Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lausanne and Sion

For one person, living is cheaper in Sion: $3,284 a month against $3,837 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lausanne outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

183

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
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Lausanne Living Index
157

Cost of Living Index in Sion
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Sion Living Index

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Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,837

/mo nomad

Sion

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,284

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lausanne and in Sion

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,837 in Lausanne versus $3,284 in Sion.

Lausanne $3,837
Sion $3,284

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,789 in Lausanne versus $4,915 in Sion.

Lausanne $5,789
Sion $4,915

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,741 in Lausanne versus $6,546 in Sion.

Lausanne $7,741
Sion $6,546

Living in Lausanne is roughly 17% more expensive than in Sion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lausanne 182% above, Sion 141% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.81 CHF 25.41

$29.93 CHF 24.69

2.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$116 CHF 95.5

$90.2 CHF 74.4

28.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.81 CHF 14.69

$19.21 CHF 15.85

-7.29%

Cappuccino

$6.13 CHF 5.05

$4.66 CHF 3.84

31.55%

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

$5.17 CHF 4.27

$5.39 CHF 4.44

-4.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 CHF 3.42

$4.17 CHF 3.44

-0.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.14 CHF 8.37

$7.32 CHF 6.04

38.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.59 CHF 7.91

$7.40 CHF 6.10

29.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CHF 1.83

$2.02 CHF 1.67

9.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.81 CHF 3.15

$3.71 CHF 3.06

2.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.28 CHF 2.70

$4.02 CHF 3.31

-18.41%

Eggs

$7.24 CHF 5.97

$7.23 CHF 5.96

0.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.40 CHF 20.13

$25.77 CHF 21.25

-5.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.51 CHF 22.69

$22.80 CHF 18.80

20.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.81 CHF 32.83

$39.58 CHF 32.64

0.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 CHF 2.92

$3.28 CHF 2.71

7.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 CHF 1.77

$1.70 CHF 1.40

26.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 CHF 2.06

$2.54 CHF 2.10

-1.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 CHF 3.70

$6.35 CHF 5.24

-29.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CHF 1.53

$1.81 CHF 1.49

2.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 CHF 1.60

$2.15 CHF 1.78

-9.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 CHF 1.64

$2.45 CHF 2.02

-18.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 CHF 1.39

$1.17 CHF 0.96

44.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.99 CHF 9.06

$10.96 CHF 9.04

0.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.96 CHF 12.34

$14.59 CHF 12.03

2.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 CHF 2.17

$1.79 CHF 1.48

47.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 CHF 2.58

$1.88 CHF 1.55

66.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.68 CHF 3.86

$5.17 CHF 4.27

-9.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.1 CHF 79.2

$179 CHF 147

-46.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.94 CHF 6.55

$5.93 CHF 4.89

33.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.45 CHF 3.67

$5.39 CHF 4.45

-17.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.5 CHF 68.8

$49.11 CHF 40.51

69.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 CHF 1.90

$2.30 CHF 1.90

0.43%

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

$39.4K CHF 32.5K

-0.04%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

$37.6K CHF 31.0K

5.24%

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

$299 CHF 247

$309 CHF 255

-3.33%

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

$37.02 CHF 30.53

$25.35 CHF 20.91

46.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.2 CHF 43.01

$48.26 CHF 39.80

8.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.6 CHF 58.3

$137 CHF 113

-48.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.90 CHF 40.33

$55.4 CHF 45.71

-11.76%

Cinema Ticket

$24.49 CHF 20.20

$20.33 CHF 16.77

20.46%

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

$2,960 CHF 2,441

$974 CHF 804

203.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.8K CHF 30.3K

$38.2K CHF 31.5K

-3.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$143 CHF 118

$110 CHF 91.0

29.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.8 CHF 65.0

$49.30 CHF 40.66

59.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 CHF 115

$165 CHF 136

-15.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$213 CHF 176

$172 CHF 142

23.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,369 CHF 1,954

$1,231 CHF 1,015

92.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,863 CHF 1,536

$1,269 CHF 1,047

46.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,244 CHF 3,500

$2,308 CHF 1,904

83.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,230 CHF 2,664

$2,091 CHF 1,724

54.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.4K CHF 15.2K

$7,526 CHF 6,207

144.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.6K CHF 11.2K

$5,552 CHF 4,579

144.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,587 CHF 5,433

$5,816 CHF 4,797

13.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.95

2.15

-9.30%

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

Last update for Lausanne: October 27, 2026

Last update for Sion: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lausanne

$1.9K 48.6%

Sion

$1.3K 38.6% 31.9% $594

Groceries & Markets

Lausanne

$583 15.2%

Sion

$556 16.9% 4.5% $26

Eating Out

Lausanne

$481 12.5%

Sion

$443 13.5% 7.9% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lausanne

$388 10.1%

Sion

$383 11.7% 1.4% $5.3

Clothing & Footwear

Lausanne

$259 6.7%

Sion

$224 6.8% 13.5% $35

Getting Around

Lausanne

$145 3.8%

Sion

$232 7.1% 60.1% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Lausanne

$120 3.1%

Sion

$178 5.4% 48.6% $58

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,369 in Lausanne and $1,231 in Sion. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lausanne pays 13% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $116 in Lausanne vs $90 in Sion for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $583 vs $556 per month, with Sion cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🇨🇭 Sion

🕒 Local time

05:51 5:51 AM

Same time as Lausanne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,521

34,599

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Lausanne Sion 64 km

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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 Sion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,837 in Lausanne and $3,284 in Sion, so Sion is about 14% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 13% higher in Lausanne, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,369 in Lausanne versus $1,231 in Sion. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sion – a meal for two runs $90 versus $116 in Lausanne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $3,837 per month in Lausanne versus $3,284 in Sion – Sion is about 14% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Sion 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.

It comes down to priorities – Sion wins on affordability, Lausanne on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.