Regarding Living cost in Lausanne

Visas, Permits, Passports and Naturalization
1
Hi,

I am from India. I saw lots of threads related to cost of living in this forum.

I needed some information regarding cost of living in Lausanne. I may get an offer at Prilly.

I am married and i did some calculations and found that 85k is a good salary before taxes.

My wife is not looking to work now.

Can you let me know your thoughts.

I searched forum and didnt found related posts.

Thanks in advance.

2
I assume there will quite the sticker shock from what the cost of living is where you are now.

85,000 isn't the highest but maybe you are used to a more basic life?

How much one needs to live on depends on so much. Do you want a small basic flat or a house? 2 cars or happy to bike to work? Does your wife think the best thing to do in her free time is shop? Expensive hobbies?

See how it's hard to judge? to me personally it's a low salary but to others it can be will, is it enough? that is more for you to judge then us

3
Lausanne is bloody expensive compared to its size. With that salary a family of two+two is, in Switzerland, considered on a borderline between poor and "middle class", i.e. barely able to pay health insurance, rent, food and other basic necessities. As Lausanne is way above the average regarding health insurance, rent and taxes - this salary isn't great. If you're a solidly middle class/professional now, here you'll be more like twice a shop assistant income household here.

4
Lausanne is expensive, My husband makes 95 k before taxes, and we 'break even' at the end of every month. (we don't have money left in the 'bank') and by break even, I mean that we still have to take money out of our Canadian bank account when we buy stuff online i.e. hotels, pay for health insurance, plane tickets, clothes, etc.

5
There's a good sticky on this here -

Salaries in Switzerland - These and other questions answered before you ask!

But honestly, make sure you can cover at least rent and healthcare (that's going to be your biggest ongoing monthly costs). Budget at least 400-500 fs per month for very basic healthcare coverage for you and your spouse (that actually means you are likely to have a 2500 deductible as well).

The one that I'd be more concerned about in your case though is housing - agents are unlikely to rent you a house unless the month rent is 1/3 or less of your monthly salary. Some I believe are even more conservative and count only your net salary. That leaves you with a family of 4 looking at renting 2-3 bedroom apartments for less than 2300 Fs per month in the Lausanne area, which can be really difficult to find.

Edit: Just realized that you didn't mention if you have kids. Think I made the assumption off of some other replies. But a 1 bedroom will be much more feasible with your bduget!

6
With this salary you're basically screwed: you don't get health insurance premium benefit, you'll not qualify for a reduced-rent apt, you'll have it hard to get any cheap rent-regulated apartment. So you'll pay more for all of that, and you'll be effectively left with similar disposable income as a shop assistant, without the the benefit of local's network, and not much many left to pay your way.

7
Yes, cities tend to be more expensive than rural parts in Switzerland. But it is definitely not depended on its size. And further, the differences between urban and rural areas in Switzerland are for sure (much) smaller than between Swiss rural areas and, for example, France in general!

Woah, woah, please calm down you spoiled, thankless, constantly complaining (English-speaking?) expat b**** ! .... No wonder the Ecopop initiative has a real chance to be accepted - despite its bad consequences!

The average income of a Swiss household is CHF 7112 (in 2012), makes: 85'344 per year - after taxes, social contributions and basic health insurance !!! http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/d.../22/press.html With this you should be able to make saves of CHF 1'318 per month!

It is always a question of your (outrages) life style ... or spoiled expectations!

The poverty border for a family with two kids is to be considered to be at CHF 3600/43'200 ! More than 590'000 people in this country live on this basic level! http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/d...icationID=4918

Modesty is not a sin, but a virtue!

8

Yet one in four Swiss are broke after paying their bills.

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/one-in-f…bills/41119532

9

That might be right (or not). I can't say anything about the survey if they do not provide more detailed information. So, it stays to be just a claim.

Besides, the issuer, the company Intrum Justitia , has more than a questionable reputation. Owned by Swedish owners and with a Swiss president , Thomas Hutter (von Oberriet SG, in Wangen-Brüttisellen) , reknown for a very weak relation with his own morality:

- http://www.beobachter.ch/geld-sicher...digkeit-getan/

- http://www.monsieurfischer.ch/2011/0...er-intrum.html

10
I think it's a really hard one to answer. It really depends on what kind of lifestyle you're used to / expecting. I asked a similar question here 6 month ago and had some pretty negative responses. For us we are living a very comfortable life so far and we were told we would be on our uppers!! Food costs havent been anywhere near as bad as we were told but we dont shop at Coop! We have shopped around for health insurance and we are not interested in eating out as we have 2 kids and no babysitters! We are putting savings away each month but we have arrived here debt free and with money in the bank to kit a flat out etc. I have managed to start working but we cant rely on my income yet so it's my hubby's salarie alone really. Second hand cars are cheap and we are not interested in living in the city - we live almost an hour commute from my hubby's work but that suits us as we like to be in the countryside and take walks with the dogs and play out with the kids. 85K would be a pinch but ok if you're prepared to shop at aldi, meal plan, dont want to eat out/go out every weekend and are prepared to compromise on living space which we were for the experience. We gave up a 4 bed detached house in the UK for a 3 bed flat here but defo having an amazing time and the kids are having a ball and learning a new language.

