Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lausanne and Rheinfelden

For one person, living is cheaper in Rheinfelden: $1,976 a month against $3,837 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $22,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lausanne outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

183

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
Learn more

Lausanne Living Index
95

Cost of Living Index in Rheinfelden
Learn more

Rheinfelden Living Index

Jump to prices

Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,837

/mo nomad

Rheinfelden

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$1,976

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lausanne and in Rheinfelden

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,837 in Lausanne versus $1,976 in Rheinfelden.

Lausanne $3,837
Rheinfelden $1,976

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,789 in Lausanne versus $4,764 in Rheinfelden.

Lausanne $5,789
Rheinfelden $4,764

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,741 in Lausanne versus $7,551 in Rheinfelden.

Lausanne $7,741
Rheinfelden $7,551

Living in Lausanne is roughly 94% more expensive than in Rheinfelden, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lausanne 182% above, Rheinfelden 45% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.81 CHF 25.56

$30.11 CHF 24.98

2.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$116 CHF 96.0

$123 CHF 102

-5.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.81 CHF 14.77

$18.06 CHF 14.98

-1.38%

Cappuccino

$6.13 CHF 5.08

$5.76 CHF 4.78

6.42%

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

$5.17 CHF 4.29

$5.51 CHF 4.57

-6.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 CHF 3.44

$4.88 CHF 4.05

-14.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.14 CHF 8.42

$8.44 CHF 7.00

20.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.59 CHF 7.95

$6.67 CHF 5.53

43.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CHF 1.84

$2.20 CHF 1.83

0.91%

White Bread (500g)

$3.81 CHF 3.16

$3.61 CHF 3.00

5.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.28 CHF 2.72

$4.33 CHF 3.60

-24.25%

Eggs

$7.24 CHF 6.00

$7.34 CHF 6.09

-1.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.40 CHF 20.24

$26.05 CHF 21.61

-6.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.51 CHF 22.82

$27.83 CHF 23.09

-1.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.81 CHF 33.02

$41.23 CHF 34.21

-3.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 CHF 2.93

$4.02 CHF 3.33

-11.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 CHF 1.78

$2.16 CHF 1.79

-0.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 CHF 2.07

$2.95 CHF 2.45

-15.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 CHF 3.73

$5.45 CHF 4.52

-17.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CHF 1.54

$1.69 CHF 1.40

10.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 CHF 1.61

$1.93 CHF 1.60

0.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 CHF 1.65

$2.26 CHF 1.88

-11.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 CHF 1.40

$1.11 CHF 0.92

52.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.99 CHF 9.12

$11.36 CHF 9.43

-3.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.96 CHF 12.41

$12.30 CHF 10.21

21.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 CHF 2.19

$2.80 CHF 2.32

-5.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 CHF 2.60

$3.57 CHF 2.97

-12.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.68 CHF 3.88

$3.58 CHF 2.97

30.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.1 CHF 79.7

$123 CHF 102

-21.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.94 CHF 6.58

$4.58 CHF 3.80

73.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.45 CHF 3.69

$2.81 CHF 2.33

58.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.5 CHF 69.2

$59.9 CHF 49.71

39.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 CHF 1.91

$2.23 CHF 1.85

3.59%

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

$39.4K CHF 32.7K

$38.6K CHF 32.0K

2.01%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.8K

-0.07%

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

$299 CHF 248

$236 CHF 196

26.51%

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

$37.02 CHF 30.71

$46.56 CHF 38.62

-20.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.2 CHF 43.26

$64.0 CHF 53.1

-18.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.6 CHF 58.6

$107 CHF 88.4

-33.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.90 CHF 40.56

Cinema Ticket

$24.49 CHF 20.32

$21.92 CHF 18.19

11.72%

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

$2,960 CHF 2,455

$3,007 CHF 2,495

-1.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.8K CHF 30.5K

$24.8K CHF 20.6K

48.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$143 CHF 119

$144 CHF 120

-0.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.8 CHF 65.4

$80.0 CHF 66.4

-1.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 CHF 116

$166 CHF 137

-15.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$213 CHF 177

$202 CHF 167

5.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,369 CHF 1,966

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,863 CHF 1,545

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,244 CHF 3,520

$2,206 CHF 1,830

92.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,230 CHF 2,680

$2,991 CHF 2,481

8.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.4K CHF 15.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.6K CHF 11.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,587 CHF 5,465

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.95

2.41

-19.09%

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

Last update for Lausanne: October 27, 2026

Last update for Rheinfelden: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lausanne

$1.9K 48.6%

Rheinfelden

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Lausanne

$583 15.2%

Rheinfelden

$595 30.1% 2.1% $12

Eating Out

Lausanne

$481 12.5%

Rheinfelden

$461 23.4% 4% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lausanne

$388 10.1%

Rheinfelden

$347 17.6% 10.6% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Lausanne

$259 6.7%

Rheinfelden

$266 13.5% 3% $7.7

Getting Around

Lausanne

$145 3.8%

Rheinfelden

$156 7.9% 7.7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Lausanne

$120 3.1%

Rheinfelden

$150 7.6% 25.7% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $116 in Lausanne vs $123 in Rheinfelden for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $583 vs $595 per month, with Lausanne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🇨🇭 Rheinfelden

🕒 Local time

19:45 7:45 PM

Same time as Lausanne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,521

13,360

💱 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 Rheinfelden 140 km

From you

Lausanne
Rheinfelden

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 Rheinfelden: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lausanne and Rheinfelden differ by about 94% in total monthly costs ($3,837 vs $1,976 including rent). Rheinfelden is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $5,756 in Lausanne and $2,964 in Rheinfelden to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

A monthly transit pass in Lausanne runs roughly 22% less than in Rheinfelden. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $3,837 per month in Lausanne versus $1,976 in Rheinfelden – a 94% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,976 in Rheinfelden versus $3,837 in Lausanne, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Rheinfelden but tight or insufficient in Lausanne. The gap between the two cities makes Rheinfelden 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 Rheinfelden are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.