Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thun and Lausanne

For one person, living is cheaper in Thun: $3,488 a month against $3,837 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lausanne outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

167

Cost of Living Index in Thun
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Thun Living Index
183

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
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Lausanne Living Index

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Thun

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,488

/mo nomad

Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,488 in Thun versus $3,837 in Lausanne.

Thun $3,488
Lausanne $3,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,274 in Thun versus $5,789 in Lausanne.

Thun $5,274
Lausanne $5,789

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,060 in Thun versus $7,741 in Lausanne.

Thun $7,060
Lausanne $7,741

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Thun 156% above, Lausanne 182% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.14 CHF 24.04

$30.81 CHF 25.41

-5.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$123 CHF 101

$116 CHF 95.5

6.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.96 CHF 13.16

$17.81 CHF 14.69

-10.39%

Cappuccino

$6.33 CHF 5.22

$6.13 CHF 5.05

3.26%

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

$6.10 CHF 5.03

$5.17 CHF 4.27

17.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.99 CHF 4.94

$4.15 CHF 3.42

44.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.16 CHF 7.56

$10.14 CHF 8.37

-9.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.80 CHF 6.44

$9.59 CHF 7.91

-18.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.20 CHF 1.81

$2.22 CHF 1.83

-0.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 CHF 2.48

$3.81 CHF 3.15

-21.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.14 CHF 2.59

$3.28 CHF 2.70

-4.27%

Eggs

$7.87 CHF 6.49

$7.24 CHF 5.97

8.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.90 CHF 20.54

$24.40 CHF 20.13

2.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.51 CHF 22.69

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.29 CHF 32.41

$39.81 CHF 32.84

-1.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 CHF 2.95

$3.54 CHF 2.92

1.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 CHF 1.62

$2.15 CHF 1.77

-8.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 CHF 2.17

$2.49 CHF 2.06

5.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 CHF 3.90

$4.49 CHF 3.70

5.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 CHF 1.36

$1.86 CHF 1.53

-11.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 CHF 1.66

$1.94 CHF 1.60

3.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 CHF 1.88

$1.99 CHF 1.64

14.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 CHF 1.08

$1.69 CHF 1.39

-23.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.23 CHF 9.27

$10.99 CHF 9.06

2.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.22 CHF 10.08

$14.96 CHF 12.34

-18.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

$2.64 CHF 2.17

-13.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 CHF 2.38

$3.13 CHF 2.58

-7.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.18 CHF 3.45

$4.68 CHF 3.86

-10.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 CHF 84.0

$96.1 CHF 79.3

5.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.70 CHF 6.35

$7.94 CHF 6.55

-3.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.58 CHF 3.77

$4.45 CHF 3.67

2.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.8 CHF 69.2

$83.5 CHF 68.9

0.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.36 CHF 1.95

$2.31 CHF 1.90

2.16%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

$39.4K CHF 32.5K

0.32%

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

$39.7K CHF 32.7K

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

0.29%

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

$289 CHF 238

$299 CHF 247

-3.30%

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

$45.48 CHF 37.52

$37.02 CHF 30.53

22.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.3 CHF 53.1

$52.2 CHF 43.02

23.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.3 CHF 74.5

$70.6 CHF 58.3

27.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.46 CHF 38.33

$48.90 CHF 40.34

-4.99%

Cinema Ticket

$23.20 CHF 19.14

$24.49 CHF 20.20

-5.27%

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

$3,003 CHF 2,477

$2,960 CHF 2,442

1.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.1K CHF 24.9K

$36.8K CHF 30.3K

-18.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 119

$143 CHF 118

0.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.9 CHF 65.9

$78.8 CHF 65.0

1.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$162 CHF 134

$139 CHF 115

16.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$195 CHF 161

$213 CHF 176

-8.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 CHF 1,478

$2,369 CHF 1,955

-24.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,510 CHF 1,246

$1,863 CHF 1,537

-18.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,952 CHF 2,435

$4,244 CHF 3,501

-30.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,512 CHF 2,072

$3,230 CHF 2,665

-22.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.3K CHF 13.4K

$18.4K CHF 15.2K

-11.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.3K CHF 10.1K

$13.6K CHF 11.2K

-9.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,715 CHF 4,714

$6,587 CHF 5,434

-13.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

1.95

24.10%

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

Last update for Thun: 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

Thun

$1.5K 43.3%

Lausanne

$1.9K 48.6% 23.4% $353

Groceries & Markets

Thun

$565 16.2%

Lausanne

$583 15.2% 3% $17

Eating Out

Thun

$467 13.4%

Lausanne

$481 12.5% 3% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thun

$399 11.4%

Lausanne

$388 10.1% 2.7% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Thun

$261 7.5%

Lausanne

$259 6.7% 1.1% $2.8

Getting Around

Thun

$149 4.3%

Lausanne

$145 3.8% 2.8% $4.2

Sport & Entertainment

Thun

$137 3.9%

Lausanne

$120 3.1% 12.5% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,792 in Thun and $2,369 in Lausanne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lausanne pays 15% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $123 in Thun vs $116 in Lausanne. Groceries flip the comparison at $565 vs $583, with Thun cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Thun

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🕒 Local time

18:08 6:08 PM

Same time as Thun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,905

133,521

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Thun Lausanne 80 km

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Thun
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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

Thun vs Lausanne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,488 in Thun and $3,837 in Lausanne, so Thun is about 9% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 13% lower in Thun. 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: $1,792 in Thun 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 $123 in Thun. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $3,488 per month in Thun versus $3,837 in Lausanne – Thun is about 9% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

It comes down to priorities – Thun wins on affordability, Lausanne on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.