Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lausanne and Solothurn

For one person, living is cheaper in Solothurn: $2,753 a month against $3,837 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

183

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
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Lausanne Living Index
132

Cost of Living Index in Solothurn
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Solothurn Living Index

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Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,837

/mo nomad

Solothurn

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,753

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lausanne and in Solothurn

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,837 in Lausanne versus $2,753 in Solothurn.

Lausanne $3,837
Solothurn $2,753

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,789 in Lausanne versus $4,410 in Solothurn.

Lausanne $5,789
Solothurn $4,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,741 in Lausanne versus $6,067 in Solothurn.

Lausanne $7,741
Solothurn $6,067

Living in Lausanne is roughly 39% more expensive than in Solothurn, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lausanne 182% above, Solothurn 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.81 CHF 25.51

$30.77 CHF 25.48

0.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$116 CHF 95.8

$147 CHF 122

-21.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.81 CHF 14.74

$18.33 CHF 15.17

-2.84%

Cappuccino

$6.13 CHF 5.07

$6.67 CHF 5.52

-8.10%

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

$5.17 CHF 4.28

$5.31 CHF 4.40

-2.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 CHF 3.44

$5.33 CHF 4.41

-22.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.14 CHF 8.40

$6.59 CHF 5.46

53.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.59 CHF 7.94

$5.89 CHF 4.88

62.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CHF 1.83

$2.19 CHF 1.81

1.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.81 CHF 3.16

$3.76 CHF 3.12

1.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.28 CHF 2.71

$3.40 CHF 2.82

-3.53%

Eggs

$7.24 CHF 5.99

$8.42 CHF 6.97

-14.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.40 CHF 20.20

$22.43 CHF 18.57

8.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.51 CHF 22.77

$26.36 CHF 21.83

4.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.81 CHF 32.96

$60.1 CHF 49.74

-33.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 CHF 2.93

$2.92 CHF 2.41

21.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 CHF 1.78

$1.49 CHF 1.23

44.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 CHF 2.07

$3.52 CHF 2.92

-29.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 CHF 3.72

$4.26 CHF 3.52

5.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CHF 1.54

$1.65 CHF 1.36

12.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 CHF 1.60

$1.84 CHF 1.52

5.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 CHF 1.65

$1.55 CHF 1.29

28.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 CHF 1.40

$1.01 CHF 0.84

67.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.99 CHF 9.10

$10.81 CHF 8.95

1.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.96 CHF 12.39

$14.12 CHF 11.69

5.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 CHF 2.18

$2.91 CHF 2.41

-9.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 CHF 2.59

$3.11 CHF 2.58

0.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.68 CHF 3.87

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.1 CHF 79.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.94 CHF 6.57

$7.96 CHF 6.59

-0.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.45 CHF 3.69

$4.47 CHF 3.70

-0.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.5 CHF 69.1

$88.1 CHF 72.9

-5.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 CHF 1.91

$2.23 CHF 1.84

3.59%

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

$39.4K CHF 32.6K

$30.4K CHF 25.2K

29.44%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.8K

$35.0K CHF 29.0K

13.11%

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

$299 CHF 247

$97.8 CHF 81.0

205.67%

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

$37.02 CHF 30.65

$30.67 CHF 25.39

20.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.2 CHF 43.17

$54.3 CHF 44.99

-4.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.6 CHF 58.5

$89.4 CHF 74.0

-20.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.90 CHF 40.48

$17.05 CHF 14.11

186.80%

Cinema Ticket

$24.49 CHF 20.28

$17.87 CHF 14.79

37.05%

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

$2,960 CHF 2,451

$3,421 CHF 2,832

-13.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.8K CHF 30.4K

$19.5K CHF 16.1K

88.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$143 CHF 119

$138 CHF 114

3.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.8 CHF 65.2

$41.96 CHF 34.74

87.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 CHF 115

$159 CHF 132

-12.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$213 CHF 176

$246 CHF 203

-13.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,369 CHF 1,962

$1,154 CHF 955

105.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,863 CHF 1,542

$1,043 CHF 864

78.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,244 CHF 3,513

$1,803 CHF 1,493

135.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,230 CHF 2,675

$1,718 CHF 1,422

88.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.4K CHF 15.2K

$9,576 CHF 7,929

92.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.6K CHF 11.2K

$4,801 CHF 3,975

182.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,587 CHF 5,454

$6,805 CHF 5,634

-3.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.95

2.03

-3.94%

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

Last update for Lausanne: October 27, 2026

Last update for Solothurn: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lausanne

$1.9K 48.6%

Solothurn

$1K 37.9% 44% $819

Groceries & Markets

Lausanne

$583 15.2%

Solothurn

$621 22.6% 6.6% $39

Eating Out

Lausanne

$481 12.5%

Solothurn

$468 17% 2.5% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lausanne

$388 10.1%

Solothurn

$183 6.6% 52.9% $205

Clothing & Footwear

Lausanne

$259 6.7%

Solothurn

$263 9.6% 1.8% $4.6

Getting Around

Lausanne

$145 3.8%

Solothurn

$49 * 1.8% 66.2% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Lausanne

$120 3.1%

Solothurn

$125 4.6% 4.6% $5.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,369 in Lausanne and $1,154 in Solothurn. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Solothurn pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $116 in Lausanne vs $147 in Solothurn for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $583 vs $621 per month, with Lausanne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🇨🇭 Solothurn

🕒 Local time

06:04 6:04 AM

Same time as Lausanne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,521

16,599

💱 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

On the map

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Lausanne Solothurn 100 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 Solothurn: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,837 in Lausanne and $2,753 in Solothurn, so Solothurn is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Lausanne. 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: $2,369 in Lausanne versus $1,154 in Solothurn. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lausanne pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $3,837 per month in Lausanne versus $2,753 in Solothurn – Solothurn is about 28% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 Solothurn are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.