Cost of Living Comparison Between Aarau and Lugano Cost of Living Comparison Between Aarau and Lugano

😐 Solo nomad: Aarau is 8.8% more expensive than Lugano without rent, and 5.7% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Aarau is 10.6% cheaper than Lugano without rent, and 13% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Aarau
Lugano
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$29.93 CHF 23.32
$30.61 CHF 23.85
-2.22%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$106 CHF 82.6
$181 CHF 141
-41.45%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$19.08 CHF 14.86
$18.58 CHF 14.47
2.69%
Cappuccino
$6.24 CHF 4.86
$4.48 CHF 3.49
39.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.51 CHF 2.73
$4.75 CHF 3.70
-26.11%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.98 CHF 3.88
$4.02 CHF 3.13
23.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.24 CHF 6.42
$7.53 CHF 5.87
9.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.47 CHF 5.82
$7.26 CHF 5.65
2.89%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Aarau
Lugano
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.12 CHF 1.65
$2.25 CHF 1.76
-5.78%
White Bread (500g)
$3.30 CHF 2.57
$3.48 CHF 2.71
-5.17%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.46 CHF 1.91
$4.91 CHF 3.82
-49.90%
Eggs
$6.86 CHF 5.35
$6.97 CHF 5.43
-1.58%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$29.02 CHF 22.60
$26.82 CHF 20.89
8.20%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$35.44 CHF 27.60
$36.39 CHF 28.35
-2.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$45.08 CHF 35.12
$46.96 CHF 36.59
-4.00%
Apples (1kg)
$2.76 CHF 2.15
$3.14 CHF 2.44
-12.10%
Banana (1kg)
$2.17 CHF 1.69
$1.97 CHF 1.53
10.15%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.82 CHF 2.20
$2.60 CHF 2.02
8.46%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.89 CHF 4.59
$7.60 CHF 5.92
-22.50%
Potato (1kg)
$2.25 CHF 1.75
$2.28 CHF 1.78
-1.32%
Onion (1kg)
$2.08 CHF 1.62
$2.22 CHF 1.73
-6.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.53 CHF 1.97
$2.58 CHF 2.01
-1.94%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.45 CHF 1.13
$1.24 CHF 0.96
16.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.65 CHF 8.30
$10.80 CHF 8.41
-1.39%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.92 CHF 8.51
$13.06 CHF 10.18
-16.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.33 CHF 1.81
$2.65 CHF 2.06
-12.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 CHF 1.78
$4.15 CHF 3.24
-44.82%
🚌 Getting Around
Aarau
Lugano
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.42 CHF 3.44
$3.15 CHF 2.46
40.32%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$149 CHF 116
$87.7 CHF 68.3
69.88%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$8.53 CHF 6.65
$6.79 CHF 5.29
25.63%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$5.45 CHF 4.24
$4.40 CHF 3.43
23.86%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$86.6 CHF 67.4
$62.1 CHF 48.39
39.34%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.21 CHF 1.72
$2.14 CHF 1.67
3.27%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$40.2K CHF 31.3K
$40.3K CHF 31.4K
-0.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$42.4K CHF 33.0K
$37.7K CHF 29.4K
12.44%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Aarau
Lugano
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$244 CHF 190
$203 CHF 158
19.86%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$42.69 CHF 33.26
$71.9 CHF 56.0
-40.59%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$59.8 CHF 46.59
$53.8 CHF 41.87
11.27%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Aarau
Lugano
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$68.0 CHF 53.0
$107 CHF 83.3
-36.39%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$42.03 CHF 32.74
$62.7 CHF 48.81
-32.92%
Cinema Ticket
$23.17 CHF 18.05
$18.33 CHF 14.28
26.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Aarau
Lugano
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,231 CHF 2,517
$1,230 CHF 958
162.70%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.9K CHF 19.4K
$35.5K CHF 27.7K
-29.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Aarau
Lugano
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$93.1 CHF 72.6
$123 CHF 95.9
-24.37%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.3 CHF 41.48
$47.97 CHF 37.37
11.01%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$111 CHF 86.5
$133 CHF 103
-16.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$171 CHF 133
$152 CHF 118
12.58%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Aarau
Lugano
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,291 CHF 1,006
$1,686 CHF 1,314
-23.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,035 CHF 806
$1,249 CHF 973
-17.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,435 CHF 1,897
$2,789 CHF 2,173
-12.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,123 CHF 1,653
$2,654 CHF 2,067
-20.02%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$10.5K CHF 8,204
$17.7K CHF 13.8K
-40.44%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$12.6K CHF 9,833
$13.3K CHF 10.4K
-5.31%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Aarau
Lugano
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$7,587 CHF 5,910
$6,824 CHF 5,316
11.17%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.5
2.5
-

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

Last update for Aarau: March 2, 2026

Last update for Lugano: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

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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