Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lausanne and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $3,716 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

181

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
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Lausanne Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,716

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lausanne and in Lisbon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,716 in Lausanne versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Lausanne $3,716
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,694 in Lausanne versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Lausanne $5,694
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,671 in Lausanne versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Lausanne $7,671
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Lausanne is roughly 67% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lausanne 175% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.26 CHF 24.92

$16.50 €14.67

83.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$115 CHF 94.9

$61.3 €54.5

88.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.67 CHF 14.55

$11.27 €10.03

56.79%

Cappuccino

$6.17 CHF 5.08

$3.06 €2.72

101.63%

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

$5.08 CHF 4.18

$2.26 €2.01

124.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.09 CHF 3.37

$1.73 €1.54

136.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.38 CHF 8.55

$3.39 €3.02

206.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.86 CHF 8.12

$3.40 €3.02

190.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.84

$1.12 €1.00

99.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.94 CHF 3.24

$1.86 €1.65

111.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 CHF 2.69

$1.53 €1.36

113.07%

Eggs

$7.05 CHF 5.81

$3.96 €3.53

78.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.39 CHF 20.09

$12.76 €11.35

91.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.45 CHF 22.61

$7.90 €7.02

247.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$38.74 CHF 31.91

$16.97 €15.09

128.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 CHF 2.85

$2.27 €2.02

52.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 CHF 1.69

$1.75 €1.55

17.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 CHF 2.01

$1.85 €1.64

31.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 CHF 3.77

$2.57 €2.28

78.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 CHF 1.46

$1.86 €1.65

-4.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 CHF 1.64

$2.02 €1.80

-1.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 CHF 1.62

$1.44 €1.28

36.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 CHF 1.36

$0.82 €0.73

102.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.57 CHF 8.71

$6.56 €5.83

61.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.01 CHF 12.36

$5.62 €5.00

167.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 CHF 2.25

$1.28 €1.14

114.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 CHF 2.57

$2.07 €1.84

50.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.43 CHF 3.65

$2.35 €2.09

88.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.8 CHF 76.5

$44.18 €39.30

110.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 CHF 6.55

$3.99 €3.55

99.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.57 CHF 3.76

$1.09 €0.97

319.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$85.0 CHF 70.0

$16.64 €14.81

411.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 CHF 1.87

$2.28 €2.03

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

$42.3K CHF 34.9K

$33.7K €30.0K

25.75%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

$39.3K €35.0K

0.79%

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

$292 CHF 240

$167 €149

74.33%

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

$36.21 CHF 29.82

$18.80 €16.72

92.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.5 CHF 41.62

$33.09 €29.43

52.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.0 CHF 57.7

$46.01 €40.93

52.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.43 CHF 39.07

$19.19 €17.07

147.16%

Cinema Ticket

$24.44 CHF 20.13

$9.84 €8.75

148.37%

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

$2,850 CHF 2,347

$677 €602

320.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.1K CHF 30.5K

$16.9K €15.1K

119.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$142 CHF 117

$101 €90.1

40.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$77.7 CHF 64.0

$45.76 €40.70

69.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 CHF 114

$100.0 €88.9

37.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$214 CHF 176

$123 €109

74.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,256 CHF 1,858

$1,614 €1,436

39.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 CHF 1,452

$1,197 €1,065

47.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,291 CHF 3,534

$2,862 €2,545

49.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,206 CHF 2,640

$1,990 €1,770

61.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K CHF 15.0K

$7,577 €6,740

139.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$14.0K CHF 11.5K

$4,307 €3,831

223.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,426 CHF 5,292

$1,588 €1,412

304.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.95

3.85

-49.35%

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

Last update for Lausanne: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lausanne

$1.8K 47.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 32.1% $566

Groceries & Markets

Lausanne

$579 15.6%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 53.5% $309

Eating Out

Lausanne

$477 12.9%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 49.3% $235

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lausanne

$379 10.2%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 42.1% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Lausanne

$257 6.9%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 35.4% $91

Getting Around

Lausanne

$141 3.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 55.4% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Lausanne

$119 3.2%

Lisbon

$66 3% 44.8% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,256 in Lausanne and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lausanne pays 305% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $115 in Lausanne vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $579 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

03:04 3:04 AM

02:04 2:04 AM

1 h behind Lausanne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,521

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CHF in detail →

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Between locations

Lausanne Lisbon 1,550 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lausanne and Lisbon differ by about 67% in total monthly costs ($3,716 vs $2,223 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 305% higher in Lausanne, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,256 in Lausanne versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $115 in Lausanne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,716 per month in Lausanne versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 67% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $3,716 in Lausanne, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Lausanne. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Lausanne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.