Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lausanne and Riehen

For one person, living is cheaper in Riehen: $3,372 a month against $3,716 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

181

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
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Lausanne Living Index
164

Cost of Living Index in Riehen
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Riehen Living Index

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Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,716

/mo nomad

Riehen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lausanne and in Riehen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,716 in Lausanne versus $3,372 in Riehen.

Lausanne $3,716
Riehen $3,372

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,694 in Lausanne versus $5,084 in Riehen.

Lausanne $5,694
Riehen $5,084

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,671 in Lausanne versus $6,797 in Riehen.

Lausanne $7,671
Riehen $6,797

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lausanne 175% above, Riehen 150% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.26 CHF 24.92

$29.55 CHF 24.34

2.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$115 CHF 94.9

$120 CHF 98.5

-3.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.67 CHF 14.55

$15.72 CHF 12.94

12.40%

Cappuccino

$6.17 CHF 5.08

$6.21 CHF 5.11

-0.64%

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

$5.08 CHF 4.18

$4.98 CHF 4.10

2.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.09 CHF 3.37

$5.26 CHF 4.33

-22.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.38 CHF 8.55

$7.15 CHF 5.89

45.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.86 CHF 8.12

$6.57 CHF 5.41

50.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.84

$2.13 CHF 1.75

4.69%

White Bread (500g)

$3.94 CHF 3.24

$3.14 CHF 2.59

25.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 CHF 2.69

$3.51 CHF 2.89

-7.12%

Eggs

$7.05 CHF 5.81

$7.13 CHF 5.87

-1.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.39 CHF 20.09

$24.83 CHF 20.45

-1.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.45 CHF 22.61

$24.86 CHF 20.48

10.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$38.74 CHF 31.91

$37.07 CHF 30.53

4.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 CHF 2.85

$3.52 CHF 2.90

-1.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 CHF 1.69

$1.61 CHF 1.33

27.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 CHF 2.01

$2.51 CHF 2.07

-2.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 CHF 3.77

$4.36 CHF 3.59

5.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 CHF 1.46

$1.78 CHF 1.46

-0.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 CHF 1.64

$2.09 CHF 1.72

-4.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 CHF 1.62

$2.19 CHF 1.80

-10.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 CHF 1.36

$1.23 CHF 1.02

34.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.57 CHF 8.71

$10.91 CHF 8.99

-3.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.01 CHF 12.36

$10.39 CHF 8.56

44.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 CHF 2.25

$3.48 CHF 2.87

-21.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 CHF 2.57

$2.32 CHF 1.91

34.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.43 CHF 3.65

$4.45 CHF 3.67

-0.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.8 CHF 76.5

$98.6 CHF 81.2

-5.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 CHF 6.55

$9.84 CHF 8.11

-19.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.57 CHF 3.76

$4.02 CHF 3.31

13.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$85.0 CHF 70.0

$73.6 CHF 60.6

15.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 CHF 1.87

$2.18 CHF 1.80

4.59%

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

$42.3K CHF 34.9K

$41.5K CHF 34.1K

2.13%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

$39.3K CHF 32.3K

0.89%

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

$292 CHF 240

$339 CHF 280

-13.99%

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

$36.21 CHF 29.82

$41.49 CHF 34.17

-12.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.5 CHF 41.62

$56.6 CHF 46.59

-10.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.0 CHF 57.7

$88.7 CHF 73.1

-21.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.43 CHF 39.07

$45.01 CHF 37.07

5.38%

Cinema Ticket

$24.44 CHF 20.13

$21.40 CHF 17.63

14.21%

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

$2,850 CHF 2,347

$1,786 CHF 1,471

59.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.1K CHF 30.5K

$36.6K CHF 30.2K

1.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$142 CHF 117

$102 CHF 84.0

39.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$77.7 CHF 64.0

$57.0 CHF 46.94

36.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 CHF 114

$165 CHF 136

-16.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$214 CHF 176

$183 CHF 151

16.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,256 CHF 1,858

$1,680 CHF 1,384

34.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 CHF 1,452

$1,440 CHF 1,186

22.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,291 CHF 3,534

$3,422 CHF 2,819

25.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,206 CHF 2,640

$2,418 CHF 1,992

32.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K CHF 15.0K

$15.7K CHF 12.9K

16.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$14.0K CHF 11.5K

$12.0K CHF 9,867

16.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,426 CHF 5,292

$8,642 CHF 7,118

-25.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.95

2.31

-15.58%

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

Last update for Lausanne: October 13, 2026

Last update for Riehen: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lausanne

$1.8K 47.5%

Riehen

$1.4K 42.7% 18.4% $324

Groceries & Markets

Lausanne

$579 15.6%

Riehen

$540 16% 6.6% $38

Eating Out

Lausanne

$477 12.9%

Riehen

$448 13.3% 6.2% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lausanne

$379 10.2%

Riehen

$438 13% 15.5% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Lausanne

$257 6.9%

Riehen

$228 6.8% 11.3% $29

Getting Around

Lausanne

$141 3.8%

Riehen

$146 4.3% 3.5% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Lausanne

$119 3.2%

Riehen

$132 3.9% 10.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,256 in Lausanne and $1,680 in Riehen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Riehen pays 34% 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 $120 in Riehen. Groceries flip the comparison at $579 vs $540, with Riehen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🇨🇭 Riehen

🕒 Local time

05:24 5:24 AM

Same time as Lausanne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,521

20,970

💱 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

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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 Riehen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lausanne and Riehen differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($3,716 vs $3,372 including rent). Riehen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 34% lower in Riehen. 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 $1,680 in Riehen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Riehen – a meal for two runs $120 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 $3,372 in Riehen – 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. Riehen 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 Riehen 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 Riehen 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.