Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Olten and Lausanne

For one person, living is cheaper in Olten: $3,049 a month against $3,769 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lausanne outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

148

Cost of Living Index in Olten
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Olten Living Index
182

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
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Lausanne Living Index

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Olten

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,049

/mo nomad

Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,769

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Olten 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 Olten and in Lausanne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,049 in Olten versus $3,769 in Lausanne.

Olten $3,049
Lausanne $3,769

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,812 in Olten versus $5,735 in Lausanne.

Olten $4,812
Lausanne $5,735

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,576 in Olten versus $7,701 in Lausanne.

Olten $6,576
Lausanne $7,701

Living in Olten costs roughly 19% less than in Lausanne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Olten 125% above, Lausanne 178% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$33.18 CHF 27.33

$29.80 CHF 24.54

11.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 100

$113 CHF 93.1

7.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.69 CHF 14.57

$17.81 CHF 14.67

-0.67%

Cappuccino

$6.29 CHF 5.18

$6.01 CHF 4.95

4.66%

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

$5.51 CHF 4.54

$5.16 CHF 4.25

6.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.21 CHF 4.29

$4.25 CHF 3.50

22.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.22 CHF 7.59

$10.19 CHF 8.39

-9.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.52 CHF 6.19

$9.58 CHF 7.89

-21.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 CHF 1.73

$2.21 CHF 1.82

-4.52%

White Bread (500g)

$3.87 CHF 3.19

$4.03 CHF 3.32

-3.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.81 CHF 3.14

$3.35 CHF 2.76

13.73%

Eggs

$8.37 CHF 6.90

$7.33 CHF 6.04

14.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.10 CHF 21.50

$24.14 CHF 19.89

8.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.77 CHF 22.05

$27.97 CHF 23.04

-4.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$46.34 CHF 38.16

$39.69 CHF 32.69

16.75%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 CHF 3.31

$3.61 CHF 2.97

11.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 CHF 2.22

$2.04 CHF 1.68

31.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 CHF 2.45

$2.46 CHF 2.03

20.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.69 CHF 3.86

$4.50 CHF 3.70

4.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.49 CHF 2.05

$1.79 CHF 1.47

39.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 CHF 1.76

$1.99 CHF 1.64

7.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 CHF 2.10

$2.04 CHF 1.68

25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 CHF 1.06

$1.77 CHF 1.46

-27.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.85 CHF 8.93

$11.06 CHF 9.11

-1.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.12 CHF 11.63

$15.26 CHF 12.57

-7.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 CHF 2.30

$2.66 CHF 2.19

4.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 CHF 2.68

$3.16 CHF 2.60

2.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.30 CHF 4.37

$4.33 CHF 3.57

22.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 CHF 88.3

$95.1 CHF 78.3

12.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.39 CHF 6.91

$7.89 CHF 6.50

6.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.53 CHF 3.73

$4.62 CHF 3.81

-1.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$90.2 CHF 74.3

$85.1 CHF 70.1

6.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 CHF 1.78

$2.40 CHF 1.97

-10.00%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

$39.7K CHF 32.7K

-0.27%

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

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

-0.87%

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

$275 CHF 227

$299 CHF 246

-7.80%

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

$32.97 CHF 27.15

$37.20 CHF 30.64

-11.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.51 CHF 39.13

$51.4 CHF 42.34

-7.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.2 CHF 66.1

$72.3 CHF 59.5

11.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$49.35 CHF 40.65

Cinema Ticket

$21.01 CHF 17.30

$24.67 CHF 20.31

-14.84%

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

$3,608 CHF 2,971

$2,962 CHF 2,440

21.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.7K CHF 34.3K

$36.8K CHF 30.3K

13.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$143 CHF 118

$141 CHF 116

1.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 CHF 48.81

$77.1 CHF 63.5

-23.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$167 CHF 137

$139 CHF 115

19.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$210 CHF 173

$215 CHF 177

-2.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 CHF 997

$2,297 CHF 1,892

-47.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 CHF 852

$1,800 CHF 1,482

-42.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,968 CHF 1,621

$4,259 CHF 3,507

-53.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,948 CHF 1,605

$3,215 CHF 2,648

-39.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.0K CHF 14.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$14.0K CHF 11.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,837 CHF 4,808

$6,544 CHF 5,389

-10.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.07

1.95

6.15%

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

Last update for Olten: October 20, 2026

Last update for Lausanne: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Olten

$1K 34%

Lausanne

$1.8K 47.8% 73.9% $765

Groceries & Markets

Olten

$617 20.3%

Lausanne

$588 15.6% 4.8% $29

Eating Out

Olten

$498 16.3%

Lausanne

$472 12.5% 5.3% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Olten

$356 11.7%

Lausanne

$387 10.3% 8.8% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Olten

$261 8.6%

Lausanne

$257 6.8% 1.3% $3.3

Getting Around

Olten

$160 5.2%

Lausanne

$143 3.8% 10.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Olten

$122 4%

Lausanne

$122 3.2% 0.5% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,210 in Olten and $2,297 in Lausanne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lausanne pays 12% 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: $122 in Olten vs $113 in Lausanne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $617 vs $588 per month, with Lausanne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Olten

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🕒 Local time

15:19 3:19 PM

Same time as Olten

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,280

133,521

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 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

Olten vs Lausanne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Olten and Lausanne differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($3,049 vs $3,769 including rent). Olten is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 12% 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: $1,210 in Olten versus $2,297 in Lausanne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Olten – a meal for two runs $122 versus $113 in Lausanne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,049 per month in Olten versus $3,769 in Lausanne – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Olten 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, Olten and Lausanne are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Olten gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Lausanne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.