Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Gallen and Lausanne

For one person, living is cheaper in St. Gallen: $3,451 a month against $3,837 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

167

Cost of Living Index in St. Gallen
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St. Gallen Living Index
183

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
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Lausanne Living Index

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St. Gallen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,451

/mo nomad

Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,451 in St. Gallen versus $3,837 in Lausanne.

St. Gallen $3,451
Lausanne $3,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,120 in St. Gallen versus $5,789 in Lausanne.

St. Gallen $5,120
Lausanne $5,789

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,789 in St. Gallen versus $7,741 in Lausanne.

St. Gallen $6,789
Lausanne $7,741

Living in St. Gallen costs roughly 10% less than in Lausanne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: St. Gallen 154% above, Lausanne 182% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.78 CHF 23.88

$30.81 CHF 25.56

-6.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$144 CHF 119

$116 CHF 96.0

24.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.04 CHF 14.97

$17.81 CHF 14.77

1.29%

Cappuccino

$6.03 CHF 5.00

$6.13 CHF 5.08

-1.63%

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

$5.95 CHF 4.94

$5.17 CHF 4.29

15.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.10 CHF 4.23

$4.15 CHF 3.44

22.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.80 CHF 7.30

$10.14 CHF 8.42

-13.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.38 CHF 5.29

$9.59 CHF 7.95

-33.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 CHF 1.87

$2.22 CHF 1.84

1.35%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 CHF 2.62

$3.81 CHF 3.16

-17.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.77 CHF 3.13

$3.28 CHF 2.72

14.94%

Eggs

$7.72 CHF 6.40

$7.24 CHF 6.00

6.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.91 CHF 20.67

$24.40 CHF 20.24

2.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.02 CHF 24.08

$27.51 CHF 22.82

5.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.94 CHF 33.14

$39.81 CHF 33.02

0.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 CHF 2.54

$3.54 CHF 2.93

-13.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 CHF 1.29

$2.15 CHF 1.78

-27.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 CHF 1.99

$2.49 CHF 2.07

-3.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.17 CHF 5.12

$4.49 CHF 3.73

37.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 CHF 1.42

$1.86 CHF 1.54

-8.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 CHF 1.77

$1.94 CHF 1.61

10.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 CHF 1.83

$1.99 CHF 1.65

10.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 CHF 0.98

$1.69 CHF 1.40

-30.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.98 CHF 9.11

$10.99 CHF 9.12

-0.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.23 CHF 9.32

$14.96 CHF 12.41

-24.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 CHF 1.74

$2.64 CHF 2.19

-20.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 CHF 1.89

$3.13 CHF 2.60

-27.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.08 CHF 3.38

$4.68 CHF 3.88

-12.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.4 CHF 71.7

$96.1 CHF 79.7

-10.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.62 CHF 5.49

$7.94 CHF 6.58

-16.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.76 CHF 3.95

$4.45 CHF 3.69

6.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$79.2 CHF 65.7

$83.5 CHF 69.2

-5.12%

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)

$38.4K CHF 31.8K

$39.4K CHF 32.7K

-2.61%

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

$38.6K CHF 32.0K

$39.6K CHF 32.8K

-2.43%

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

$312 CHF 259

$299 CHF 248

4.40%

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

$37.60 CHF 31.19

$37.02 CHF 30.71

1.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.0 CHF 44.76

$52.2 CHF 43.26

3.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.6 CHF 66.0

$70.6 CHF 58.6

12.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.90 CHF 40.56

Cinema Ticket

$28.27 CHF 23.45

$24.49 CHF 20.32

15.43%

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

$2,308 CHF 1,915

$2,960 CHF 2,455

-22.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.2K CHF 26.7K

$36.8K CHF 30.5K

-12.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 120

$143 CHF 119

0.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.0 CHF 53.1

$78.8 CHF 65.4

-18.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$146 CHF 121

$139 CHF 116

4.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$183 CHF 152

$213 CHF 177

-13.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,895 CHF 1,572

$2,369 CHF 1,966

-20.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,504 CHF 1,248

$1,863 CHF 1,545

-19.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,868 CHF 2,379

$4,244 CHF 3,520

-32.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,256 CHF 1,871

$3,230 CHF 2,680

-30.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.3K CHF 9,337

$18.4K CHF 15.3K

-38.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,285 CHF 6,873

$13.6K CHF 11.2K

-38.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,694 CHF 5,553

$6,587 CHF 5,465

1.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.1

1.95

7.69%

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

Last update for St. Gallen: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lausanne: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St. Gallen

$1.5K 43.6%

Lausanne

$1.9K 48.6% 23.9% $359

Groceries & Markets

St. Gallen

$575 16.7%

Lausanne

$583 15.2% 1.3% $7.7

Eating Out

St. Gallen

$458 13.3%

Lausanne

$481 12.5% 5% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Gallen

$404 11.7%

Lausanne

$388 10.1% 3.9% $16

Clothing & Footwear

St. Gallen

$242 7%

Lausanne

$259 6.7% 6.8% $17

Sport & Entertainment

St. Gallen

$136 3.9%

Lausanne

$120 3.1% 12.1% $16

Getting Around

St. Gallen

$133 3.9%

Lausanne

$145 3.8% 8.9% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,895 in St. Gallen and $2,369 in Lausanne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $144 in St. Gallen vs $116 in Lausanne. Groceries flip the comparison at $575 vs $583, with St. Gallen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 St. Gallen

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🕒 Local time

20:58 8:58 PM

Same time as St. Gallen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,213

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

St. Gallen vs Lausanne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,451 in St. Gallen and $3,837 in Lausanne, so St. Gallen is about 10% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $5,177 in St. Gallen 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,895 in St. Gallen 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 St. Gallen runs roughly 10% less than in Lausanne. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $3,451 per month in St. Gallen versus $3,837 in Lausanne – St. Gallen is about 10% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. St. Gallen 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, St. Gallen and Lausanne are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.