Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Staefa and Lausanne

For one person, living is cheaper in Staefa: $3,475 a month against $3,837 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lausanne outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

166

Cost of Living Index in Staefa
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Staefa Living Index
183

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
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Lausanne Living Index

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Staefa

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,475

/mo nomad

Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,475 in Staefa versus $3,837 in Lausanne.

Staefa $3,475
Lausanne $3,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,304 in Staefa versus $5,789 in Lausanne.

Staefa $5,304
Lausanne $5,789

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,132 in Staefa versus $7,741 in Lausanne.

Staefa $7,132
Lausanne $7,741

Living in Staefa costs roughly 9% less than in Lausanne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Staefa 155% above, Lausanne 182% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$33.44 CHF 27.72

$30.81 CHF 25.54

8.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 101

$116 CHF 95.9

5.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.20 CHF 13.43

$17.81 CHF 14.76

-9.04%

Cappuccino

$6.25 CHF 5.18

$6.13 CHF 5.08

1.96%

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

$5.69 CHF 4.71

$5.17 CHF 4.29

10.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.10 CHF 4.23

$4.15 CHF 3.44

22.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.37 CHF 6.94

$10.14 CHF 8.41

-17.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.60 CHF 7.13

$9.59 CHF 7.95

-10.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CHF 1.79

$2.22 CHF 1.84

-2.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.28 CHF 2.72

$3.81 CHF 3.16

-13.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.89 CHF 3.22

$3.28 CHF 2.72

18.60%

Eggs

$8.36 CHF 6.93

$7.24 CHF 6.00

15.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.66 CHF 22.10

$24.40 CHF 20.23

9.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.56 CHF 22.02

$27.51 CHF 22.80

-3.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$55.3 CHF 45.82

$39.81 CHF 33.00

38.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.49 CHF 2.89

$3.54 CHF 2.93

-1.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.78 CHF 2.31

$2.15 CHF 1.78

29.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 CHF 2.97

$2.49 CHF 2.07

43.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 CHF 3.75

$4.49 CHF 3.72

0.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 CHF 2.05

$1.86 CHF 1.54

32.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 CHF 1.81

$1.94 CHF 1.60

12.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 CHF 2.03

$1.99 CHF 1.65

23.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 CHF 1.07

$1.69 CHF 1.40

-23.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.68 CHF 8.85

$10.99 CHF 9.11

-2.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.15 CHF 11.73

$14.96 CHF 12.40

-5.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 CHF 2.28

$2.64 CHF 2.18

4.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 CHF 2.66

$3.13 CHF 2.60

2.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.36 CHF 3.61

$4.68 CHF 3.88

-6.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 CHF 83.5

$96.1 CHF 79.6

4.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.54 CHF 6.25

$7.94 CHF 6.58

-5.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.69 CHF 3.89

$4.45 CHF 3.69

5.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$86.9 CHF 72.1

$83.5 CHF 69.2

4.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 CHF 1.92

$2.31 CHF 1.91

0.43%

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

$39.2K CHF 32.5K

$39.4K CHF 32.7K

-0.54%

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

$38.5K CHF 32.0K

$39.6K CHF 32.8K

-2.56%

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

$232 CHF 192

$299 CHF 248

-22.30%

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

$32.86 CHF 27.24

$37.02 CHF 30.68

-11.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 CHF 46.04

$52.2 CHF 43.22

6.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.1 CHF 75.5

$70.6 CHF 58.6

29.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.55 CHF 38.59

$48.90 CHF 40.53

-4.81%

Cinema Ticket

$21.56 CHF 17.87

$24.49 CHF 20.30

-11.96%

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

$2,904 CHF 2,407

$2,960 CHF 2,453

-1.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.2K CHF 35.0K

$36.8K CHF 30.5K

14.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$139 CHF 115

$143 CHF 119

-3.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.4 CHF 48.38

$78.8 CHF 65.3

-25.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$145 CHF 120

$139 CHF 116

4.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$170 CHF 141

$213 CHF 177

-20.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,760 CHF 1,459

$2,369 CHF 1,964

-25.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 CHF 1,251

$1,863 CHF 1,544

-18.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,982 CHF 2,472

$4,244 CHF 3,517

-29.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,507 CHF 2,078

$3,230 CHF 2,678

-22.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.4K CHF 13.6K

$18.4K CHF 15.3K

-11.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.2K CHF 10.1K

$13.6K CHF 11.2K

-10.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,587 CHF 5,460

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.72

1.95

-11.79%

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

Last update for Staefa: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lausanne: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Staefa

$1.5K 43.4%

Lausanne

$1.9K 48.6% 23.4% $354

Groceries & Markets

Staefa

$639 18.4%

Lausanne

$583 15.2% 8.8% $56

Eating Out

Staefa

$493 14.2%

Lausanne

$481 12.5% 2.6% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Staefa

$321 9.2%

Lausanne

$388 10.1% 21% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Staefa

$230 6.6%

Lausanne

$259 6.7% 12.2% $28

Getting Around

Staefa

$149 4.3%

Lausanne

$145 3.8% 2.8% $4.2

Sport & Entertainment

Staefa

$134 3.9%

Lausanne

$120 3.1% 10.9% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,760 in Staefa and $2,369 in Lausanne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $122 in Staefa vs $116 in Lausanne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $639 vs $583 per month, with Lausanne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Staefa

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🕒 Local time

12:03 12:03 PM

Same time as Staefa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,567

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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Staefa Lausanne 180 km

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Staefa
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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

Staefa vs Lausanne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Staefa and Lausanne differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($3,475 vs $3,837 including rent). Staefa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $5,213 in Staefa 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: $1,760 in Staefa versus $2,369 in Lausanne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lausanne – a meal for two runs $116 versus $122 in Staefa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $3,475 per month in Staefa versus $3,837 in Lausanne – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Staefa 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, Staefa 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.