Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yens and Lausanne

For one person, living is cheaper in Yens: $3,329 a month against $3,716 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

162

Cost of Living Index in Yens
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Yens Living Index
181

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
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Lausanne Living Index

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Yens

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,329

/mo nomad

Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,716

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,329 in Yens versus $3,716 in Lausanne.

Yens $3,329
Lausanne $3,716

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,100 in Yens versus $5,694 in Lausanne.

Yens $5,100
Lausanne $5,694

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,872 in Yens versus $7,671 in Lausanne.

Yens $6,872
Lausanne $7,671

Living in Yens 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: Yens 147% above, Lausanne 175% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.34 CHF 24.16

$30.26 CHF 24.92

-3.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 CHF 98.0

$115 CHF 94.9

3.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.95 CHF 13.14

$17.67 CHF 14.55

-9.73%

Cappuccino

$6.00 CHF 4.94

$6.17 CHF 5.08

-2.76%

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

$4.95 CHF 4.08

$5.08 CHF 4.18

-2.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 CHF 3.51

$4.09 CHF 3.37

4.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.07 CHF 7.47

$10.38 CHF 8.55

-12.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.69 CHF 6.34

$9.86 CHF 8.12

-22.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 CHF 1.76

$2.23 CHF 1.84

-4.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.99 CHF 2.46

$3.94 CHF 3.24

-24.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.18 CHF 2.62

$3.26 CHF 2.69

-2.45%

Eggs

$7.17 CHF 5.91

$7.05 CHF 5.81

1.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.95 CHF 19.73

$24.39 CHF 20.09

-1.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.06 CHF 23.11

$27.45 CHF 22.61

2.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.38 CHF 32.44

$38.74 CHF 31.91

1.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.63 CHF 2.99

$3.47 CHF 2.85

4.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 CHF 1.61

$2.05 CHF 1.69

-4.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 CHF 2.08

$2.44 CHF 2.01

3.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.43 CHF 3.65

$4.58 CHF 3.77

-3.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 CHF 1.34

$1.77 CHF 1.46

-8.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 CHF 1.60

$1.99 CHF 1.64

-2.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 CHF 1.63

$1.97 CHF 1.62

0.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 CHF 1.05

$1.66 CHF 1.36

-23.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.70 CHF 8.81

$10.57 CHF 8.71

1.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.98 CHF 9.87

$15.01 CHF 12.36

-20.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 CHF 1.85

$2.74 CHF 2.25

-18.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 CHF 2.36

$3.12 CHF 2.57

-8.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.58 CHF 3.77

$4.43 CHF 3.65

3.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.4 CHF 81.0

$92.8 CHF 76.5

6.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.70 CHF 6.34

$7.96 CHF 6.55

-3.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.56 CHF 3.75

$4.57 CHF 3.76

-0.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$84.2 CHF 69.3

$85.0 CHF 70.0

-1.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.36 CHF 1.94

$2.28 CHF 1.87

3.51%

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

$41.9K CHF 34.5K

$42.3K CHF 34.9K

-1.08%

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

$39.7K CHF 32.7K

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

0.25%

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

$274 CHF 225

$292 CHF 240

-6.27%

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

$27.35 CHF 22.52

$36.21 CHF 29.82

-24.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 CHF 42.31

$50.5 CHF 41.62

1.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$89.6 CHF 73.8

$70.0 CHF 57.7

27.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.51 CHF 37.48

$47.43 CHF 39.07

-4.05%

Cinema Ticket

$24.00 CHF 19.76

$24.44 CHF 20.13

-1.80%

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

$2,954 CHF 2,433

$2,850 CHF 2,347

3.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.3K CHF 25.0K

$37.1K CHF 30.5K

-18.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$141 CHF 116

$142 CHF 117

-0.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.4 CHF 50.6

$77.7 CHF 64.0

-20.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 CHF 114

-0.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$197 CHF 162

$214 CHF 176

-7.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,679 CHF 1,383

$2,256 CHF 1,858

-25.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 CHF 1,186

$1,763 CHF 1,452

-18.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,839 CHF 2,338

$4,291 CHF 3,534

-33.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 CHF 2,054

$3,206 CHF 2,640

-22.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.2K CHF 13.3K

$18.2K CHF 15.0K

-11.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.0K CHF 9,900

$14.0K CHF 11.5K

-13.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,426 CHF 5,292

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.95

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

Last update for Yens: 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

Yens

$1.4K 43.3%

Lausanne

$1.8K 47.5% 22.5% $324

Groceries & Markets

Yens

$558 16.8%

Lausanne

$579 15.6% 3.8% $21

Eating Out

Yens

$452 13.6%

Lausanne

$477 12.9% 5.6% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yens

$352 10.6%

Lausanne

$379 10.2% 7.5% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Yens

$242 7.3%

Lausanne

$257 6.9% 6.5% $16

Getting Around

Yens

$147 4.4%

Lausanne

$141 3.8% 4% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Yens

$138 4.1%

Lausanne

$119 3.2% 13.6% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,679 in Yens and $2,256 in Lausanne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $119 in Yens vs $115 in Lausanne. Groceries flip the comparison at $558 vs $579, with Yens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Yens

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🕒 Local time

06:16 6:16 AM

Same time as Yens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,200

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

Yens vs Lausanne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yens and Lausanne differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($3,329 vs $3,716 including rent). Yens is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $4,993 in Yens and $5,574 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: $1,679 in Yens 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 Yens – 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 $3,329 per month in Yens versus $3,716 in Lausanne – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Yens 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, Yens 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 Yens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Lausanne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.