Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lausanne and Glarus

For one person, living is cheaper in Glarus: $3,297 a month against $3,716 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

181

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
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Lausanne Living Index
160

Cost of Living Index in Glarus
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Glarus Living Index

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Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,716

/mo nomad

Glarus

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lausanne and in Glarus

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

A single person spends $3,716 per month in Lausanne vs $3,297 in Glarus, rent included.

Lausanne $3,716
Glarus $3,297

A couple spends around $5,694 per month in Lausanne vs $4,996 in Glarus, rent included.

Lausanne $5,694
Glarus $4,996

A family of three spends $7,671 per month in Lausanne vs $6,696 in Glarus, rent included.

Lausanne $7,671
Glarus $6,696

Lausanne costs about 13% more than Glarus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lausanne and Glarus sit above the global median – Lausanne by 175%, Glarus by 144%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.26 CHF 24.92

$29.24 CHF 24.08

3.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$115 CHF 94.9

$122 CHF 100

-5.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.67 CHF 14.55

$17.09 CHF 14.07

3.39%

Cappuccino

$6.17 CHF 5.08

$5.88 CHF 4.84

4.93%

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

$5.08 CHF 4.18

$3.76 CHF 3.10

35.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.09 CHF 3.37

$3.82 CHF 3.15

7.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.38 CHF 8.55

$9.11 CHF 7.50

13.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.86 CHF 8.12

$6.26 CHF 5.15

57.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.84

$2.20 CHF 1.81

1.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.94 CHF 3.24

$3.14 CHF 2.58

25.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 CHF 2.69

$2.82 CHF 2.32

15.60%

Eggs

$7.05 CHF 5.81

$7.70 CHF 6.34

-8.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.39 CHF 20.09

$8.58 CHF 7.06

184.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.45 CHF 22.61

$14.56 CHF 11.99

88.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$38.74 CHF 31.91

$37.65 CHF 31.01

2.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 CHF 2.85

$3.04 CHF 2.51

14.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 CHF 1.69

$1.55 CHF 1.27

32.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 CHF 2.01

$2.40 CHF 1.98

1.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 CHF 3.77

$5.41 CHF 4.46

-15.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 CHF 1.46

$1.64 CHF 1.35

7.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 CHF 1.64

$2.09 CHF 1.72

-4.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 CHF 1.62

$2.19 CHF 1.80

-10.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 CHF 1.36

$1.18 CHF 0.97

40.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.57 CHF 8.71

$11.00 CHF 9.06

-3.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.01 CHF 12.36

$11.23 CHF 9.25

33.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 CHF 2.25

$2.15 CHF 1.77

27.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 CHF 2.57

$2.32 CHF 1.91

34.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.43 CHF 3.65

$5.89 CHF 4.85

-24.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.8 CHF 76.5

$221 CHF 182

-57.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 CHF 6.55

$6.50 CHF 5.36

22.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.57 CHF 3.76

$4.71 CHF 3.88

-2.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$85.0 CHF 70.0

$77.2 CHF 63.6

10.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 CHF 1.87

$2.18 CHF 1.79

4.59%

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

$42.3K CHF 34.9K

$34.3K CHF 28.3K

23.37%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

0.06%

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

$292 CHF 240

$311 CHF 256

-6.06%

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

$36.21 CHF 29.82

$38.06 CHF 31.35

-4.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.5 CHF 41.62

$53.5 CHF 44.03

-5.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.0 CHF 57.7

$160 CHF 132

-56.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.43 CHF 39.07

$41.77 CHF 34.40

13.55%

Cinema Ticket

$24.44 CHF 20.13

$25.57 CHF 21.06

-4.42%

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

$2,850 CHF 2,347

$2,254 CHF 1,857

26.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.1K CHF 30.5K

$31.7K CHF 26.1K

16.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$142 CHF 117

$103 CHF 84.5

38.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$77.7 CHF 64.0

$41.84 CHF 34.46

85.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 CHF 114

$131 CHF 108

4.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$214 CHF 176

$96.4 CHF 79.4

122.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,256 CHF 1,858

$1,676 CHF 1,380

34.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 CHF 1,452

$1,359 CHF 1,120

29.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,291 CHF 3,534

$2,950 CHF 2,430

45.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,206 CHF 2,640

$2,306 CHF 1,899

39.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K CHF 15.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$14.0K CHF 11.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,426 CHF 5,292

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.95

2.1

-7.14%

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

Last update for Lausanne: October 13, 2026

Last update for Glarus: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lausanne

$1.8K 47.5%

Glarus

$1.4K 41.3% 22.9% $404

Groceries & Markets

Lausanne

$579 15.6%

Glarus

$438 13.3% 24.3% $141

Eating Out

Lausanne

$477 12.9%

Glarus

$444 13.5% 7% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lausanne

$379 10.2%

Glarus

$402 12.2% 6.2% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Lausanne

$257 6.9%

Glarus

$167 5.1% 34.9% $90

Getting Around

Lausanne

$141 3.8%

Glarus

$274 8.3% 94.1% $133

Sport & Entertainment

Lausanne

$119 3.2%

Glarus

$211 6.4% 77.4% $92

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,256 in Lausanne versus $1,676 in Glarus. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $115 in Lausanne versus $122 in Glarus. Groceries tell a different story – $579 in Lausanne vs $438 in Glarus – so Glarus wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🇨🇭 Glarus

🕒 Local time

01:42 1:42 AM

Same time as Lausanne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,521

12,500

💱 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 Glarus 190 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 Glarus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lausanne is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,574 per month in Lausanne and $4,945 in Glarus. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Glarus, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 138% less in Glarus. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,850 per month in Lausanne and $2,254 in Glarus. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,716 in Lausanne and $3,297 in Glarus. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Glarus. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lausanne makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.