Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lausanne and Fribourg

For one person, living is cheaper in Fribourg: $3,530 a month against $3,832 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

184

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
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Lausanne Living Index
168

Cost of Living Index in Fribourg
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Fribourg Living Index

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Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,832

/mo nomad

Fribourg

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,530

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lausanne and in Fribourg

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

A single person spends $3,832 per month in Lausanne vs $3,530 in Fribourg, rent included.

Lausanne $3,832
Fribourg $3,530

A couple spends around $5,808 per month in Lausanne vs $5,160 in Fribourg, rent included.

Lausanne $5,808
Fribourg $5,160

A family of three spends $7,784 per month in Lausanne vs $6,789 in Fribourg, rent included.

Lausanne $7,784
Fribourg $6,789

Lausanne costs about 9% more than Fribourg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lausanne and Fribourg sit above the global median – Lausanne by 183%, Fribourg by 161%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.02 CHF 24.52

$29.96 CHF 24.48

0.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$116 CHF 95.0

$122 CHF 99.3

-4.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.37 CHF 15.01

$16.11 CHF 13.16

14.03%

Cappuccino

$6.17 CHF 5.04

$6.32 CHF 5.16

-2.37%

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

$4.94 CHF 4.04

$5.17 CHF 4.22

-4.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 CHF 3.30

$5.31 CHF 4.34

-23.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.43 CHF 8.52

$7.18 CHF 5.86

45.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.92 CHF 8.10

$6.83 CHF 5.58

45.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CHF 1.81

$2.25 CHF 1.84

-1.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.93 CHF 3.21

$3.29 CHF 2.69

19.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.28 CHF 2.68

$3.52 CHF 2.88

-6.82%

Eggs

$7.35 CHF 6.00

$7.40 CHF 6.05

-0.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.00 CHF 20.43

$24.30 CHF 19.85

2.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.00 CHF 22.87

$25.33 CHF 20.69

10.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.86 CHF 32.56

$37.26 CHF 30.44

6.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 CHF 3.02

$3.56 CHF 2.91

3.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 CHF 1.75

$1.64 CHF 1.34

30.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.48 CHF 2.02

$2.58 CHF 2.11

-3.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 CHF 3.74

$4.59 CHF 3.75

-0.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 CHF 1.49

$1.72 CHF 1.41

5.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.67

$2.10 CHF 1.71

-2.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 CHF 1.65

$2.25 CHF 1.83

-10.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 CHF 1.44

$1.20 CHF 0.98

46.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.10 CHF 9.07

$10.96 CHF 8.95

1.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.26 CHF 12.47

$10.48 CHF 8.56

45.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 CHF 2.19

$3.62 CHF 2.95

-25.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 CHF 2.69

$2.47 CHF 2.02

33.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.83 CHF 3.95

$3.64 CHF 2.97

32.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.1 CHF 79.3

$86.2 CHF 70.4

12.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.08 CHF 6.60

$12.31 CHF 10.05

-34.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.67 CHF 3.81

$4.90 CHF 4.00

-4.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$85.7 CHF 70.0

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 CHF 1.90

$2.30 CHF 1.88

0.87%

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

$38.7K CHF 31.6K

$39.3K CHF 32.1K

-1.66%

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

$39.0K CHF 31.9K

$39.6K CHF 32.3K

-1.35%

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

$294 CHF 240

$343 CHF 280

-14.32%

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

$37.95 CHF 31.00

$42.40 CHF 34.64

-10.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 CHF 43.41

$57.3 CHF 46.79

-7.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 CHF 60.3

$77.4 CHF 63.2

-4.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.25 CHF 39.42

Cinema Ticket

$24.47 CHF 19.99

$21.17 CHF 17.29

15.59%

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

$2,912 CHF 2,379

$2,813 CHF 2,298

3.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$43.3K CHF 35.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 118

$100 CHF 82.1

43.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.2 CHF 64.7

$98.4 CHF 80.4

-19.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$140 CHF 114

$248 CHF 202

-43.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$221 CHF 180

$197 CHF 161

11.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,445 CHF 1,998

$1,809 CHF 1,478

35.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,844 CHF 1,507

$1,538 CHF 1,256

19.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,324 CHF 3,532

$2,713 CHF 2,216

59.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,239 CHF 2,646

$2,313 CHF 1,889

40.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.6K CHF 15.2K

$13.8K CHF 11.3K

35.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.8K CHF 11.3K

$10.4K CHF 8,471

32.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,545 CHF 5,347

$6,889 CHF 5,628

-4.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.95

2.31

-15.58%

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

Last update for Lausanne: November 2, 2026

Last update for Fribourg: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lausanne

$1.8K 48.1%

Fribourg

$1.5K 43.6% 16.6% $306

Groceries & Markets

Lausanne

$592 15.5%

Fribourg

$548 15.5% 7.4% $44

Eating Out

Lausanne

$477 12.5%

Fribourg

$455 12.9% 4.6% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lausanne

$385 10%

Fribourg

$442 12.5% 15% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Lausanne

$263 6.9%

Fribourg

$290 8.2% 10.1% $27

Getting Around

Lausanne

$148 3.9%

Fribourg

$138 3.9% 7% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Lausanne

$123 3.2%

Fribourg

$120 3.4% 2.5% $3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,445 in Lausanne versus $1,809 in Fribourg. 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 5% higher in Fribourg, 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 $122 in Fribourg. Groceries tell a different story – $592 in Lausanne vs $548 in Fribourg – so Fribourg wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🇨🇭 Fribourg

🕒 Local time

16:23 4:23 PM

Same time as Lausanne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,521

37,485

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.22 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

1 CHF = 1.22 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Fribourg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lausanne costs about 9% more than Fribourg, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,748 per month in Lausanne and $5,296 in Fribourg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Fribourg, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,809 there versus $2,445 in Lausanne.

Kindergarten costs $2,912 per month in Lausanne and $2,813 in Fribourg. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Lausanne, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,832 in Lausanne and $3,530 in Fribourg. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Fribourg costs $3,530 versus $3,832 in Lausanne. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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