Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lausanne and Naters

For one person, living is cheaper in Naters: $3,392 a month against $3,716 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lausanne outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

181

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
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Lausanne Living Index
165

Cost of Living Index in Naters
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Naters Living Index

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Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,716

/mo nomad

Naters

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,392

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lausanne and in Naters

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,716 in Lausanne versus $3,392 in Naters.

Lausanne $3,716
Naters $3,392

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,694 in Lausanne versus $5,165 in Naters.

Lausanne $5,694
Naters $5,165

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,671 in Lausanne versus $6,938 in Naters.

Lausanne $7,671
Naters $6,938

Living in Lausanne is roughly 10% more expensive than in Naters, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lausanne 175% above, Naters 151% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.26 CHF 24.92

$30.46 CHF 25.08

-0.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$115 CHF 94.9

$122 CHF 100

-5.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.67 CHF 14.55

$18.10 CHF 14.91

-2.38%

Cappuccino

$6.17 CHF 5.08

$5.92 CHF 4.87

4.22%

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

$5.08 CHF 4.18

$5.27 CHF 4.34

-3.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.09 CHF 3.37

$4.75 CHF 3.91

-13.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.38 CHF 8.55

$8.96 CHF 7.38

15.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.86 CHF 8.12

$7.15 CHF 5.89

37.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.84

$2.13 CHF 1.75

4.69%

White Bread (500g)

$3.94 CHF 3.24

$3.59 CHF 2.96

9.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 CHF 2.69

$3.68 CHF 3.03

-11.41%

Eggs

$7.05 CHF 5.81

$7.74 CHF 6.37

-8.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.39 CHF 20.09

$25.33 CHF 20.86

-3.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.45 CHF 22.61

$28.34 CHF 23.34

-3.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$38.74 CHF 31.91

$39.57 CHF 32.59

-2.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 CHF 2.85

$3.61 CHF 2.97

-3.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 CHF 1.69

$1.96 CHF 1.61

4.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 CHF 2.01

$2.65 CHF 2.18

-7.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 CHF 3.77

$4.64 CHF 3.82

-1.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 CHF 1.46

$1.79 CHF 1.48

-1.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 CHF 1.64

$2.17 CHF 1.78

-8.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 CHF 1.62

$2.23 CHF 1.84

-11.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 CHF 1.36

$1.28 CHF 1.06

29.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.57 CHF 8.71

$11.00 CHF 9.06

-3.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.01 CHF 12.36

$12.66 CHF 10.43

18.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 CHF 2.25

$2.72 CHF 2.24

0.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 CHF 2.57

$3.13 CHF 2.57

-0.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.43 CHF 3.65

$4.62 CHF 3.81

-4.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.8 CHF 76.5

$101 CHF 82.9

-7.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 CHF 6.55

$7.59 CHF 6.25

4.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.57 CHF 3.76

$4.67 CHF 3.85

-2.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$85.0 CHF 70.0

$74.7 CHF 61.5

13.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 CHF 1.87

$2.19 CHF 1.80

4.11%

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

$42.3K CHF 34.9K

$40.7K CHF 33.5K

4.05%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

$38.7K CHF 31.8K

2.45%

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

$292 CHF 240

$280 CHF 230

4.42%

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

$36.21 CHF 29.82

$33.38 CHF 27.49

8.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.5 CHF 41.62

$55.4 CHF 45.64

-8.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.0 CHF 57.7

$90.9 CHF 74.9

-22.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.43 CHF 39.07

$46.03 CHF 37.91

3.04%

Cinema Ticket

$24.44 CHF 20.13

$23.27 CHF 19.17

5.03%

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

$2,850 CHF 2,347

$2,629 CHF 2,165

8.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.1K CHF 30.5K

$33.7K CHF 27.8K

9.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$142 CHF 117

$143 CHF 118

-0.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$77.7 CHF 64.0

$59.3 CHF 48.84

31.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 CHF 114

$148 CHF 122

-6.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$214 CHF 176

$188 CHF 155

13.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,256 CHF 1,858

$1,716 CHF 1,413

31.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 CHF 1,452

$1,443 CHF 1,189

22.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,291 CHF 3,534

$2,795 CHF 2,302

53.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,206 CHF 2,640

$2,433 CHF 2,004

31.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K CHF 15.0K

$16.2K CHF 13.4K

12.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$14.0K CHF 11.5K

$12.2K CHF 10.1K

14.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,426 CHF 5,292

$8,514 CHF 7,012

-24.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.95

2.07

-5.80%

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

Last update for Lausanne: October 13, 2026

Last update for Naters: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lausanne

$1.8K 47.5%

Naters

$1.4K 42.6% 18.1% $320

Groceries & Markets

Lausanne

$579 15.6%

Naters

$582 17.2% 0.6% $3.3

Eating Out

Lausanne

$477 12.9%

Naters

$468 13.8% 1.9% $9.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lausanne

$379 10.2%

Naters

$368 10.9% 2.7% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Lausanne

$257 6.9%

Naters

$242 7.2% 5.8% $15

Getting Around

Lausanne

$141 3.8%

Naters

$150 4.4% 6.1% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Lausanne

$119 3.2%

Naters

$137 4.1% 15.6% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,256 in Lausanne and $1,716 in Naters. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Naters pays 32% 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 $122 in Naters for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $579 vs $582 per month, with Lausanne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🇨🇭 Naters

🕒 Local time

12:03 12:03 PM

Same time as Lausanne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,521

10,000

💱 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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Lausanne Naters 110 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 Naters: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lausanne and Naters differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($3,716 vs $3,392 including rent). Naters is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 32% lower in Naters. 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 $1,716 in Naters. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Naters – a meal for two runs $122 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 $3,392 in Naters – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Naters 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 Naters 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 Naters gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Lausanne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.