Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lausanne and Liestal

For one person, living is cheaper in Liestal: $3,252 a month against $3,837 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
157

Cost of Living Index in Liestal
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Liestal Living Index

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Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,837

/mo nomad

Liestal

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,252

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lausanne and in Liestal

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,837 in Lausanne versus $3,252 in Liestal.

Lausanne $3,837
Liestal $3,252

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,789 in Lausanne versus $5,162 in Liestal.

Lausanne $5,789
Liestal $5,162

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,741 in Lausanne versus $7,071 in Liestal.

Lausanne $7,741
Liestal $7,071

Living in Lausanne is roughly 18% more expensive than in Liestal.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lausanne 182% above, Liestal 139% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.81 CHF 25.41

$29.22 CHF 24.10

5.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$116 CHF 95.5

$120 CHF 99.1

-3.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.81 CHF 14.69

$18.51 CHF 15.27

-3.78%

Cappuccino

$6.13 CHF 5.05

$6.26 CHF 5.16

-2.08%

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

$5.17 CHF 4.27

$6.18 CHF 5.10

-16.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 CHF 3.42

$5.88 CHF 4.85

-29.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.14 CHF 8.37

$8.97 CHF 7.40

13.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.59 CHF 7.91

$7.93 CHF 6.54

20.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CHF 1.83

White Bread (500g)

$3.81 CHF 3.15

$3.10 CHF 2.56

22.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.28 CHF 2.70

$3.35 CHF 2.76

-2.09%

Eggs

$7.24 CHF 5.97

$7.70 CHF 6.35

-5.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.40 CHF 20.13

$24.34 CHF 20.08

0.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.51 CHF 22.69

$27.80 CHF 22.94

-1.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.81 CHF 32.84

$39.05 CHF 32.21

1.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 CHF 2.92

$3.85 CHF 3.18

-8.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 CHF 1.77

$2.26 CHF 1.86

-4.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 CHF 2.06

$2.81 CHF 2.32

-11.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 CHF 3.70

$4.69 CHF 3.87

-4.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CHF 1.53

$1.68 CHF 1.39

10.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 CHF 1.60

$1.99 CHF 1.64

-2.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 CHF 1.64

$2.30 CHF 1.89

-13.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 CHF 1.39

$1.35 CHF 1.11

25.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.99 CHF 9.06

$11.48 CHF 9.47

-4.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.96 CHF 12.34

$11.87 CHF 9.79

26.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 CHF 2.17

$2.26 CHF 1.86

16.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 CHF 2.58

$3.02 CHF 2.49

3.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.68 CHF 3.86

$4.32 CHF 3.56

8.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.1 CHF 79.3

$103 CHF 85.1

-6.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.94 CHF 6.55

$8.44 CHF 6.96

-5.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.45 CHF 3.67

$4.68 CHF 3.86

-4.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.5 CHF 68.9

$108 CHF 88.7

-22.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 CHF 1.90

$2.39 CHF 1.97

-3.35%

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

$39.4K CHF 32.5K

$38.5K CHF 31.8K

2.24%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

$39.0K CHF 32.2K

1.44%

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

$299 CHF 247

$293 CHF 242

2.03%

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

$37.02 CHF 30.53

$28.40 CHF 23.43

30.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.2 CHF 43.02

$63.2 CHF 52.1

-17.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.6 CHF 58.3

$85.3 CHF 70.4

-17.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.90 CHF 40.34

$45.92 CHF 37.88

6.49%

Cinema Ticket

$24.49 CHF 20.20

$24.00 CHF 19.79

2.04%

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

$2,960 CHF 2,442

$2,980 CHF 2,458

-0.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.8K CHF 30.3K

$30.6K CHF 25.2K

20.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$143 CHF 118

$140 CHF 115

2.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.8 CHF 65.0

$61.7 CHF 50.9

27.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 CHF 115

$159 CHF 131

-12.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$213 CHF 176

$201 CHF 166

6.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,369 CHF 1,955

$1,759 CHF 1,451

34.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,863 CHF 1,537

$1,287 CHF 1,061

44.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,244 CHF 3,501

$2,960 CHF 2,441

43.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,230 CHF 2,665

$2,567 CHF 2,117

25.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.4K CHF 15.2K

$16.3K CHF 13.5K

12.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.6K CHF 11.2K

$12.3K CHF 10.1K

10.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,587 CHF 5,434

$9,109 CHF 7,514

-27.69%

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 Liestal: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lausanne

$1.9K 48.6%

Liestal

$1.3K 39.6% 30.9% $576

Groceries & Markets

Lausanne

$583 15.2%

Liestal

$570 17.5% 2.2% $13

Eating Out

Lausanne

$481 12.5%

Liestal

$473 14.6% 1.5% $7.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lausanne

$388 10.1%

Liestal

$385 11.8% 0.9% $3.5

Clothing & Footwear

Lausanne

$259 6.7%

Liestal

$253 7.8% 2.3% $5.9

Getting Around

Lausanne

$145 3.8%

Liestal

$152 4.7% 5.1% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Lausanne

$120 3.1%

Liestal

$133 4.1% 11.4% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,369 in Lausanne and $1,759 in Liestal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Liestal pays 38% 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 $120 in Liestal. Groceries flip the comparison at $583 vs $570, with Liestal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🇨🇭 Liestal

🕒 Local time

22:38 10:38 PM

Same time as Lausanne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,521

13,807

💱 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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Lausanne Liestal 140 km

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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 Liestal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,837 in Lausanne and $3,252 in Liestal, so Liestal is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 28% 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 $1,759 in Liestal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lausanne runs roughly 7% less than in Liestal. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $3,837 per month in Lausanne versus $3,252 in Liestal – Liestal is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Liestal 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 Liestal are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.