Lausanne may only be Switzerland’s fifth-largest city (after Zurich, Geneva, Basel, and Bern), but it is no less international — foreigners account for about 42 percent of its total population of nearly 150,000.
Not only that, but dozens of multinational companies are headquartered (or have subsidaries) in Lausanne or nearby communities.
Therefore, when talking about local wages, we are also including parts of Vaud that are closest to Lausanne.
As in our recent wage comparisons for Zurich, Geneva, and Basel, we are basing the Lausanne figures on the Numbeo cost of living database.
What does this data reveal?
The median net salary in Lausanne is 5,665 francs a month (65,000 a year) — quite a bit lower than the averages in Zurich (7,156 francs,) Geneva (6,503), and Basel (6,766).
However, If you are a single individual earning this wage, you can afford the rent for a one-bedroom apartment outside Lausanne’s city centre — at 1,123 francs.
If, on the other hand, you are in a household of four people (spouse and two children), this median income will seriously burden your budget and not get you much in return.
That’s because a three-bedroom flat (the size you ideally need to accommodate a four-person household), located outside city centre, costs about 2,500 francs, which leaves just over 3,000 francs each month to buy food, as well cover recurring expenses like public transport, utilities, taxes, and health insurance premiums.
While 3,000 francs may seem like a lot, it is not for a family of four, especially since tax rates as well as health insurance premiums in Vaud are among the highest in Switzerland.
(At that income level, however, and provided you don’t have any other assets, you qualify for government subsidies for rent and healh insurance).
If, however, both spouses work full-time and earn the median wage, then their financial situation will be somewhat better.
But what if you are a professional who was hired by one of the area’s international companies or other large businesses?
In such a case — and regardless of whether you came from the European Union or EFTA (Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein) — or received a work permit as a third-country citizen — you can expect a salary that exceeds the median pay by far.
Of course, much depends on several factors: your experience and training / education, the sector where you work, and whether it suffers from a shortage of employees.
This is a general indication of the average salary for trained professionals in Lausanne, based on data culled from local recruitment agencies:
Marketing specialist: 90,435 francs a year
Data engineer: 98,000
Consultant: 100,000
Software developer: 101,000
Financial analyst: 112,000
Account manager: 114, 537
Project leader: 120,000
READ ALSO: Which job sectors in Switzerland employ the most foreign workers?
If your income is in the above range, you can consider it to be a good wage for Lausanne — especially as the cost of living there is lower than in the three larger cities.
For instance, according to Numbeo, Lausanne is 8.1 percent cheaper than Zurich and 7.4 percent less expensive than Geneva.
It is, however, 1.6 percent pricier than Basel.
READ ALSO: Where are the cheapest places to live in Switzerland in 2024?
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