Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lausanne and La Chaux-de-Fonds

For one person, living is cheaper in La Chaux-de-Fonds: $2,952 a month against $3,837 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 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
143

Cost of Living Index in La Chaux-de-Fonds
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La Chaux-de-Fonds Living Index

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Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,837

/mo nomad

La Chaux-de-Fonds

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,952

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lausanne and in La Chaux-de-Fonds

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 La Chaux-de-Fonds actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,837 per month in Lausanne vs $2,952 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, rent included.

Lausanne $3,837
La Chaux-de-Fonds $2,952

A couple spends around $5,789 per month in Lausanne vs $4,738 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, rent included.

Lausanne $5,789
La Chaux-de-Fonds $4,738

A family of three spends $7,741 per month in Lausanne vs $6,524 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, rent included.

Lausanne $7,741
La Chaux-de-Fonds $6,524

Lausanne costs about 30% more than La Chaux-de-Fonds, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lausanne and La Chaux-de-Fonds sit above the global median – Lausanne by 182%, La Chaux-de-Fonds by 117%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.81 CHF 25.41

$24.18 CHF 19.95

27.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$116 CHF 95.5

$83.4 CHF 68.8

38.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.81 CHF 14.69

$17.79 CHF 14.68

0.11%

Cappuccino

$6.13 CHF 5.05

$4.54 CHF 3.74

35.02%

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

$5.17 CHF 4.27

$3.54 CHF 2.92

46.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 CHF 3.42

$4.59 CHF 3.79

-9.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.14 CHF 8.37

$7.43 CHF 6.13

36.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.59 CHF 7.91

$6.19 CHF 5.10

54.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CHF 1.83

$2.29 CHF 1.89

-3.06%

White Bread (500g)

$3.81 CHF 3.15

$3.04 CHF 2.51

25.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.28 CHF 2.70

$3.28 CHF 2.71

Eggs

$7.24 CHF 5.97

$7.83 CHF 6.46

-7.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.40 CHF 20.13

$26.31 CHF 21.70

-7.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.51 CHF 22.69

$27.70 CHF 22.85

-0.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.81 CHF 32.84

$41.41 CHF 34.16

-3.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 CHF 2.92

$3.56 CHF 2.93

-0.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 CHF 1.77

$2.23 CHF 1.84

-3.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 CHF 2.06

$2.96 CHF 2.44

-15.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 CHF 3.70

$4.75 CHF 3.92

-5.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CHF 1.53

$1.70 CHF 1.40

9.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 CHF 1.60

$2.00 CHF 1.65

-3.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 CHF 1.64

$2.25 CHF 1.85

-11.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 CHF 1.39

$1.57 CHF 1.29

7.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.99 CHF 9.06

$11.10 CHF 9.16

-0.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.96 CHF 12.34

$12.27 CHF 10.12

21.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 CHF 2.17

$2.45 CHF 2.02

7.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 CHF 2.58

$3.08 CHF 2.54

1.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.68 CHF 3.86

$4.35 CHF 3.59

7.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.1 CHF 79.3

$101 CHF 83.4

-5.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.94 CHF 6.55

$8.09 CHF 6.67

-1.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.45 CHF 3.67

$4.70 CHF 3.87

-5.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.5 CHF 68.9

$86.6 CHF 71.5

-3.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 CHF 1.90

$2.35 CHF 1.94

-1.70%

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

$39.4K CHF 32.5K

$39.8K CHF 32.8K

-0.90%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

$40.1K CHF 33.1K

-1.34%

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

$299 CHF 247

$289 CHF 239

3.35%

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

$37.02 CHF 30.53

$45.95 CHF 37.91

-19.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.2 CHF 43.02

$62.8 CHF 51.8

-17.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.6 CHF 58.3

$73.6 CHF 60.7

-3.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.90 CHF 40.34

$46.67 CHF 38.50

4.78%

Cinema Ticket

$24.49 CHF 20.20

$22.60 CHF 18.64

8.36%

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

$2,960 CHF 2,442

$2,918 CHF 2,407

1.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.8K CHF 30.3K

$20.6K CHF 17.0K

78.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$143 CHF 118

$144 CHF 119

-0.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.8 CHF 65.0

$77.8 CHF 64.2

1.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 CHF 115

$162 CHF 134

-13.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$213 CHF 176

$200 CHF 165

6.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,369 CHF 1,955

$1,465 CHF 1,209

61.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,863 CHF 1,537

$1,053 CHF 868

76.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,244 CHF 3,501

$3,857 CHF 3,181

10.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,230 CHF 2,665

$2,323 CHF 1,916

39.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.4K CHF 15.2K

$16.8K CHF 13.9K

9.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.6K CHF 11.2K

$12.3K CHF 10.2K

9.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,587 CHF 5,434

$5,123 CHF 4,226

28.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.95

2.42

-19.42%

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

Last update for Lausanne: October 27, 2026

Last update for La Chaux-de-Fonds: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lausanne

$1.9K 48.6%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$1.1K 35.7% 43.5% $810

Groceries & Markets

Lausanne

$583 15.2%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$586 19.9% 0.6% $3.5

Eating Out

Lausanne

$481 12.5%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$383 13% 20.2% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lausanne

$388 10.1%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$398 13.5% 2.6% $9.9

Clothing & Footwear

Lausanne

$259 6.7%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$263 8.9% 1.5% $3.9

Getting Around

Lausanne

$145 3.8%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$150 5.1% 3.5% $5.1

Sport & Entertainment

Lausanne

$120 3.1%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$119 4% 0.7% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,369 in Lausanne versus $1,465 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. 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 Lausanne, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $116 in Lausanne versus $83 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Groceries tell a different story – $583 in Lausanne vs $586 in La Chaux-de-Fonds – so Lausanne wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🇨🇭 La Chaux-de-Fonds

🕒 Local time

00:37 12:37 AM

Same time as Lausanne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,521

39,027

💱 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

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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 La Chaux-de-Fonds: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lausanne costs about 30% more than La Chaux-de-Fonds, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,756 per month in Lausanne and $4,427 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in La Chaux-de-Fonds, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,465 there versus $2,369 in Lausanne.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $116 in Lausanne and $83 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 5% less in Lausanne. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,837 in Lausanne and $2,952 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. 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 $2,952 in La Chaux-de-Fonds to $3,837 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.

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