Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Lugano Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Lugano

😐 Solo nomad: Basel is 8.6% more expensive than Lugano without rent, and 19.1% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Basel is 2.1% more expensive than Lugano without rent, and 5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.64 CHF 24.61

$30.76 CHF 24.70

-0.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$155 CHF 124

$186 CHF 149

-16.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$20.06 CHF 16.11

$18.72 CHF 15.04

7.16%

Cappuccino

$6.82 CHF 5.48

$4.27 CHF 3.43

59.72%

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

$5.77 CHF 4.64

$4.90 CHF 3.93

17.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 CHF 4.10

$4.17 CHF 3.35

22.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.97 CHF 8.01

$7.32 CHF 5.88

36.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.40 CHF 5.94

$7.49 CHF 6.02

-1.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 CHF 1.73

$2.24 CHF 1.80

-4.02%

White Bread (500g)

$3.87 CHF 3.11

$3.43 CHF 2.75

12.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.15 CHF 4.13

$4.74 CHF 3.81

8.65%

Eggs

$7.90 CHF 6.34

$6.68 CHF 5.37

18.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$28.62 CHF 22.98

$26.86 CHF 21.57

6.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$36.22 CHF 29.08

$36.55 CHF 29.35

-0.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$43.52 CHF 34.95

$46.84 CHF 37.61

-7.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 CHF 3.09

$3.24 CHF 2.60

18.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 CHF 2.11

$1.93 CHF 1.55

36.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.24 CHF 3.40

$2.49 CHF 2.00

70.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.77 CHF 5.44

$7.40 CHF 5.94

-8.51%

Potato (1kg)

$3.19 CHF 2.56

$2.21 CHF 1.77

44.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 CHF 2.27

$2.31 CHF 1.86

22.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 CHF 2.07

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 CHF 1.20

$1.24 CHF 0.99

20.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.57 CHF 9.29

$11.09 CHF 8.91

4.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.93 CHF 11.99

$12.70 CHF 10.20

17.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CHF 1.96

$2.57 CHF 2.06

-5.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 CHF 2.42

$4.17 CHF 3.35

-27.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.62 CHF 3.71

$3.15 CHF 2.53

46.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 CHF 86.8

$88.0 CHF 70.7

22.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.03 CHF 6.45

$6.61 CHF 5.31

21.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.28 CHF 3.44

$4.37 CHF 3.51

-2.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$85.4 CHF 68.6

$62.3 CHF 50.1

37.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.24 CHF 1.80

$2.17 CHF 1.74

3.23%

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

$40.7K CHF 32.7K

$39.7K CHF 31.9K

2.65%

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

$45.7K CHF 36.7K

$37.1K CHF 29.8K

23.32%

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

$298 CHF 240

$206 CHF 165

45.23%

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

$54.6 CHF 43.86

$72.5 CHF 58.2

-24.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.1 CHF 47.46

$53.6 CHF 43.07

10.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.9 CHF 73.8

$110 CHF 88.7

-16.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.57 CHF 33.38

$61.7 CHF 49.50

-32.57%

Cinema Ticket

$22.54 CHF 18.10

$18.80 CHF 15.10

19.89%

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

$2,618 CHF 2,102

$1,210 CHF 972

116.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.1K CHF 27.4K

$35.5K CHF 28.5K

-3.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$132 CHF 106

$123 CHF 98.7

7.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$87.5 CHF 70.3

$48.30 CHF 38.78

81.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$178 CHF 143

$135 CHF 108

32.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$234 CHF 188

$152 CHF 122

53.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,089 CHF 1,677

$1,675 CHF 1,345

24.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,513 CHF 1,215

$1,233 CHF 990

22.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,732 CHF 2,996

$2,849 CHF 2,288

30.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,828 CHF 2,271

$2,645 CHF 2,124

6.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.3K CHF 13.9K

$18.6K CHF 14.9K

-6.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.3K CHF 10.7K

$13.7K CHF 11.0K

-3.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,802 CHF 6,265

$6,541 CHF 5,253

19.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.55

2.5

2.00%

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

Last update for Basel: January 12, 2026

Last update for Lugano: January 13, 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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