Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lausanne and Lachen

For one person, living is cheaper in Lachen: $3,423 a month against $3,837 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lausanne outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

183

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
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Lausanne Living Index
165

Cost of Living Index in Lachen
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Lachen Living Index

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Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,837

/mo nomad

Lachen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,423

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lausanne and in Lachen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,837 in Lausanne versus $3,423 in Lachen.

Lausanne $3,837
Lachen $3,423

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,789 in Lausanne versus $5,210 in Lachen.

Lausanne $5,789
Lachen $5,210

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,741 in Lausanne versus $6,997 in Lachen.

Lausanne $7,741
Lachen $6,997

Living in Lausanne is roughly 12% more expensive than in Lachen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lausanne 182% above, Lachen 152% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.81 CHF 25.56

$32.82 CHF 27.23

-6.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$116 CHF 96.0

$119 CHF 98.5

-2.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.81 CHF 14.77

$16.19 CHF 13.43

10.01%

Cappuccino

$6.13 CHF 5.08

$6.35 CHF 5.27

-3.46%

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

$5.17 CHF 4.29

$5.83 CHF 4.83

-11.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 CHF 3.44

$5.06 CHF 4.20

-17.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.14 CHF 8.42

$8.32 CHF 6.90

21.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.59 CHF 7.95

$9.35 CHF 7.76

2.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CHF 1.84

$2.23 CHF 1.85

-0.45%

White Bread (500g)

$3.81 CHF 3.16

$3.27 CHF 2.71

16.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.28 CHF 2.72

$4.34 CHF 3.60

-24.42%

Eggs

$7.24 CHF 6.00

$7.60 CHF 6.31

-4.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.40 CHF 20.24

$26.92 CHF 22.33

-9.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.51 CHF 22.82

$25.91 CHF 21.50

6.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.81 CHF 33.02

$40.57 CHF 33.65

-1.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 CHF 2.93

$3.58 CHF 2.97

-1.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 CHF 1.78

$2.04 CHF 1.70

5.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 CHF 2.07

$2.60 CHF 2.15

-4.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 CHF 3.73

$4.83 CHF 4.00

-7.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CHF 1.54

$2.04 CHF 1.70

-8.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 CHF 1.61

$2.17 CHF 1.80

-10.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 CHF 1.65

$2.35 CHF 1.95

-15.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 CHF 1.40

$1.43 CHF 1.19

18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.99 CHF 9.12

$10.97 CHF 9.10

0.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.96 CHF 12.41

$13.13 CHF 10.89

13.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 CHF 2.19

$2.32 CHF 1.92

13.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 CHF 2.60

$3.46 CHF 2.87

-9.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.68 CHF 3.88

$4.39 CHF 3.64

6.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.1 CHF 79.7

$103 CHF 85.1

-6.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.94 CHF 6.58

$7.85 CHF 6.51

1.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.45 CHF 3.69

$4.92 CHF 4.08

-9.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.5 CHF 69.2

$87.3 CHF 72.4

-4.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 CHF 1.91

$2.17 CHF 1.80

6.45%

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

$39.4K CHF 32.7K

$38.3K CHF 31.8K

2.76%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.8K

$39.0K CHF 32.3K

1.53%

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

$299 CHF 248

$237 CHF 197

25.98%

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

$37.02 CHF 30.71

$32.20 CHF 26.72

14.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.2 CHF 43.26

$65.7 CHF 54.5

-20.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.6 CHF 58.6

$89.4 CHF 74.1

-20.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.90 CHF 40.56

$45.79 CHF 37.99

6.79%

Cinema Ticket

$24.49 CHF 20.32

$21.98 CHF 18.23

11.42%

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

$2,960 CHF 2,455

$2,810 CHF 2,331

5.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.8K CHF 30.5K

$44.5K CHF 36.9K

-17.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$143 CHF 119

$137 CHF 114

4.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.8 CHF 65.4

$86.5 CHF 71.8

-8.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 CHF 116

$146 CHF 121

-4.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$213 CHF 177

$173 CHF 143

23.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,369 CHF 1,966

$1,781 CHF 1,477

33.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,863 CHF 1,545

$1,486 CHF 1,233

25.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,244 CHF 3,520

$2,940 CHF 2,439

44.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,230 CHF 2,680

$2,494 CHF 2,069

29.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.4K CHF 15.3K

$16.4K CHF 13.6K

12.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.6K CHF 11.2K

$12.5K CHF 10.4K

8.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,587 CHF 5,465

$9,492 CHF 7,874

-30.60%

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 Lachen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lausanne

$1.9K 48.6%

Lachen

$1.5K 43.4% 20.2% $377

Groceries & Markets

Lausanne

$583 15.2%

Lachen

$581 17% 0.2% $1.3

Eating Out

Lausanne

$481 12.5%

Lachen

$491 14.4% 2.2% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lausanne

$388 10.1%

Lachen

$335 9.8% 13.6% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Lausanne

$259 6.7%

Lachen

$244 7.1% 5.8% $15

Getting Around

Lausanne

$145 3.8%

Lachen

$153 4.5% 5.2% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Lausanne

$120 3.1%

Lachen

$133 3.9% 11.4% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,369 in Lausanne and $1,781 in Lachen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lachen pays 44% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $116 in Lausanne vs $119 in Lachen. Groceries flip the comparison at $583 vs $581, with Lachen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🇨🇭 Lachen

🕒 Local time

15:02 3:02 PM

Same time as Lausanne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,521

9,000

💱 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

On the map

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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 Lachen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lachen wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Lausanne. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lachen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Lausanne. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,369 in Lausanne versus $1,781 in Lachen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lausanne runs roughly 6% less than in Lachen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $3,837 per month in Lausanne versus $3,423 in Lachen – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Lachen is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Lausanne and Lachen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.