Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lausanne and Mendrisio

For one person, living is cheaper in Mendrisio: $3,034 a month against $3,716 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

181

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
Learn more

Lausanne Living Index
148

Cost of Living Index in Mendrisio
Learn more

Mendrisio Living Index

Jump to prices

Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,716

/mo nomad

Mendrisio

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,034

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lausanne and in Mendrisio

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,716 in Lausanne versus $3,034 in Mendrisio.

Lausanne $3,716
Mendrisio $3,034

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,694 in Lausanne versus $3,758 in Mendrisio.

Lausanne $5,694
Mendrisio $3,758

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,671 in Lausanne versus $4,483 in Mendrisio.

Lausanne $7,671
Mendrisio $4,483

Living in Lausanne is roughly 22% more expensive than in Mendrisio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lausanne 175% above, Mendrisio 125% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.26 CHF 24.92

$34.26 CHF 28.21

-11.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$115 CHF 94.9

$177 CHF 146

-34.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.67 CHF 14.55

$18.99 CHF 15.64

-6.95%

Cappuccino

$6.17 CHF 5.08

$4.80 CHF 3.96

28.54%

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

$5.08 CHF 4.18

$5.41 CHF 4.46

-6.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.09 CHF 3.37

$4.37 CHF 3.60

-6.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.38 CHF 8.55

$8.36 CHF 6.88

24.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.86 CHF 8.12

$7.03 CHF 5.79

40.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.84

$2.18 CHF 1.80

2.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.94 CHF 3.24

$3.70 CHF 3.04

6.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 CHF 2.69

$4.15 CHF 3.42

-21.45%

Eggs

$7.05 CHF 5.81

$7.07 CHF 5.83

-0.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.39 CHF 20.09

$25.44 CHF 20.95

-4.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.45 CHF 22.61

$28.11 CHF 23.15

-2.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$38.74 CHF 31.91

$39.04 CHF 32.15

-0.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 CHF 2.85

$3.15 CHF 2.60

10.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 CHF 1.69

$1.70 CHF 1.40

20.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 CHF 2.01

$2.56 CHF 2.11

-4.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 CHF 3.77

$6.49 CHF 5.35

-29.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 CHF 1.46

$1.84 CHF 1.52

-3.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 CHF 1.64

$2.13 CHF 1.76

-6.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 CHF 1.62

$2.34 CHF 1.93

-15.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 CHF 1.36

$1.16 CHF 0.96

43.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.57 CHF 8.71

$10.74 CHF 8.84

-1.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.01 CHF 12.36

$14.64 CHF 12.06

2.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 CHF 2.25

$3.36 CHF 2.77

-18.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 CHF 2.57

$4.08 CHF 3.36

-23.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.43 CHF 3.65

$3.03 CHF 2.50

46.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.8 CHF 76.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 CHF 6.55

$7.07 CHF 5.82

12.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.57 CHF 3.76

$5.38 CHF 4.43

-15.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$85.0 CHF 70.0

$78.3 CHF 64.5

8.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 CHF 1.87

$2.20 CHF 1.81

3.64%

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

$42.3K CHF 34.9K

$34.6K CHF 28.5K

22.30%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

$38.6K CHF 31.8K

2.65%

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

$292 CHF 240

$304 CHF 250

-3.86%

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

$36.21 CHF 29.82

$25.15 CHF 20.71

43.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.5 CHF 41.62

$48.38 CHF 39.85

4.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.0 CHF 57.7

$73.1 CHF 60.2

-4.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.43 CHF 39.07

Cinema Ticket

$24.44 CHF 20.13

$21.74 CHF 17.91

12.42%

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

$2,850 CHF 2,347

$3,187 CHF 2,625

-10.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.1K CHF 30.5K

$38.5K CHF 31.7K

-3.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$142 CHF 117

$107 CHF 87.8

33.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$77.7 CHF 64.0

$47.52 CHF 39.14

63.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 CHF 114

$164 CHF 135

-16.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$214 CHF 176

$166 CHF 137

28.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,256 CHF 1,858

$1,381 CHF 1,137

63.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 CHF 1,452

$1,199 CHF 987

47.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,291 CHF 3,534

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,206 CHF 2,640

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K CHF 15.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$14.0K CHF 11.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,426 CHF 5,292

$6,944 CHF 5,719

-7.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.95

2.37

-17.72%

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

Last update for Lausanne: October 13, 2026

Last update for Mendrisio: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lausanne

$1.8K 47.5%

Mendrisio

$1.2K 39.5% 32% $565

Groceries & Markets

Lausanne

$579 15.6%

Mendrisio

$594 19.6% 2.6% $15

Eating Out

Lausanne

$477 12.9%

Mendrisio

$484 15.9% 1.3% $6.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lausanne

$379 10.2%

Mendrisio

$377 12.4% 0.4% $1.5

Clothing & Footwear

Lausanne

$257 6.9%

Mendrisio

$218 7.2% 15.3% $39

Getting Around

Lausanne

$141 3.8%

Mendrisio

$46 * 1.5% 67.4% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Lausanne

$119 3.2%

Mendrisio

$117 3.8% 2% $2.3

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,256 in Lausanne and $1,381 in Mendrisio. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mendrisio pays 8% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $115 in Lausanne vs $177 in Mendrisio for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $579 vs $594 per month, with Lausanne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🇨🇭 Mendrisio

🕒 Local time

06:19 6:19 AM

Same time as Lausanne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,521

15,562

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lausanne Mendrisio 200 km

From you

Lausanne
Mendrisio

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 Mendrisio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lausanne and Mendrisio differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($3,716 vs $3,034 including rent). Mendrisio is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 8% lower in Mendrisio. 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: $2,256 in Lausanne versus $1,381 in Mendrisio. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lausanne pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $3,716 per month in Lausanne versus $3,034 in Mendrisio – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Mendrisio 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 Mendrisio 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 Mendrisio gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Lausanne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.