11
Dear All,

Thanks for the reply.

I dont mind travelling some time to find a decent accomodation in a rural area as well.

I am not an shopaholic nor fond of partying every week. So my basic expenses wil be accomodation(for 2), food(vegetarian) and other utilities like internet,TV,Bills,Mobile and taxees.

From the discussion so far I think 90k per annum wil be decent and i can save around 1500-2000 CHF. ANd if my wife gets a job that will make it much better i guess.

Please let us know your thoughts.

12
I also want to add that just because you're working in Lausanne doesn't mean you have to live there. You couldnt pay me to live in Lausanne and my hubby works there. And when I said 85 would be a pinch I mean for us! If that were for me and my hubby we'd be grand!

13
You need to add healthcare to that. About another 500 a month for a couple I'd guess. Parking and travel costs. There is no free parking anywhere really. Where you live will dictate your travel costs but my hubby pays 150 ish a month for his travel card and I have a car - if you're wife doesn't need a car she will need travel budget too . Being veggie helps! I'm veggie and my family are mostly by default and it helps the food budget no end

14

This not an "average" person asking, but a skilled worker.

The "average" works maybe in Neuchatel but not in expensive Lausanne.

I wrote about middle class lower threshold, from where certain subsidies gradually kick in, you're writing about a poverty line from where basic social money for food and other basics are given. Quite a difference.

15

These possible savings aren't pcm but pa.

16
I don't think Neuchâtel is a good example to use here. Neuchâtel is a pretty expensive place to live. High taxes, high health insurance costs etc etc. Rents are probably the only thing lower than Lausanne.

Somewhere like Glarus or Uri would have been a better comparison to make.

Having said that I know of plenty of people who live quite happily on less than 85 000 chf per year even in expensive Neuchâtel.

17
I've used my yardstick - 3 bedroom apt, up to 10km from Neuchâtel and Lausanne. According to Anibis.ch:

In and around Neuchâtel median is 1750, in and around Lausanne median (not average) is about 2750.

That's about 12k nett, i.e. About 18k gross different. Then, when you say that families live on that, don't forget that families get about 200-300 gross per child and that child's health insurance is also about chf 70, and that with this salaries there is a health insurance benefit and that some people will get a regulated, below-the-market prices rent.

All this taken into account will make probably about 500-1000 nett per month. Altogether a low earning family living in NE will have 1k less rent to pay per market values, and then about 500-1000 of additional subsidies. The poster in question will have all the expenditures and none of the state help.

I just want him/her to realize that cost of living here is virtually impossible to exaggerate.

18
I didn't say families, I said people.

A 3 bedroom flat in Neuchatel fro less than 2000chf is not easy to find. The cheaper ones ( which skew the figures ) are up in the mountains and you either rely on public transport ( which I wouldn't want to do) or you need a car.

There are no health insurance rebates for anyone with a salary above 65000chf and no cheap rents either so your argument is severely flawed there.

Personally I think a married couple with no chikdren should be able to live perfectly comfortably on 85 000 chf in Lausanne.

And since you mention families I know a family of four on less than 70 000 chf who pay 2000 chf a month for a mediocre flat about 10 km from Neuchatel who have a comfortable lifestyle and receive no benefits at all.

I think often there is a 'the more you have the more you spend' situation and in fact people actually 'need' a lot less than they imagine they do.

19
Similarly in Lausanne - a 3 bd apt would be 3.3k if you want it today.

I disagree, there are:

subsided housing in NE

They would receive 400 pcm gross (i.e. almost 5k pa) of child benefit, and about 300CH lower tax compared with a couple w/o children, i.e. that's similar to a gross about 8-9k pa higher for a couple w/o kids.

20

Who isn't? I mean seriously I know very few people who claim to be doing well after bills/tax/expenses. People with low incomes to high incomes in various cities.

I think some of this is the way they spend their money but still rare to hear someone is doing well saving and is comfortable who isn't a big CEO or something