Cost of Living Comparison Between Bern and Lugano Cost of Living Comparison Between Bern and Lugano

🙂 Solo nomad: Bern is 1.1% cheaper than Lugano without rent, and 4.9% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Bern is 6.7% cheaper than Lugano without rent, and 7.1% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bern
Lugano
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$28.53 CHF 22.26
$30.61 CHF 23.88
-6.80%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$108 CHF 84.6
$181 CHF 141
-40.11%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$17.04 CHF 13.29
$18.58 CHF 14.49
-8.29%
Cappuccino
$5.82 CHF 4.54
$4.48 CHF 3.49
29.91%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.96 CHF 3.87
$4.75 CHF 3.71
4.42%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.68 CHF 3.65
$4.02 CHF 3.14
16.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.25 CHF 6.44
$7.53 CHF 5.88
9.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.06 CHF 4.72
$7.26 CHF 5.66
-16.53%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bern
Lugano
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.27 CHF 1.77
$2.25 CHF 1.76
0.89%
White Bread (500g)
$3.34 CHF 2.60
$3.48 CHF 2.71
-4.02%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.06 CHF 3.17
$4.91 CHF 3.83
-17.31%
Eggs
$7.11 CHF 5.55
$6.97 CHF 5.44
2.01%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$28.57 CHF 22.28
$26.82 CHF 20.92
6.52%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$35.59 CHF 27.76
$36.39 CHF 28.39
-2.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$40.29 CHF 31.42
$46.96 CHF 36.63
-14.20%
Apples (1kg)
$3.53 CHF 2.76
$3.14 CHF 2.45
12.42%
Banana (1kg)
$2.22 CHF 1.73
$1.97 CHF 1.54
12.69%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.88 CHF 2.24
$2.60 CHF 2.03
10.77%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.96 CHF 5.43
$7.60 CHF 5.93
-8.42%
Potato (1kg)
$2.16 CHF 1.69
$2.28 CHF 1.78
-5.26%
Onion (1kg)
$2.18 CHF 1.70
$2.22 CHF 1.73
-1.80%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.42 CHF 1.89
$2.58 CHF 2.01
-6.20%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 CHF 0.90
$1.24 CHF 0.96
-7.26%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.46 CHF 8.94
$10.80 CHF 8.43
6.11%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.03 CHF 10.16
$13.06 CHF 10.19
-0.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.88 CHF 1.47
$2.65 CHF 2.07
-29.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.32 CHF 1.81
$4.15 CHF 3.24
-44.10%
🚌 Getting Around
Bern
Lugano
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.61 CHF 2.82
$3.15 CHF 2.46
14.60%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$98.2 CHF 76.6
$87.7 CHF 68.4
11.90%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$8.12 CHF 6.33
$6.79 CHF 5.30
19.59%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$4.41 CHF 3.44
$4.40 CHF 3.44
0.23%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$91.4 CHF 71.3
$62.1 CHF 48.46
47.07%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.24 CHF 1.74
$2.14 CHF 1.67
4.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$40.5K CHF 31.6K
$40.3K CHF 31.4K
0.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$57.0K CHF 44.5K
$37.7K CHF 29.4K
51.21%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bern
Lugano
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$366 CHF 286
$203 CHF 159
80.08%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$58.7 CHF 45.76
$71.9 CHF 56.1
-18.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$57.1 CHF 44.51
$53.8 CHF 41.93
6.16%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bern
Lugano
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$82.7 CHF 64.5
$107 CHF 83.4
-22.68%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$47.96 CHF 37.41
$62.7 CHF 48.87
-23.46%
Cinema Ticket
$24.94 CHF 19.45
$18.33 CHF 14.30
36.06%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bern
Lugano
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,330 CHF 2,597
$1,230 CHF 959
170.70%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$39.7K CHF 31.0K
$35.5K CHF 27.7K
11.78%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bern
Lugano
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$151 CHF 118
$123 CHF 96.1
22.84%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$68.7 CHF 53.6
$47.97 CHF 37.42
43.26%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$173 CHF 135
$133 CHF 104
30.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$184 CHF 143
$152 CHF 119
20.89%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bern
Lugano
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,884 CHF 1,470
$1,686 CHF 1,315
11.72%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,248 CHF 973
$1,249 CHF 974
-0.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,311 CHF 2,582
$2,789 CHF 2,176
18.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,409 CHF 1,879
$2,654 CHF 2,070
-9.23%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$15.6K CHF 12.2K
$17.7K CHF 13.8K
-11.51%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$11.9K CHF 9,293
$13.3K CHF 10.4K
-10.63%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bern
Lugano
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$7,431 CHF 5,796
$6,824 CHF 5,323
8.88%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.52
2.5
0.80%

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

Last update for Bern: 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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