Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rheinfelden and Lausanne

For one person, living is cheaper in Rheinfelden: $1,976 a month against $3,837 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $22,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lausanne outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

95

Cost of Living Index in Rheinfelden
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Rheinfelden Living Index
183

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
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Lausanne Living Index

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Rheinfelden

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$1,976

/mo nomad

Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,976 in Rheinfelden versus $3,837 in Lausanne.

Rheinfelden $1,976
Lausanne $3,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,764 in Rheinfelden versus $5,789 in Lausanne.

Rheinfelden $4,764
Lausanne $5,789

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,551 in Rheinfelden versus $7,741 in Lausanne.

Rheinfelden $7,551
Lausanne $7,741

Living in Rheinfelden costs roughly 49% less than in Lausanne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rheinfelden 45% above, Lausanne 182% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.11 CHF 24.98

$30.81 CHF 25.56

-2.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$123 CHF 102

$116 CHF 96.0

6.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.06 CHF 14.98

$17.81 CHF 14.77

1.40%

Cappuccino

$5.76 CHF 4.78

$6.13 CHF 5.08

-6.04%

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

$5.51 CHF 4.57

$5.17 CHF 4.29

6.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.88 CHF 4.05

$4.15 CHF 3.44

17.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.44 CHF 7.00

$10.14 CHF 8.42

-16.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.67 CHF 5.53

$9.59 CHF 7.95

-30.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.20 CHF 1.83

$2.22 CHF 1.84

-0.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.61 CHF 3.00

$3.81 CHF 3.16

-5.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.33 CHF 3.60

$3.28 CHF 2.72

32.01%

Eggs

$7.34 CHF 6.09

$7.24 CHF 6.00

1.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.05 CHF 21.61

$24.40 CHF 20.24

6.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.83 CHF 23.09

$27.51 CHF 22.82

1.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.23 CHF 34.21

$39.81 CHF 33.02

3.57%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 CHF 3.33

$3.54 CHF 2.93

13.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 CHF 1.79

$2.15 CHF 1.78

0.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 CHF 2.45

$2.49 CHF 2.07

18.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.45 CHF 4.52

$4.49 CHF 3.73

21.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 CHF 1.40

$1.86 CHF 1.54

-9.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 CHF 1.60

$1.94 CHF 1.61

-0.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 CHF 1.88

$1.99 CHF 1.65

13.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 CHF 0.92

$1.69 CHF 1.40

-34.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.36 CHF 9.43

$10.99 CHF 9.12

3.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.30 CHF 10.21

$14.96 CHF 12.41

-17.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 CHF 2.32

$2.64 CHF 2.19

6.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 CHF 2.97

$3.13 CHF 2.60

14.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.58 CHF 2.97

$4.68 CHF 3.88

-23.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$123 CHF 102

$96.1 CHF 79.7

28.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 CHF 3.80

$7.94 CHF 6.58

-42.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.81 CHF 2.33

$4.45 CHF 3.69

-36.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.9 CHF 49.71

$83.5 CHF 69.2

-28.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.85

$2.31 CHF 1.91

-3.46%

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

$38.6K CHF 32.0K

$39.4K CHF 32.7K

-1.97%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.8K

0.07%

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

$236 CHF 196

$299 CHF 248

-20.95%

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

$46.56 CHF 38.62

$37.02 CHF 30.71

25.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.0 CHF 53.1

$52.2 CHF 43.26

22.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$107 CHF 88.4

$70.6 CHF 58.6

50.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.90 CHF 40.56

Cinema Ticket

$21.92 CHF 18.19

$24.49 CHF 20.32

-10.49%

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

$3,007 CHF 2,495

$2,960 CHF 2,455

1.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K CHF 20.6K

$36.8K CHF 30.5K

-32.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 120

$143 CHF 119

0.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$80.0 CHF 66.4

$78.8 CHF 65.4

1.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$166 CHF 137

$139 CHF 116

18.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$202 CHF 167

$213 CHF 177

-5.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,369 CHF 1,966

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,863 CHF 1,545

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,206 CHF 1,830

$4,244 CHF 3,520

-48.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,991 CHF 2,481

$3,230 CHF 2,680

-7.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.4K CHF 15.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.6K CHF 11.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,587 CHF 5,465

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.41

1.95

23.59%

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

Last update for Rheinfelden: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lausanne: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Rheinfelden

$595 30.1%

Lausanne

$583 15.2% 2.1% $12

Eating Out

Rheinfelden

$461 23.4%

Lausanne

$481 12.5% 4.2% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rheinfelden

$347 17.6%

Lausanne

$388 10.1% 11.9% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Rheinfelden

$266 13.5%

Lausanne

$259 6.7% 2.9% $7.7

Getting Around

Rheinfelden

$156 7.9%

Lausanne

$145 3.8% 7.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Rheinfelden

$150 7.6%

Lausanne

$120 3.1% 20.4% $31

Accommodation & Living

Rheinfelden

- * 0%

Lausanne

$1.9K 48.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $123 in Rheinfelden vs $116 in Lausanne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $595 vs $583 per month, with Lausanne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Rheinfelden

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🕒 Local time

14:03 2:03 PM

Same time as Rheinfelden

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,360

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

Rheinfelden vs Lausanne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rheinfelden and Lausanne differ by about 94% in total monthly costs ($1,976 vs $3,837 including rent). Rheinfelden is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,964 in Rheinfelden and $5,756 in Lausanne 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.

A monthly transit pass in Lausanne runs roughly 22% less than in Rheinfelden. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $1,976 per month in Rheinfelden versus $3,837 in Lausanne – a 94% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,976 in Rheinfelden versus $3,837 in Lausanne, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Rheinfelden but tight or insufficient in Lausanne. The gap between the two cities makes Rheinfelden the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Rheinfelden 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.