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

😐 Solo nomad: Basel is 7.8% more expensive than Lugano without rent, and 17.2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Basel is 1% more expensive than Lugano without rent, and 3.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.10 CHF 24.29

$30.57 CHF 23.87

1.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$154 CHF 121

$182 CHF 142

-15.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.39 CHF 15.15

$18.24 CHF 14.25

6.30%

Cappuccino

$6.74 CHF 5.26

$4.32 CHF 3.37

56.02%

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

$5.71 CHF 4.46

$4.91 CHF 3.84

16.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.26 CHF 4.11

$4.17 CHF 3.26

26.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.05 CHF 7.85

$7.35 CHF 5.74

36.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.61 CHF 5.94

$7.55 CHF 5.90

0.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 CHF 1.67

$2.26 CHF 1.77

-5.31%

White Bread (500g)

$3.85 CHF 3.00

$3.50 CHF 2.73

10.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.07 CHF 3.96

$4.67 CHF 3.65

8.57%

Eggs

$7.82 CHF 6.11

$6.72 CHF 5.25

16.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$28.16 CHF 21.99

$27.22 CHF 21.26

3.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$37.35 CHF 29.17

$36.30 CHF 28.35

2.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$43.13 CHF 33.68

$47.81 CHF 37.34

-9.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.87 CHF 3.02

$3.06 CHF 2.39

26.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 CHF 2.07

$1.99 CHF 1.55

33.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.06 CHF 3.17

$2.50 CHF 1.96

62.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.96 CHF 5.44

$7.54 CHF 5.89

-7.69%

Potato (1kg)

$3.21 CHF 2.51

$2.17 CHF 1.69

47.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.95 CHF 2.31

$2.35 CHF 1.83

25.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.62 CHF 2.05

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 CHF 1.22

$1.30 CHF 1.02

20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.90 CHF 9.29

$10.87 CHF 8.49

9.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.30 CHF 11.95

$12.95 CHF 10.11

18.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 CHF 1.86

$2.69 CHF 2.10

-11.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 CHF 2.43

$4.21 CHF 3.29

-26.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.77 CHF 3.73

$3.15 CHF 2.46

51.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 CHF 83.4

$87.8 CHF 68.6

21.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.94 CHF 6.20

$6.84 CHF 5.34

16.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.26 CHF 3.33

$4.48 CHF 3.50

-4.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$87.2 CHF 68.1

$62.4 CHF 48.77

39.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.74

$2.15 CHF 1.68

3.72%

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

$41.1K CHF 32.1K

$40.9K CHF 31.9K

0.55%

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

$45.3K CHF 35.4K

$37.4K CHF 29.2K

21.00%

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

$301 CHF 235

$206 CHF 161

46.44%

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

$54.2 CHF 42.34

$73.8 CHF 57.6

-26.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.3 CHF 47.06

$53.5 CHF 41.76

12.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.8 CHF 71.7

$108 CHF 84.3

-14.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.35 CHF 33.08

$62.8 CHF 49.02

-32.52%

Cinema Ticket

$22.73 CHF 17.76

$18.11 CHF 14.14

25.51%

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

$2,621 CHF 2,047

$1,251 CHF 977

109.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.5K CHF 27.0K

$35.2K CHF 27.5K

-1.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$135 CHF 106

$124 CHF 96.9

9.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$87.6 CHF 68.4

$46.81 CHF 36.56

87.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$175 CHF 136

$136 CHF 106

28.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$228 CHF 178

$154 CHF 120

48.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CHF 1,669

$1,702 CHF 1,329

25.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,462 CHF 1,142

$1,248 CHF 975

17.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,717 CHF 2,903

$2,849 CHF 2,225

30.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,837 CHF 2,215

$2,589 CHF 2,022

9.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.4K CHF 13.6K

$17.8K CHF 13.9K

-2.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.5K CHF 10.6K

$13.3K CHF 10.4K

1.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,891 CHF 6,163

$6,979 CHF 5,451

13.06%

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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Lugano: April 12, 2026

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

Basel vs other spots: cost of living compared

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