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

😐 Solo nomad: Aarau is 1.6% more expensive than Lugano without rent, and 3.3% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Aarau is 0.6% more expensive than Lugano without rent, and 13.1% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Aarau
Lugano
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$29.1 CHF 23.66
$30.54 CHF 24.83
-4.72%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$108 CHF 88.1
$184 CHF 149
-41.02%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$18.73 CHF 15.23
$18.53 CHF 15.07
1.08%
Cappuccino
$6.52 CHF 5.3
$4.24 CHF 3.45
53.77%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.39 CHF 2.76
$4.7 CHF 3.82
-27.87%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.81 CHF 3.91
$4.06 CHF 3.3
18.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.94 CHF 6.45
$7.18 CHF 5.84
10.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.52 CHF 6.11
$7.59 CHF 6.17
-0.92%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Aarau
Lugano
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.08 CHF 1.69
$2.26 CHF 1.84
-7.96%
White Bread (500g)
$3.24 CHF 2.64
$3.51 CHF 2.86
-7.69%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.53 CHF 2.06
$4.72 CHF 3.84
-46.40%
Eggs
$7.08 CHF 5.75
$6.69 CHF 5.44
5.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$28.91 CHF 23.51
$27.42 CHF 22.29
5.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$35.92 CHF 29.21
$37.36 CHF 30.38
-3.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$44.89 CHF 36.5
$47.43 CHF 38.56
-5.36%
Apples (1kg)
$2.85 CHF 2.32
$3.23 CHF 2.63
-11.76%
Banana (1kg)
$2.12 CHF 1.72
$2.02 CHF 1.64
4.95%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.79 CHF 2.27
$2.51 CHF 2.04
11.16%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.89 CHF 4.79
$7.37 CHF 6
-20.08%
Potato (1kg)
$2.3 CHF 1.87
$2.19 CHF 1.78
5.02%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 CHF 1.6
$2.26 CHF 1.84
-12.83%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.57 CHF 2.09
$2.56 CHF 2.08
0.39%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.47 CHF 1.2
$1.3 CHF 1.05
13.08%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.52 CHF 8.55
$10.78 CHF 8.76
-2.41%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.39 CHF 13.33
$10.91 CHF 8.87
50.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.23 CHF 1.81
$2.66 CHF 2.16
-16.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.16 CHF 1.76
$4.19 CHF 3.4
-48.45%
🚌 Getting Around
Aarau
Lugano
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.26 CHF 3.46
$3.26 CHF 2.65
30.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$151 CHF 122
$86.8 CHF 70.5
73.64%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$8.4 CHF 6.83
$6.6 CHF 5.37
27.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$5.5 CHF 4.47
$4.47 CHF 3.64
23.04%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$88 CHF 71.6
$60.9 CHF 49.49
44.61%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.23 CHF 1.81
$2.21 CHF 1.8
0.90%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.8K CHF 32.4K
$39.8K CHF 32.3K
0.18%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$42.3K CHF 34.4K
$37.9K CHF 30.8K
11.42%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Aarau
Lugano
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$244 CHF 199
$203 CHF 165
20.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$41.88 CHF 34.05
$73.2 CHF 59.5
-42.76%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$59 CHF 47.97
$55.1 CHF 44.78
7.12%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Aarau
Lugano
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$65.9 CHF 53.6
$111 CHF 90
-40.52%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$41.97 CHF 34.12
$62 CHF 50.4
-32.26%
Cinema Ticket
$23.32 CHF 18.96
$18.76 CHF 15.25
24.31%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Aarau
Lugano
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,228 CHF 2,625
$1,245 CHF 1,012
159.38%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.7K CHF 20.1K
$35.5K CHF 28.8K
-30.42%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Aarau
Lugano
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$91.5 CHF 74.4
$126 CHF 103
-27.54%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.4 CHF 43.44
$47.68 CHF 38.77
12.06%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$110 CHF 89.1
$133 CHF 108
-17.43%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$169 CHF 138
$151 CHF 123
12.06%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Aarau
Lugano
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,301 CHF 1,058
$1,648 CHF 1,340
-21.03%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,033 CHF 840
$1,256 CHF 1,021
-17.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,421 CHF 1,968
$2,885 CHF 2,345
-16.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,070 CHF 1,683
$2,649 CHF 2,154
-21.86%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$10.3K CHF 8,382
$17.6K CHF 14.3K
-41.32%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$12.5K CHF 10.2K
$18.8K CHF 15.3K
-33.29%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Aarau
Lugano
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$7,155 CHF 5,817
$7,350 CHF 5,976
-2.65%
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: October 27, 2025

Last update for Lugano: October 28, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.