Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lausanne and Yens

For one person, living is cheaper in Yens: $3,568 a month against $3,832 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

184

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
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Lausanne Living Index
167

Cost of Living Index in Yens
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Yens Living Index

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Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,832

/mo nomad

Yens

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lausanne and in Yens

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,832 in Lausanne versus $3,568 in Yens.

Lausanne $3,832
Yens $3,568

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,808 in Lausanne versus $5,328 in Yens.

Lausanne $5,808
Yens $5,328

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,784 in Lausanne versus $7,088 in Yens.

Lausanne $7,784
Yens $7,088

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lausanne 183% above, Yens 164% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.02 CHF 24.51

$29.48 CHF 24.07

1.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$116 CHF 94.9

$116 CHF 94.4

0.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.37 CHF 15.00

$16.12 CHF 13.16

13.96%

Cappuccino

$6.17 CHF 5.04

$6.35 CHF 5.19

-2.83%

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

$4.94 CHF 4.03

$5.07 CHF 4.14

-2.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 CHF 3.30

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.43 CHF 8.52

$9.34 CHF 7.63

11.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.92 CHF 8.10

$7.91 CHF 6.46

25.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CHF 1.81

$2.26 CHF 1.85

-1.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.93 CHF 3.21

$3.06 CHF 2.50

28.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.28 CHF 2.67

$3.32 CHF 2.71

-1.20%

Eggs

$7.35 CHF 6.00

$7.55 CHF 6.17

-2.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.00 CHF 20.41

$24.49 CHF 19.99

2.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.00 CHF 22.86

$27.77 CHF 22.67

0.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.86 CHF 32.54

$40.09 CHF 32.73

-0.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 CHF 3.02

$3.63 CHF 2.97

1.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 CHF 1.75

$2.00 CHF 1.63

7.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.48 CHF 2.02

$2.52 CHF 2.06

-1.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 CHF 3.74

$4.74 CHF 3.87

-3.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 CHF 1.49

$1.66 CHF 1.35

9.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.67

$1.97 CHF 1.61

3.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 CHF 1.65

$2.08 CHF 1.70

-2.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 CHF 1.44

$1.37 CHF 1.12

28.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.10 CHF 9.06

$11.04 CHF 9.01

0.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.26 CHF 12.46

$12.38 CHF 10.10

23.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 CHF 2.19

$2.23 CHF 1.82

20.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 CHF 2.69

$3.05 CHF 2.49

7.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.83 CHF 3.94

$3.99 CHF 3.26

21.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.1 CHF 79.3

$107 CHF 87.7

-9.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.08 CHF 6.60

$7.99 CHF 6.52

1.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.67 CHF 3.81

$4.69 CHF 3.83

-0.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$85.7 CHF 69.9

$85.7 CHF 70.0

-0.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 CHF 1.90

$2.34 CHF 1.91

-0.85%

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

$38.7K CHF 31.6K

$39.0K CHF 31.9K

-0.96%

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

$39.0K CHF 31.9K

$39.9K CHF 32.6K

-2.26%

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

$294 CHF 240

$280 CHF 229

4.79%

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

$37.95 CHF 30.98

$28.64 CHF 23.38

32.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 CHF 43.39

$53.4 CHF 43.61

-0.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 CHF 60.3

$76.2 CHF 62.2

-3.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.25 CHF 39.40

$47.19 CHF 38.52

2.25%

Cinema Ticket

$24.47 CHF 19.98

$24.30 CHF 19.84

0.70%

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

$2,912 CHF 2,378

$2,957 CHF 2,414

-1.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$43.3K CHF 35.3K

$35.6K CHF 29.1K

21.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 118

$143 CHF 117

1.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.2 CHF 64.7

$61.4 CHF 50.1

28.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$140 CHF 114

$141 CHF 115

-0.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$221 CHF 180

$195 CHF 159

13.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,445 CHF 1,996

$1,735 CHF 1,416

40.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,844 CHF 1,506

$1,655 CHF 1,351

11.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,324 CHF 3,530

$2,868 CHF 2,342

50.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,239 CHF 2,644

$2,682 CHF 2,189

20.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.6K CHF 15.2K

$16.6K CHF 13.6K

12.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.8K CHF 11.3K

$11.5K CHF 9,368

20.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,545 CHF 5,343

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.95

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

Last update for Lausanne: November 2, 2026

Last update for Yens: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lausanne

$1.8K 48.1%

Yens

$1.7K 46.4% 10.3% $190

Groceries & Markets

Lausanne

$592 15.5%

Yens

$569 16% 3.9% $23

Eating Out

Lausanne

$477 12.5%

Yens

$459 12.9% 3.7% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lausanne

$385 10%

Yens

$362 10.2% 5.8% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Lausanne

$263 6.9%

Yens

$243 6.8% 7.5% $20

Getting Around

Lausanne

$148 3.9%

Yens

$155 4.3% 4.7% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Lausanne

$123 3.2%

Yens

$125 3.5% 1.6% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,445 in Lausanne and $1,735 in Yens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $116 in Lausanne vs $116 in Yens. Groceries flip the comparison at $592 vs $569, with Yens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🇨🇭 Yens

🕒 Local time

10:32 10:32 AM

Same time as Lausanne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,521

2,200

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.22 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

1 CHF = 1.22 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 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 Yens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,832 in Lausanne and $3,568 in Yens, so Yens is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $5,748 in Lausanne and $5,352 in Yens to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,445 in Lausanne versus $1,735 in Yens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Lausanne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $3,832 per month in Lausanne versus $3,568 in Yens – Yens is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Yens 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 Yens are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.