Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Schwyz and Lausanne

For one person, living is cheaper in Schwyz: $3,465 a month against $3,716 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lausanne outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

169

Cost of Living Index in Schwyz
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Schwyz Living Index
181

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
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Lausanne Living Index

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Schwyz

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,465

/mo nomad

Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,716

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,465 in Schwyz versus $3,716 in Lausanne.

Schwyz $3,465
Lausanne $3,716

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,489 in Schwyz versus $5,694 in Lausanne.

Schwyz $5,489
Lausanne $5,694

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,512 in Schwyz versus $7,671 in Lausanne.

Schwyz $7,512
Lausanne $7,671

Living in Schwyz costs roughly 7% less than in Lausanne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Schwyz 157% above, Lausanne 175% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.81 CHF 24.55

$30.26 CHF 24.92

-1.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 CHF 98.0

$115 CHF 94.9

3.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.69 CHF 14.57

$17.67 CHF 14.55

0.11%

Cappuccino

$5.91 CHF 4.87

$6.17 CHF 5.08

-4.21%

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

$5.52 CHF 4.55

$5.08 CHF 4.18

8.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.77 CHF 3.93

$4.09 CHF 3.37

16.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.18 CHF 6.74

$10.38 CHF 8.55

-21.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.55 CHF 5.39

$9.86 CHF 8.12

-33.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CHF 1.78

$2.23 CHF 1.84

-3.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.88 CHF 3.20

$3.94 CHF 3.24

-1.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.25 CHF 3.50

$3.26 CHF 2.69

30.37%

Eggs

$7.39 CHF 6.09

$7.05 CHF 5.81

4.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$32.72 CHF 26.95

$24.39 CHF 20.09

34.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.20 CHF 24.05

$27.45 CHF 22.61

6.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.34 CHF 34.05

$38.74 CHF 31.91

6.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 CHF 2.95

$3.47 CHF 2.85

3.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 CHF 1.77

$2.05 CHF 1.69

4.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 CHF 2.44

$2.44 CHF 2.01

21.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.38 CHF 4.43

$4.58 CHF 3.77

17.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 CHF 1.85

$1.77 CHF 1.46

27.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 CHF 2.05

$1.99 CHF 1.64

25.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.38 CHF 1.96

$1.97 CHF 1.62

20.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 CHF 1.01

$1.66 CHF 1.36

-25.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.04 CHF 9.10

$10.57 CHF 8.71

4.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.69 CHF 10.45

$15.01 CHF 12.36

-15.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.96 CHF 2.44

$2.74 CHF 2.25

8.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 CHF 3.18

$3.12 CHF 2.57

24.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.46 CHF 3.68

$4.43 CHF 3.65

0.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$100 CHF 82.5

$92.8 CHF 76.5

7.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.19 CHF 5.10

$7.96 CHF 6.55

-22.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$6.07 CHF 5.00

$4.57 CHF 3.76

32.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.42 CHF 30.00

$85.0 CHF 70.0

-57.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 CHF 1.90

$2.28 CHF 1.87

1.32%

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

$41.9K CHF 34.5K

$42.3K CHF 34.9K

-0.97%

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

$39.1K CHF 32.2K

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

-1.34%

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

$282 CHF 233

$292 CHF 240

-3.31%

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

$37.72 CHF 31.06

$36.21 CHF 29.82

4.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.1 CHF 50.3

$50.5 CHF 41.62

20.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$89.8 CHF 73.9

$70.0 CHF 57.7

28.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.48 CHF 37.46

$47.43 CHF 39.07

-4.11%

Cinema Ticket

$27.25 CHF 22.44

$24.44 CHF 20.13

11.50%

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

$1,829 CHF 1,507

$2,850 CHF 2,347

-35.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.2K CHF 26.6K

$37.1K CHF 30.5K

-13.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$164 CHF 135

$142 CHF 117

15.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.9 CHF 56.8

$77.7 CHF 64.0

-11.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$152 CHF 125

$138 CHF 114

10.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$183 CHF 151

$214 CHF 176

-14.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,727 CHF 1,422

$2,256 CHF 1,858

-23.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,444 CHF 1,189

$1,763 CHF 1,452

-18.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,783 CHF 2,292

$4,291 CHF 3,534

-35.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,866 CHF 2,361

$3,206 CHF 2,640

-10.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$15.6K CHF 12.9K

$18.2K CHF 15.0K

-14.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.0K CHF 9,853

$14.0K CHF 11.5K

-14.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,819 CHF 5,616

$6,426 CHF 5,292

6.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.9

1.95

-2.56%

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

Last update for Schwyz: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lausanne: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Schwyz

$1.4K 41.7%

Lausanne

$1.8K 47.5% 22.1% $320

Groceries & Markets

Schwyz

$629 18.1%

Lausanne

$579 15.6% 7.9% $50

Eating Out

Schwyz

$458 13.2%

Lausanne

$477 12.9% 4.3% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Schwyz

$381 11%

Lausanne

$379 10.2% 0.6% $2.4

Clothing & Footwear

Schwyz

$256 7.4%

Lausanne

$257 6.9% 0.7% $1.7

Getting Around

Schwyz

$155 4.5%

Lausanne

$141 3.8% 8.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Schwyz

$144 4.2%

Lausanne

$119 3.2% 17.6% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,727 in Schwyz and $2,256 in Lausanne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Schwyz pays 6% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $119 in Schwyz vs $115 in Lausanne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $629 vs $579 per month, with Lausanne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Schwyz

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🕒 Local time

08:08 8:08 AM

Same time as Schwyz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,750

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

Schwyz vs Lausanne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Schwyz and Lausanne differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($3,465 vs $3,716 including rent). Schwyz is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 6% higher in Schwyz, 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: $1,727 in Schwyz versus $2,256 in Lausanne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Schwyz – a meal for two runs $119 versus $115 in Lausanne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,465 per month in Schwyz versus $3,716 in Lausanne – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Schwyz 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, Schwyz 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 Schwyz gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Lausanne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.