Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Meilen and Lausanne

For one person, living is cheaper in Meilen: $3,386 a month against $3,837 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lausanne outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

164

Cost of Living Index in Meilen
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Meilen Living Index
183

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
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Lausanne Living Index

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Meilen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,386

/mo nomad

Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Meilen and in Lausanne

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Meilen and in Lausanne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,386 in Meilen versus $3,837 in Lausanne.

Meilen $3,386
Lausanne $3,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,977 in Meilen versus $5,789 in Lausanne.

Meilen $5,977
Lausanne $5,789

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,568 in Meilen versus $7,741 in Lausanne.

Meilen $8,568
Lausanne $7,741

Living in Meilen costs roughly 12% less than in Lausanne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Meilen 149% above, Lausanne 182% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$32.96 CHF 27.19

$30.81 CHF 25.41

6.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 CHF 98.8

$116 CHF 95.5

3.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.48 CHF 13.60

$17.81 CHF 14.69

-7.47%

Cappuccino

$6.36 CHF 5.24

$6.13 CHF 5.05

3.75%

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

$5.76 CHF 4.75

$5.17 CHF 4.27

11.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 CHF 4.33

$4.15 CHF 3.42

26.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.63 CHF 7.12

$10.14 CHF 8.37

-14.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.56 CHF 7.06

$9.59 CHF 7.91

-10.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 CHF 1.80

$2.22 CHF 1.83

-1.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.42 CHF 2.82

$3.81 CHF 3.15

-10.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.74 CHF 3.08

$3.28 CHF 2.70

14.02%

Eggs

$7.85 CHF 6.48

$7.24 CHF 5.97

8.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.09 CHF 21.52

$24.40 CHF 20.13

6.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$25.84 CHF 21.32

$27.51 CHF 22.69

-6.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.94 CHF 32.94

$39.81 CHF 32.84

0.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.49 CHF 2.88

$3.54 CHF 2.92

-1.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 CHF 1.74

$2.15 CHF 1.77

-1.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.71 CHF 2.24

$2.49 CHF 2.06

8.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.50 CHF 3.71

$4.49 CHF 3.70

0.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 CHF 1.71

$1.86 CHF 1.53

11.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 CHF 1.80

$1.94 CHF 1.60

12.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CHF 1.94

$1.99 CHF 1.64

18.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 CHF 1.04

$1.69 CHF 1.39

-25.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.05 CHF 9.12

$10.99 CHF 9.06

0.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.29 CHF 10.96

$14.96 CHF 12.34

-11.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 CHF 1.85

$2.64 CHF 2.17

-14.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 CHF 2.60

$3.13 CHF 2.58

0.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.43 CHF 3.65

$4.68 CHF 3.86

-5.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 CHF 84.2

$96.1 CHF 79.3

6.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.64 CHF 6.30

$7.94 CHF 6.55

-3.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.50 CHF 3.71

$4.45 CHF 3.67

1.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$87.5 CHF 72.2

$83.5 CHF 68.9

4.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 CHF 1.81

$2.31 CHF 1.90

-5.19%

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

$38.6K CHF 31.9K

$39.4K CHF 32.5K

-1.91%

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

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

-1.51%

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

$234 CHF 193

$299 CHF 247

-21.76%

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

$38.39 CHF 31.67

$37.02 CHF 30.53

3.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.6 CHF 53.3

$52.2 CHF 43.02

23.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.9 CHF 75.0

$70.6 CHF 58.3

28.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.64 CHF 37.65

$48.90 CHF 40.34

-6.67%

Cinema Ticket

$23.65 CHF 19.51

$24.49 CHF 20.20

-3.43%

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

$2,822 CHF 2,328

$2,960 CHF 2,442

-4.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.6K CHF 35.2K

$36.8K CHF 30.3K

15.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$138 CHF 114

$143 CHF 118

-3.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.1 CHF 47.96

$78.8 CHF 65.0

-26.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$145 CHF 120

$139 CHF 115

4.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$175 CHF 144

$213 CHF 176

-18.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,778 CHF 1,466

$2,369 CHF 1,955

-24.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,463 CHF 1,207

$1,863 CHF 1,537

-21.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,894 CHF 2,388

$4,244 CHF 3,501

-31.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,088 CHF 3,372

$3,230 CHF 2,665

26.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.4K CHF 13.5K

$18.4K CHF 15.2K

-10.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.6K CHF 10.4K

$13.6K CHF 11.2K

-6.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,262 CHF 6,815

$6,587 CHF 5,434

25.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.72

1.95

-11.79%

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

Last update for Meilen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lausanne: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Meilen

$1.5K 43.2%

Lausanne

$1.9K 48.6% 27.4% $400

Groceries & Markets

Meilen

$572 16.9%

Lausanne

$583 15.2% 1.8% $10

Eating Out

Meilen

$494 14.6%

Lausanne

$481 12.5% 2.7% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Meilen

$337 10%

Lausanne

$388 10.1% 15.2% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Meilen

$232 6.9%

Lausanne

$259 6.7% 11.4% $26

Getting Around

Meilen

$150 4.4%

Lausanne

$145 3.8% 3.2% $4.9

Sport & Entertainment

Meilen

$138 4.1%

Lausanne

$120 3.1% 13.4% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,778 in Meilen and $2,369 in Lausanne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Meilen pays 25% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $120 in Meilen vs $116 in Lausanne. Groceries flip the comparison at $572 vs $583, with Meilen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Meilen

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🕒 Local time

04:06 4:06 AM

Same time as Meilen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,515

133,521

💱 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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Meilen Lausanne 170 km

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Meilen
Lausanne

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

Meilen vs Lausanne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,386 in Meilen and $3,837 in Lausanne, so Meilen is about 12% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 25% higher in Meilen, 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: $1,778 in Meilen versus $2,369 in Lausanne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lausanne runs roughly 6% less than in Meilen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $3,386 per month in Meilen versus $3,837 in Lausanne – Meilen is about 12% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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