Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lausanne and Thun

For one person, living is cheaper in Thun: $3,488 a month against $3,837 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
167

Cost of Living Index in Thun
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Thun Living Index

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Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,837

/mo nomad

Thun

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,488

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lausanne and in Thun

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,837 in Lausanne versus $3,488 in Thun.

Lausanne $3,837
Thun $3,488

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,789 in Lausanne versus $5,274 in Thun.

Lausanne $5,789
Thun $5,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,741 in Lausanne versus $7,060 in Thun.

Lausanne $7,741
Thun $7,060

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lausanne 182% above, Thun 156% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.81 CHF 25.41

$29.14 CHF 24.04

5.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$116 CHF 95.5

$123 CHF 101

-5.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.81 CHF 14.69

$15.96 CHF 13.16

11.59%

Cappuccino

$6.13 CHF 5.05

$6.33 CHF 5.22

-3.16%

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

$5.17 CHF 4.27

$6.10 CHF 5.03

-15.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 CHF 3.42

$5.99 CHF 4.94

-30.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.14 CHF 8.37

$9.16 CHF 7.56

10.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.59 CHF 7.91

$7.80 CHF 6.44

22.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CHF 1.83

$2.20 CHF 1.81

0.91%

White Bread (500g)

$3.81 CHF 3.15

$3.01 CHF 2.48

26.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.28 CHF 2.70

$3.14 CHF 2.59

4.46%

Eggs

$7.24 CHF 5.97

$7.87 CHF 6.49

-8.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.40 CHF 20.13

$24.90 CHF 20.54

-2.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.51 CHF 22.69

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.81 CHF 32.84

$39.29 CHF 32.41

1.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 CHF 2.92

$3.58 CHF 2.95

-1.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 CHF 1.77

$1.97 CHF 1.62

9.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 CHF 2.06

$2.63 CHF 2.17

-5.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 CHF 3.70

$4.73 CHF 3.90

-5.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CHF 1.53

$1.65 CHF 1.36

12.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 CHF 1.60

$2.01 CHF 1.66

-3.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 CHF 1.64

$2.28 CHF 1.88

-12.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 CHF 1.39

$1.30 CHF 1.08

30.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.99 CHF 9.06

$11.23 CHF 9.27

-2.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.96 CHF 12.34

$12.22 CHF 10.08

22.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 CHF 2.17

$2.29 CHF 1.89

15.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 CHF 2.58

$2.88 CHF 2.38

8.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.68 CHF 3.86

$4.18 CHF 3.45

11.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.1 CHF 79.3

$102 CHF 84.0

-5.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.94 CHF 6.55

$7.70 CHF 6.35

3.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.45 CHF 3.67

$4.58 CHF 3.77

-2.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.5 CHF 68.9

$83.8 CHF 69.2

-0.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 CHF 1.90

$2.36 CHF 1.95

-2.12%

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

$39.4K CHF 32.5K

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

-0.32%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

$39.7K CHF 32.7K

-0.29%

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

$299 CHF 247

$289 CHF 238

3.41%

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

$37.02 CHF 30.53

$45.48 CHF 37.52

-18.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.2 CHF 43.02

$64.3 CHF 53.1

-18.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.6 CHF 58.3

$90.3 CHF 74.5

-21.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.90 CHF 40.34

$46.46 CHF 38.33

5.25%

Cinema Ticket

$24.49 CHF 20.20

$23.20 CHF 19.14

5.56%

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

$2,960 CHF 2,442

$3,003 CHF 2,477

-1.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.8K CHF 30.3K

$30.1K CHF 24.9K

22.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$143 CHF 118

$144 CHF 119

-0.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.8 CHF 65.0

$79.9 CHF 65.9

-1.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 CHF 115

$162 CHF 134

-14.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$213 CHF 176

$195 CHF 161

9.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,369 CHF 1,955

$1,792 CHF 1,478

32.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,863 CHF 1,537

$1,510 CHF 1,246

23.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,244 CHF 3,501

$2,952 CHF 2,435

43.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,230 CHF 2,665

$2,512 CHF 2,072

28.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.4K CHF 15.2K

$16.3K CHF 13.4K

13.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.6K CHF 11.2K

$12.3K CHF 10.1K

10.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,587 CHF 5,434

$5,715 CHF 4,714

15.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.95

2.42

-19.42%

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

Last update for Lausanne: October 27, 2026

Last update for Thun: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lausanne

$1.9K 48.6%

Thun

$1.5K 43.3% 18.9% $353

Groceries & Markets

Lausanne

$583 15.2%

Thun

$565 16.2% 2.9% $17

Eating Out

Lausanne

$481 12.5%

Thun

$467 13.4% 2.9% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lausanne

$388 10.1%

Thun

$399 11.4% 2.8% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Lausanne

$259 6.7%

Thun

$261 7.5% 1.1% $2.8

Getting Around

Lausanne

$145 3.8%

Thun

$149 4.3% 2.9% $4.2

Sport & Entertainment

Lausanne

$120 3.1%

Thun

$137 3.9% 14.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,369 in Lausanne and $1,792 in Thun. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lausanne pays 15% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $116 in Lausanne vs $123 in Thun. Groceries flip the comparison at $583 vs $565, with Thun cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🇨🇭 Thun

🕒 Local time

17:02 5:02 PM

Same time as Lausanne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,521

43,905

💱 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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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 Thun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,837 in Lausanne and $3,488 in Thun, so Thun is about 9% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 15% 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 $1,792 in Thun. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lausanne – a meal for two runs $116 versus $123 in Thun. 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 $3,488 in Thun – Thun is about 9% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Thun 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 – Thun wins on affordability, Lausanne on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.