Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Airolo and Zurich

For one person, living is cheaper in Airolo: $3,429 a month against $4,270 in Zurich, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

166

Cost of Living Index in Airolo
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Airolo Living Index
207

Cost of Living Index in Zurich
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Zurich Living Index

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Airolo

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,429

/mo nomad

Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,270

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Airolo and in Zurich

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Airolo and in Zurich actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,429 per month in Airolo vs $4,270 in Zurich, rent included.

Airolo $3,429
Zurich $4,270

A couple spends around $5,222 per month in Airolo vs $6,666 in Zurich, rent included.

Airolo $5,222
Zurich $6,666

A family of three spends $7,014 per month in Airolo vs $9,061 in Zurich, rent included.

Airolo $7,014
Zurich $9,061

Airolo is about 20% cheaper than Zurich, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Airolo and Zurich sit above the global median – Airolo by 152%, Zurich by 214%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.61 CHF 25.39

$33.89 CHF 28.11

-9.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 101

$146 CHF 121

-16.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.47 CHF 15.32

$18.10 CHF 15.02

2.04%

Cappuccino

$6.09 CHF 5.05

$6.88 CHF 5.71

-11.48%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.34 CHF 4.43

$5.73 CHF 4.75

-6.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.76 CHF 3.95

$5.25 CHF 4.36

-9.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.03 CHF 7.49

$9.61 CHF 7.97

-6.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.23 CHF 6.00

$8.37 CHF 6.94

-13.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CHF 1.79

$2.11 CHF 1.75

2.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.73 CHF 3.09

$3.95 CHF 3.28

-5.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.85 CHF 3.20

$3.81 CHF 3.16

1.05%

Eggs

$7.76 CHF 6.43

$8.40 CHF 6.97

-7.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.74 CHF 21.35

$27.05 CHF 22.44

-4.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.78 CHF 23.04

$28.85 CHF 23.93

-3.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.65 CHF 34.55

$59.4 CHF 49.27

-29.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 CHF 2.97

$4.13 CHF 3.42

-13.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.69

$2.86 CHF 2.37

-28.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 CHF 2.27

$3.50 CHF 2.91

-22.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.80 CHF 3.98

$4.56 CHF 3.78

5.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 CHF 1.49

$2.55 CHF 2.11

-29.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 CHF 1.78

$2.31 CHF 1.92

-6.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CHF 1.89

$2.47 CHF 2.05

-8.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 CHF 1.05

$1.29 CHF 1.07

-1.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.00 CHF 9.12

$11.04 CHF 9.16

-0.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.66 CHF 10.50

$14.00 CHF 11.61

-9.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 CHF 2.31

$2.88 CHF 2.39

-3.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CHF 2.63

$3.18 CHF 2.64

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.34 CHF 3.60

$5.44 CHF 4.51

-20.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.9 CHF 82.9

$105 CHF 86.7

-4.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.77 CHF 6.44

$8.14 CHF 6.75

-4.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.70 CHF 3.90

$4.56 CHF 3.79

3.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$76.8 CHF 63.7

$89.8 CHF 74.5

-14.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 CHF 1.92

$2.32 CHF 1.93

-0.43%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$38.5K CHF 31.9K

$38.9K CHF 32.2K

-0.97%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$39.7K CHF 32.9K

$39.0K CHF 32.4K

1.78%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$281 CHF 233

$282 CHF 234

-0.58%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$32.77 CHF 27.18

$39.00 CHF 32.35

-15.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 CHF 46.32

$55.0 CHF 45.65

1.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$89.6 CHF 74.3

$84.6 CHF 70.2

5.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.44 CHF 38.53

$61.7 CHF 51.2

-24.72%

Cinema Ticket

$23.28 CHF 19.32

$24.31 CHF 20.17

-4.24%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,936 CHF 2,435

$3,444 CHF 2,857

-14.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.5K CHF 26.9K

$41.6K CHF 34.5K

-21.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 119

$138 CHF 114

4.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.8 CHF 47.97

$55.0 CHF 45.64

5.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$166 CHF 137

$159 CHF 132

4.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$184 CHF 153

$249 CHF 207

-26.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,795 CHF 1,489

$2,878 CHF 2,387

-37.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,463 CHF 1,214

$2,143 CHF 1,777

-31.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,992 CHF 2,482

$5,559 CHF 4,611

-46.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,469 CHF 2,049

$4,003 CHF 3,321

-38.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.2K CHF 13.4K

$28.2K CHF 23.4K

-42.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.5K CHF 10.4K

$16.9K CHF 14.0K

-25.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,230 CHF 6,827

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.07

2.09

-0.96%

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

Last update for Airolo: October 27, 2026

Last update for Zurich: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Airolo

$1.5K 42.7%

Zurich

$2.1K 50.2% 46.4% $680

Groceries & Markets

Airolo

$591 17.2%

Zurich

$674 15.8% 14.1% $83

Eating Out

Airolo

$473 13.8%

Zurich

$517 12.1% 9.1% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Airolo

$369 10.8%

Zurich

$376 8.8% 1.9% $7.1

Clothing & Footwear

Airolo

$248 7.2%

Zurich

$270 6.3% 9% $22

Getting Around

Airolo

$149 4.3%

Zurich

$157 3.7% 5.9% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Airolo

$136 4%

Zurich

$133 3.1% 2.1% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,795 in Airolo versus $2,878 in Zurich. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $122 in Airolo versus $146 in Zurich. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $591 vs $674 – making Airolo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Airolo

🇨🇭 Zurich

🕒 Local time

22:51 10:51 PM

Same time as Airolo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,500

443,037

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Airolo Zurich 94 km

From you

Airolo
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Airolo vs Zurich: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zurich costs about 25% more than Airolo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,144 per month in Airolo and $6,406 in Zurich. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Airolo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,795 there versus $2,878 in Zurich.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,429 in Airolo and $4,270 in Zurich. That makes Airolo about 20% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 4% less in Airolo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,429 in Airolo and $4,270 in Zurich. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Airolo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Airolo is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 20% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.