Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lausanne and Schwyz

For one person, living is cheaper in Schwyz: $3,465 a month against $3,716 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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
169

Cost of Living Index in Schwyz
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Schwyz Living Index

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Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,716

/mo nomad

Schwyz

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,465

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lausanne and in Schwyz

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,716 in Lausanne versus $3,465 in Schwyz.

Lausanne $3,716
Schwyz $3,465

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,694 in Lausanne versus $5,489 in Schwyz.

Lausanne $5,694
Schwyz $5,489

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,671 in Lausanne versus $7,512 in Schwyz.

Lausanne $7,671
Schwyz $7,512

Living in Lausanne is roughly 7% more expensive than in Schwyz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lausanne 175% above, Schwyz 157% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.26 CHF 24.92

$29.81 CHF 24.55

1.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$115 CHF 94.9

$119 CHF 98.0

-3.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.67 CHF 14.55

$17.69 CHF 14.57

-0.11%

Cappuccino

$6.17 CHF 5.08

$5.91 CHF 4.87

4.40%

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

$5.08 CHF 4.18

$5.52 CHF 4.55

-7.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.09 CHF 3.37

$4.77 CHF 3.93

-14.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.38 CHF 8.55

$8.18 CHF 6.74

26.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.86 CHF 8.12

$6.55 CHF 5.39

50.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.84

$2.16 CHF 1.78

3.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.94 CHF 3.24

$3.88 CHF 3.20

1.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 CHF 2.69

$4.25 CHF 3.50

-23.29%

Eggs

$7.05 CHF 5.81

$7.39 CHF 6.09

-4.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.39 CHF 20.09

$32.72 CHF 26.95

-25.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.45 CHF 22.61

$29.20 CHF 24.05

-5.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$38.74 CHF 31.91

$41.34 CHF 34.05

-6.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 CHF 2.85

$3.58 CHF 2.95

-3.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 CHF 1.69

$2.15 CHF 1.77

-4.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 CHF 2.01

$2.96 CHF 2.44

-17.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 CHF 3.77

$5.38 CHF 4.43

-14.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 CHF 1.46

$2.25 CHF 1.85

-21.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 CHF 1.64

$2.49 CHF 2.05

-20.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 CHF 1.62

$2.38 CHF 1.96

-17.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 CHF 1.36

$1.23 CHF 1.01

34.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.57 CHF 8.71

$11.04 CHF 9.10

-4.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.01 CHF 12.36

$12.69 CHF 10.45

18.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 CHF 2.25

$2.96 CHF 2.44

-7.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 CHF 2.57

$3.87 CHF 3.18

-19.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.43 CHF 3.65

$4.46 CHF 3.68

-0.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.8 CHF 76.5

$100 CHF 82.5

-7.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 CHF 6.55

$6.19 CHF 5.10

28.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.57 CHF 3.76

$6.07 CHF 5.00

-24.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$85.0 CHF 70.0

$36.42 CHF 30.00

133.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 CHF 1.87

$2.31 CHF 1.90

-1.30%

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

$42.3K CHF 34.9K

$41.9K CHF 34.5K

0.98%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

$39.1K CHF 32.2K

1.35%

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

$292 CHF 240

$282 CHF 233

3.43%

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

$36.21 CHF 29.82

$37.72 CHF 31.06

-4.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.5 CHF 41.62

$61.1 CHF 50.3

-17.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.0 CHF 57.7

$89.8 CHF 73.9

-22.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.43 CHF 39.07

$45.48 CHF 37.46

4.29%

Cinema Ticket

$24.44 CHF 20.13

$27.25 CHF 22.44

-10.31%

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

$2,850 CHF 2,347

$1,829 CHF 1,507

55.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.1K CHF 30.5K

$32.2K CHF 26.6K

14.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$142 CHF 117

$164 CHF 135

-13.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$77.7 CHF 64.0

$68.9 CHF 56.8

12.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 CHF 114

$152 CHF 125

-9.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$214 CHF 176

$183 CHF 151

16.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,256 CHF 1,858

$1,727 CHF 1,422

30.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 CHF 1,452

$1,444 CHF 1,189

22.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,291 CHF 3,534

$2,783 CHF 2,292

54.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,206 CHF 2,640

$2,866 CHF 2,361

11.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K CHF 15.0K

$15.6K CHF 12.9K

16.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$14.0K CHF 11.5K

$12.0K CHF 9,853

16.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,426 CHF 5,292

$6,819 CHF 5,616

-5.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.95

1.9

2.63%

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

Last update for Lausanne: October 13, 2026

Last update for Schwyz: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lausanne

$1.8K 47.5%

Schwyz

$1.4K 41.7% 18.1% $320

Groceries & Markets

Lausanne

$579 15.6%

Schwyz

$629 18.1% 8.6% $50

Eating Out

Lausanne

$477 12.9%

Schwyz

$458 13.2% 4.1% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lausanne

$379 10.2%

Schwyz

$381 11% 0.6% $2.4

Clothing & Footwear

Lausanne

$257 6.9%

Schwyz

$256 7.4% 0.7% $1.7

Getting Around

Lausanne

$141 3.8%

Schwyz

$155 4.5% 9.3% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Lausanne

$119 3.2%

Schwyz

$144 4.2% 21.3% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,256 in Lausanne and $1,727 in Schwyz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Schwyz pays 6% 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 $119 in Schwyz for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $579 vs $629 per month, with Lausanne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🇨🇭 Schwyz

🕒 Local time

10:03 10:03 AM

Same time as Lausanne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,521

14,750

💱 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 Schwyz 160 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 Schwyz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lausanne and Schwyz differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($3,716 vs $3,465 including rent). Schwyz is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 6% lower in Schwyz. 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 $1,727 in Schwyz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Schwyz – a meal for two runs $119 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 $3,465 in Schwyz – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Schwyz 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 Schwyz 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 Schwyz gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Lausanne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.