Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lausanne and Kriens

For one person, living is cheaper in Kriens: $3,154 a month against $3,832 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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
160

Cost of Living Index in Kriens
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Kriens Living Index

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Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,832

/mo nomad

Kriens

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,154

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lausanne and in Kriens

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

A single person spends $3,832 per month in Lausanne vs $3,154 in Kriens, rent included.

Lausanne $3,832
Kriens $3,154

A couple spends around $5,808 per month in Lausanne vs $4,836 in Kriens, rent included.

Lausanne $5,808
Kriens $4,836

A family of three spends $7,784 per month in Lausanne vs $6,518 in Kriens, rent included.

Lausanne $7,784
Kriens $6,518

Lausanne costs about 22% more than Kriens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Lausanne and Kriens sit above the global median – Lausanne by 183%, Kriens by 133%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.02 CHF 24.51

$29.66 CHF 24.21

1.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$116 CHF 94.9

$106 CHF 86.4

9.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.37 CHF 15.00

$18.11 CHF 14.79

1.44%

Cappuccino

$6.17 CHF 5.04

$5.92 CHF 4.83

4.22%

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

$4.94 CHF 4.03

$5.13 CHF 4.19

-3.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 CHF 3.30

$4.78 CHF 3.91

-15.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.43 CHF 8.52

$6.05 CHF 4.94

72.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.92 CHF 8.10

$7.17 CHF 5.86

38.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CHF 1.81

$2.06 CHF 1.68

7.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.93 CHF 3.21

$3.68 CHF 3.00

6.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.28 CHF 2.67

$2.72 CHF 2.22

20.59%

Eggs

$7.35 CHF 6.00

$7.91 CHF 6.45

-7.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.00 CHF 20.41

$27.84 CHF 22.73

-10.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.00 CHF 22.86

$31.26 CHF 25.52

-10.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.86 CHF 32.54

$41.79 CHF 34.12

-4.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 CHF 3.02

$3.00 CHF 2.45

23.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 CHF 1.75

$1.80 CHF 1.47

18.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.48 CHF 2.02

$2.46 CHF 2.01

0.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 CHF 3.74

$5.44 CHF 4.44

-15.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 CHF 1.49

$1.75 CHF 1.43

4.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.67

$2.05 CHF 1.67

-0.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 CHF 1.65

$2.28 CHF 1.86

-11.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 CHF 1.44

$1.36 CHF 1.11

29.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.10 CHF 9.06

$10.91 CHF 8.91

1.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.26 CHF 12.46

$10.20 CHF 8.33

49.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 CHF 2.19

$2.59 CHF 2.11

3.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 CHF 2.69

$2.84 CHF 2.32

15.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.83 CHF 3.94

$4.51 CHF 3.68

7.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.1 CHF 79.3

$87.4 CHF 71.4

11.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.08 CHF 6.60

$7.13 CHF 5.82

13.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.67 CHF 3.81

$5.94 CHF 4.85

-21.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$85.7 CHF 69.9

$36.66 CHF 29.93

133.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 CHF 1.90

$2.40 CHF 1.96

-3.33%

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

$38.7K CHF 31.6K

$39.9K CHF 32.6K

-3.06%

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

$39.0K CHF 31.9K

$39.2K CHF 32.0K

-0.50%

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

$294 CHF 240

$124 CHF 101

136.99%

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

$37.95 CHF 30.98

$37.81 CHF 30.87

0.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 CHF 43.39

$56.9 CHF 46.48

-6.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 CHF 60.3

$73.9 CHF 60.4

-0.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.25 CHF 39.40

$40.83 CHF 33.34

18.17%

Cinema Ticket

$24.47 CHF 19.98

$21.90 CHF 17.88

11.74%

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

$2,912 CHF 2,378

$3,213 CHF 2,623

-9.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$43.3K CHF 35.3K

$41.4K CHF 33.8K

4.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 118

$90.1 CHF 73.6

60.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.2 CHF 64.7

$68.8 CHF 56.2

15.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$140 CHF 114

$110 CHF 89.6

27.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$221 CHF 180

$172 CHF 140

28.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,445 CHF 1,996

$1,965 CHF 1,604

24.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,844 CHF 1,506

$1,428 CHF 1,166

29.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,324 CHF 3,530

$2,559 CHF 2,089

68.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,239 CHF 2,644

$2,380 CHF 1,943

36.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.6K CHF 15.2K

$13.4K CHF 11.0K

38.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.8K CHF 11.3K

$9,706 CHF 7,924

41.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,545 CHF 5,343

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.95

1.9

2.63%

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

Last update for Lausanne: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kriens: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lausanne

$1.8K 48.1%

Kriens

$1.4K 45.3% 22.6% $416

Groceries & Markets

Lausanne

$592 15.5%

Kriens

$602 19.1% 1.7% $9.9

Eating Out

Lausanne

$477 12.5%

Kriens

$447 14.2% 6.4% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lausanne

$385 10%

Kriens

$219 6.9% 43.2% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Lausanne

$263 6.9%

Kriens

$198 6.3% 24.6% $65

Getting Around

Lausanne

$148 3.9%

Kriens

$142 4.5% 3.7% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

Lausanne

$123 3.2%

Kriens

$118 3.7% 4.1% $5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,445 in Lausanne versus $1,965 in Kriens. 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 $116 in Lausanne versus $106 in Kriens. Groceries tell a different story – $592 in Lausanne vs $602 in Kriens – so Lausanne wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🇨🇭 Kriens

🕒 Local time

10:26 10:26 AM

Same time as Lausanne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,521

25,932

💱 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 Kriens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lausanne costs about 22% more than Kriens, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. 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 $4,730 in Kriens. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kriens, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,965 there versus $2,445 in Lausanne.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,832 in Lausanne and $3,154 in Kriens. That makes Kriens about 18% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $2,912 per month in Lausanne and $3,213 in Kriens. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,832 in Lausanne and $3,154 in Kriens. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Lausanne has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $3,154 in Kriens to $3,832 in Lausanne. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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