

$3.42 CHF 2.82

11.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.28 CHF 2.70

$4.22 CHF 3.48

-22.27%

Eggs

$7.24 CHF 5.97

$7.59 CHF 6.26

-4.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.40 CHF 20.13

$26.51 CHF 21.87

-7.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.51 CHF 22.69

$26.64 CHF 21.98

3.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.81 CHF 32.84

$39.08 CHF 32.24

1.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 CHF 2.92

$3.42 CHF 2.82

3.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 CHF 1.77

$2.13 CHF 1.75

0.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 CHF 2.06

$2.68 CHF 2.21

-7.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 CHF 3.70

$4.58 CHF 3.78

-1.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CHF 1.53

$1.89 CHF 1.56

-1.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 CHF 1.60

$2.18 CHF 1.80

-11.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 CHF 1.64

$2.36 CHF 1.95

-15.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 CHF 1.39

$1.36 CHF 1.12

24.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.99 CHF 9.06

$10.94 CHF 9.03

0.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.96 CHF 12.34

$12.75 CHF 10.52

17.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 CHF 2.17

$2.38 CHF 1.96

10.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 CHF 2.58

$3.40 CHF 2.80

-7.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.68 CHF 3.86

$5.47 CHF 4.52

-14.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.1 CHF 79.3

$184 CHF 152

-47.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.94 CHF 6.55

$7.46 CHF 6.16

6.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.45 CHF 3.67

$4.94 CHF 4.08

-9.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.5 CHF 68.9

$88.7 CHF 73.2

-5.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 CHF 1.90

$2.22 CHF 1.83

4.05%

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

$39.4K CHF 32.5K

$39.1K CHF 32.2K

0.86%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

$38.5K CHF 31.7K

2.81%

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

$299 CHF 247

$232 CHF 191

28.77%

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

$37.02 CHF 30.53

$31.60 CHF 26.07

17.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.2 CHF 43.02

$53.8 CHF 44.39

-3.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.6 CHF 58.3

$78.3 CHF 64.6

-9.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.90 CHF 40.34

$33.63 CHF 27.74

45.41%

Cinema Ticket

$24.49 CHF 20.20

$23.22 CHF 19.15

5.47%

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

$2,960 CHF 2,442

$2,413 CHF 1,990

22.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.8K CHF 30.3K

$44.9K CHF 37.0K

-18.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$143 CHF 118

$91.1 CHF 75.2

57.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.8 CHF 65.0

$48.03 CHF 39.62

64.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 CHF 115

$120 CHF 98.9

16.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$213 CHF 176

$169 CHF 139

26.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,369 CHF 1,955

$1,715 CHF 1,414

38.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,863 CHF 1,537

$1,379 CHF 1,137

35.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,244 CHF 3,501

$3,015 CHF 2,487

40.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,230 CHF 2,665

$2,550 CHF 2,104

26.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.4K CHF 15.2K

$7,109 CHF 5,864

158.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.6K CHF 11.2K

$5,446 CHF 4,492

148.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,587 CHF 5,434

$8,497 CHF 7,009

-22.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.95

1.72

13.37%

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

Last update for Lausanne: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chur: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lausanne

$1.9K 48.6%

Chur

$1.4K 42% 26% $484

Groceries & Markets

Lausanne

$583 15.2%

Chur

$576 17.6% 1.1% $6.1

Eating Out

Lausanne

$481 12.5%

Chur

$455 13.9% 5.4% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lausanne

$388 10.1%

Chur

$318 9.7% 18.2% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Lausanne

$259 6.7%

Chur

$193 5.9% 25.5% $66

Getting Around

Lausanne

$145 3.8%

Chur

$238 7.3% 64.3% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Lausanne

$120 3.1%

Chur

$125 3.8% 4.2% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,369 in Lausanne versus $1,715 in Chur. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 29% higher in Chur, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $116 in Lausanne versus $111 in Chur. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $583 vs $576 – making Chur the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🇨🇭 Chur

🕒 Local time

15:43 3:43 PM

Same time as Lausanne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,521

37,082

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Lausanne Chur 220 km

From you

Lausanne
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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 Chur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,837 in Lausanne, $3,283 in Chur – Chur comes out roughly 14% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,756 per month in Lausanne and $4,924 in Chur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chur, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,715 there versus $2,369 in Lausanne.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $116 in Lausanne and $111 in Chur. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 48% less in Lausanne. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,837 in Lausanne and $3,283 in Chur. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chur – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.