Cost of Living Comparison Between Zurich and Lausanne Cost of Living Comparison Between Zurich and Lausanne

😐 Solo nomad: Zurich is 2.9% more expensive than Lausanne without rent, and 22% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Zurich is 0.7% cheaper than Lausanne without rent, and 8.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Zurich
Lausanne
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$30.84 CHF 24.12
$32.53 CHF 25.44
-5.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$150 CHF 118
$150 CHF 118
0.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$20.90 CHF 16.34
$18.74 CHF 14.66
11.53%
Cappuccino
$6.84 CHF 5.35
$5.93 CHF 4.64
15.35%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.08 CHF 4.76
$5.35 CHF 4.19
13.64%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.25 CHF 4.10
$4.74 CHF 3.71
10.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$10.10 CHF 7.90
$9.77 CHF 7.64
3.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.57 CHF 6.70
$8.77 CHF 6.86
-2.28%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Zurich
Lausanne
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.17 CHF 1.69
$2.25 CHF 1.76
-3.56%
White Bread (500g)
$3.36 CHF 2.63
$4.18 CHF 3.27
-19.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.10 CHF 3.20
$4.45 CHF 3.48
-7.87%
Eggs
$7.49 CHF 5.86
$7.30 CHF 5.71
2.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$29.78 CHF 23.28
$26.48 CHF 20.71
12.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$34.08 CHF 26.65
$28.28 CHF 22.11
20.51%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$49.33 CHF 38.58
$53.3 CHF 41.69
-7.47%
Apples (1kg)
$4.01 CHF 3.14
$3.75 CHF 2.93
6.93%
Banana (1kg)
$2.83 CHF 2.21
$2.07 CHF 1.62
36.71%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.98 CHF 2.33
$2.93 CHF 2.29
1.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.22 CHF 4.08
$6.71 CHF 5.25
-22.21%
Potato (1kg)
$2.88 CHF 2.25
$2.46 CHF 1.92
17.07%
Onion (1kg)
$2.28 CHF 1.78
$2.42 CHF 1.89
-5.79%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.58 CHF 2.02
$2.57 CHF 2.01
0.39%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.73 CHF 1.36
$1.41 CHF 1.10
22.70%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.16 CHF 8.73
$10.99 CHF 8.59
1.55%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.04 CHF 11.76
$16.07 CHF 12.57
-6.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.65 CHF 2.08
$2.09 CHF 1.63
26.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.34 CHF 2.62
$3.12 CHF 2.44
7.05%
🚌 Getting Around
Zurich
Lausanne
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.82 CHF 3.77
$4.73 CHF 3.70
1.90%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$110 CHF 85.8
$94.2 CHF 73.6
16.54%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$7.64 CHF 5.97
$8.01 CHF 6.26
-4.62%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$4.29 CHF 3.36
$3.28 CHF 2.57
30.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$87.2 CHF 68.2
$67.0 CHF 52.4
30.15%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.30 CHF 1.80
$2.22 CHF 1.74
3.60%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$41.1K CHF 32.1K
$39.9K CHF 31.2K
2.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.1K CHF 31.4K
$41.0K CHF 32.0K
-2.10%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zurich
Lausanne
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$253 CHF 198
$326 CHF 255
-22.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.27 CHF 28.36
$49.55 CHF 38.75
-26.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$58.4 CHF 45.65
$58.2 CHF 45.55
0.22%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Zurich
Lausanne
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$87.7 CHF 68.6
$76.7 CHF 60.0
14.34%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$50.1 CHF 39.18
$47.50 CHF 37.15
5.49%
Cinema Ticket
$24.74 CHF 19.35
$26.37 CHF 20.62
-6.18%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Zurich
Lausanne
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,342 CHF 2,613
$2,782 CHF 2,175
20.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$38.6K CHF 30.2K
$33.9K CHF 26.5K
13.74%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Zurich
Lausanne
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$138 CHF 108
$107 CHF 84.0
28.30%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$61.1 CHF 47.75
$69.8 CHF 54.6
-12.57%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$148 CHF 116
$151 CHF 118
-1.86%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$199 CHF 155
$185 CHF 145
7.26%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Zurich
Lausanne
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,700 CHF 2,112
$1,823 CHF 1,426
48.14%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,181 CHF 1,705
$1,478 CHF 1,156
47.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,895 CHF 3,828
$3,656 CHF 2,859
33.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,804 CHF 2,975
$2,950 CHF 2,307
28.94%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$25.5K CHF 19.9K
$20.1K CHF 15.7K
26.86%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$16.3K CHF 12.8K
$15.2K CHF 11.9K
7.67%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Zurich
Lausanne
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$8,581 CHF 6,711
$7,891 CHF 6,171
8.75%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.09
2.5
-16.40%

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

Last update for Zurich: April 11, 2026

Last update for Lausanne: April 12, 2026

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

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