Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lausanne and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Lausanne: $3,790 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in London outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

182

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
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Lausanne Living Index
196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,790

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lausanne and in London

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,790 in Lausanne versus $4,086 in London.

Lausanne $3,790
London $4,086

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,672 in Lausanne versus $5,816 in London.

Lausanne $5,672
London $5,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,554 in Lausanne versus $7,546 in London.

Lausanne $7,554
London $7,546

Living in Lausanne costs roughly 7% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lausanne 183% above, London 205% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.72 CHF 24.71

$26.62 £20.12

11.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$117 CHF 97.1

$108 £81.3

8.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.81 CHF 14.81

$10.39 £7.86

71.41%

Cappuccino

$6.03 CHF 5.01

$5.79 £4.38

4.15%

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

$4.99 CHF 4.15

$3.01 £2.27

65.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 CHF 3.41

$2.15 £1.63

90.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.12 CHF 8.42

$9.35 £7.07

8.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.39 CHF 7.81

$7.84 £5.93

19.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.24 CHF 1.86

$1.79 £1.35

25.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.96 CHF 3.30

$2.06 £1.56

92.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 CHF 2.77

$2.31 £1.74

44.16%

Eggs

$7.05 CHF 5.86

$5.05 £3.82

39.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.14 CHF 20.07

$12.57 £9.50

92.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.93 CHF 23.23

$10.66 £8.05

162.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.52 CHF 32.87

$17.13 £12.95

130.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 CHF 2.89

$3.03 £2.29

14.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 CHF 1.78

$1.41 £1.07

51.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 CHF 2.13

$3.05 £2.31

-16.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.65 CHF 3.87

$3.38 £2.56

37.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 CHF 1.48

$1.67 £1.26

6.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 CHF 1.64

$1.73 £1.31

13.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 CHF 1.64

$1.41 £1.07

39.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 CHF 1.44

$1.79 £1.35

-3.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.68 CHF 8.88

$23.22 £17.55

-54.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.21 CHF 12.65

$12.99 £9.82

17.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 CHF 2.24

$3.18 £2.41

-15.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CHF 2.65

$4.41 £3.34

-27.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.45 CHF 3.70

$3.87 £2.93

14.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.3 CHF 78.4

$250 £189

-62.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.89 CHF 6.56

$5.71 £4.31

38.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.50 CHF 3.75

$3.33 £2.51

35.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.4 CHF 69.3

$57.9 £43.77

43.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 CHF 1.91

$2.04 £1.54

12.75%

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

$43.5K CHF 36.2K

$37.5K £28.4K

15.94%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.9K

$40.9K £30.9K

-3.24%

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

$288 CHF 240

$376 £284

-23.39%

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

$37.56 CHF 31.23

$17.88 £13.51

110.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.2 CHF 43.43

$40.01 £30.25

30.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.2 CHF 60.1

$61.2 £46.23

18.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.87 CHF 40.64

$21.07 £15.93

131.94%

Cinema Ticket

$23.88 CHF 19.86

$17.95 £13.57

33.04%

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

$2,913 CHF 2,422

$2,865 £2,166

1.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.7K CHF 30.5K

$35.3K £26.7K

3.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$142 CHF 118

$116 £87.7

22.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$77.0 CHF 64.0

$54.1 £40.88

42.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 CHF 118

$127 £95.7

11.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$212 CHF 176

$159 £120

32.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,280 CHF 1,896

$2,853 £2,157

-20.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 CHF 1,508

$2,301 £1,740

-21.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,204 CHF 3,496

$5,201 £3,932

-19.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,202 CHF 2,663

$3,723 £2,814

-13.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K CHF 15.2K

$19.0K £14.4K

-4.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.7K CHF 11.4K

$7,881 £5,957

73.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,565 CHF 5,460

$4,818 £3,642

36.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.95

4.65

-58.06%

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

Last update for Lausanne: October 4, 2026

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lausanne

$1.8K 48.2%

London

$2.3K 56.5% 26.9% $488

Groceries & Markets

Lausanne

$586 15.6%

London

$349 8.6% 40.4% $237

Eating Out

Lausanne

$469 12.5%

London

$397 9.7% 15.5% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lausanne

$378 10%

London

$434 10.7% 14.8% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Lausanne

$257 6.8%

London

$205 5% 20.3% $52

Getting Around

Lausanne

$143 3.8%

London

$288 7.1% 102% $145

Sport & Entertainment

Lausanne

$120 3.2%

London

$97 2.4% 19.1% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,280 in Lausanne and $2,853 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lausanne pays 36% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $117 in Lausanne vs $108 in London for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $586 vs $349 per month, with London cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

05:32 5:32 AM

04:32 4:32 AM

1 h behind Lausanne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,521

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.2 USD

1 CHF = 1.07 EUR

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.832 CHF (1 CHF = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 0.933 CHF (1 CHF = 1.07 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lausanne London 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lausanne
London

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 London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lausanne and London differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($3,790 vs $4,086 including rent). Lausanne is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 36% 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: $2,280 in Lausanne versus $2,853 in London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lausanne – a meal for two runs $117 versus $108 in London. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,790 per month in Lausanne versus $4,086 in London – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Lausanne 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 London 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 Lausanne gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.