Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sion and Lausanne

For one person, living is cheaper in Sion: $3,235 a month against $3,716 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lausanne outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

157

Cost of Living Index in Sion
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Sion Living Index
181

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
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Lausanne Living Index

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Sion

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,235

/mo nomad

Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,716

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,235 in Sion versus $3,716 in Lausanne.

Sion $3,235
Lausanne $3,716

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,857 in Sion versus $5,694 in Lausanne.

Sion $4,857
Lausanne $5,694

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,479 in Sion versus $7,671 in Lausanne.

Sion $6,479
Lausanne $7,671

Living in Sion costs roughly 13% less than in Lausanne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sion 140% above, Lausanne 175% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.97 CHF 23.86

$30.26 CHF 24.92

-4.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.6 CHF 73.8

$115 CHF 94.9

-22.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.15 CHF 15.77

$17.67 CHF 14.55

8.38%

Cappuccino

$4.60 CHF 3.79

$6.17 CHF 5.08

-25.45%

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

$5.09 CHF 4.19

$5.08 CHF 4.18

0.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 CHF 3.52

$4.09 CHF 3.37

4.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.36 CHF 6.06

$10.38 CHF 8.55

-29.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.29 CHF 6.00

$9.86 CHF 8.12

-26.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 CHF 1.60

$2.23 CHF 1.84

-13.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.54 CHF 2.92

$3.94 CHF 3.24

-10.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.19 CHF 3.45

$3.26 CHF 2.69

28.53%

Eggs

$7.13 CHF 5.87

$7.05 CHF 5.81

1.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.01 CHF 21.42

$24.39 CHF 20.09

6.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$22.69 CHF 18.69

$27.45 CHF 22.61

-17.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$40.09 CHF 33.02

$38.74 CHF 31.91

3.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 CHF 2.59

$3.47 CHF 2.85

-9.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 CHF 1.40

$2.05 CHF 1.69

-17.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 CHF 2.09

$2.44 CHF 2.01

3.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.20 CHF 5.11

$4.58 CHF 3.77

35.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 CHF 1.53

$1.77 CHF 1.46

4.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 CHF 1.78

$1.99 CHF 1.64

8.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CHF 2.00

$1.97 CHF 1.62

23.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 CHF 0.97

$1.66 CHF 1.36

-29.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.85 CHF 8.94

$10.57 CHF 8.71

2.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CHF 11.74

$15.01 CHF 12.36

-5.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 CHF 1.45

$2.74 CHF 2.25

-35.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 CHF 1.57

$3.12 CHF 2.57

-38.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.24 CHF 4.32

$4.43 CHF 3.65

18.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$179 CHF 148

$92.8 CHF 76.5

93.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.94 CHF 4.89

$7.96 CHF 6.55

-25.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.29 CHF 4.36

$4.57 CHF 3.76

15.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$48.12 CHF 39.63

$85.0 CHF 70.0

-43.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 CHF 1.82

$2.28 CHF 1.87

-3.07%

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

$34.2K CHF 28.2K

$42.3K CHF 34.9K

-19.14%

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

$37.6K CHF 31.0K

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

-4.99%

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

$308 CHF 254

$292 CHF 240

5.55%

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

$24.86 CHF 20.48

$36.21 CHF 29.82

-31.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.64 CHF 40.89

$50.5 CHF 41.62

-1.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$135 CHF 111

$70.0 CHF 57.7

92.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$54.5 CHF 44.88

$47.43 CHF 39.07

14.89%

Cinema Ticket

$20.28 CHF 16.70

$24.44 CHF 20.13

-17.02%

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

$953 CHF 785

$2,850 CHF 2,347

-66.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.7K CHF 31.1K

$37.1K CHF 30.5K

1.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 CHF 89.7

$142 CHF 117

-23.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.21 CHF 39.71

$77.7 CHF 64.0

-37.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$161 CHF 133

$138 CHF 114

16.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 CHF 136

$214 CHF 176

-23.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,221 CHF 1,005

$2,256 CHF 1,858

-45.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CHF 1,021

$1,763 CHF 1,452

-29.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,323 CHF 1,913

$4,291 CHF 3,534

-45.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,072 CHF 1,707

$3,206 CHF 2,640

-35.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,339 CHF 6,045

$18.2K CHF 15.0K

-59.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,532 CHF 4,556

$14.0K CHF 11.5K

-60.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,826 CHF 4,798

$6,426 CHF 5,292

-9.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.15

1.95

10.26%

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

Last update for Sion: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lausanne: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sion

$1.2K 38.3%

Lausanne

$1.8K 47.5% 42.2% $523

Groceries & Markets

Sion

$554 17.1%

Lausanne

$579 15.6% 4.5% $25

Eating Out

Sion

$433 13.4%

Lausanne

$477 12.9% 10.2% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sion

$383 11.8%

Lausanne

$379 10.2% 1% $4

Getting Around

Sion

$233 7.2%

Lausanne

$141 3.8% 39.3% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Sion

$217 6.7%

Lausanne

$257 6.9% 18.4% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Sion

$175 5.4%

Lausanne

$119 3.2% 32.2% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,221 in Sion and $2,256 in Lausanne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lausanne pays 10% 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: $90.0 in Sion vs $115 in Lausanne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $554 vs $579 per month, with Sion cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Sion

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🕒 Local time

07:01 7:01 AM

Same time as Sion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,599

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

On the map

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Between locations

Sion Lausanne 64 km

From you

Sion
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

Sion vs Lausanne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sion and Lausanne differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($3,235 vs $3,716 including rent). Sion is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 10% 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: $1,221 in Sion 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 Sion – a meal for two runs $90.0 versus $115 in Lausanne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,235 per month in Sion versus $3,716 in Lausanne – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Sion 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, Sion 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 Sion gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Lausanne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.