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

🙂 Solo nomad: Bern is 0.6% cheaper than Lugano without rent, and 5.3% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Bern is 9% cheaper than Lugano without rent, and 8.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bern
Lugano
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$27.45 CHF 21.47
$30.57 CHF 23.91
-10.21%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$107 CHF 83.4
$182 CHF 142
-41.46%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$17.00 CHF 13.29
$18.24 CHF 14.26
-6.80%
Cappuccino
$5.95 CHF 4.65
$4.32 CHF 3.38
37.73%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.80 CHF 3.75
$4.91 CHF 3.84
-2.24%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.75 CHF 3.72
$4.17 CHF 3.26
13.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.40 CHF 6.57
$7.35 CHF 5.75
14.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.98 CHF 4.68
$7.55 CHF 5.91
-20.79%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bern
Lugano
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.15 CHF 1.68
$2.26 CHF 1.77
-4.87%
White Bread (500g)
$3.45 CHF 2.70
$3.50 CHF 2.74
-1.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.09 CHF 3.20
$4.67 CHF 3.65
-12.42%
Eggs
$7.06 CHF 5.52
$6.72 CHF 5.25
5.06%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$28.55 CHF 22.33
$27.22 CHF 21.29
4.89%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$35.12 CHF 27.47
$36.30 CHF 28.39
-3.25%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$41.13 CHF 32.17
$47.81 CHF 37.39
-13.97%
Apples (1kg)
$3.44 CHF 2.69
$3.06 CHF 2.39
12.42%
Banana (1kg)
$2.21 CHF 1.73
$1.99 CHF 1.56
11.06%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.76 CHF 2.16
$2.50 CHF 1.96
10.40%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.10 CHF 5.56
$7.54 CHF 5.90
-5.84%
Potato (1kg)
$2.25 CHF 1.76
$2.17 CHF 1.69
3.69%
Onion (1kg)
$2.17 CHF 1.69
$2.35 CHF 1.84
-7.66%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.56 CHF 2.00
$2.62 CHF 2.05
-2.29%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.10 CHF 0.86
$1.30 CHF 1.02
-15.38%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.27 CHF 8.81
$10.87 CHF 8.50
3.68%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.95 CHF 10.13
$12.95 CHF 10.13
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.92 CHF 1.50
$2.69 CHF 2.10
-28.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 CHF 1.78
$4.21 CHF 3.30
-46.08%
🚌 Getting Around
Bern
Lugano
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.68 CHF 2.88
$3.15 CHF 2.46
16.83%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$95.7 CHF 74.8
$87.8 CHF 68.7
8.93%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$8.08 CHF 6.32
$6.84 CHF 5.35
18.13%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$4.24 CHF 3.32
$4.48 CHF 3.50
-5.36%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$94.1 CHF 73.6
$62.4 CHF 48.83
50.64%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.14 CHF 1.67
$2.15 CHF 1.68
-0.47%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$40.5K CHF 31.7K
$40.9K CHF 31.9K
-0.86%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$58.2K CHF 45.5K
$37.4K CHF 29.3K
55.56%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bern
Lugano
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$371 CHF 290
$206 CHF 161
80.36%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$58.6 CHF 45.81
$73.8 CHF 57.7
-20.58%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$57.3 CHF 44.79
$53.5 CHF 41.81
7.15%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bern
Lugano
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$82.7 CHF 64.7
$108 CHF 84.4
-23.39%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$47.72 CHF 37.32
$62.8 CHF 49.08
-23.96%
Cinema Ticket
$24.30 CHF 19.00
$18.11 CHF 14.16
34.18%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bern
Lugano
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,359 CHF 2,627
$1,251 CHF 978
168.57%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$40.7K CHF 31.8K
$35.2K CHF 27.5K
15.53%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bern
Lugano
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$150 CHF 117
$124 CHF 97.1
20.56%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$68.8 CHF 53.8
$46.81 CHF 36.60
46.87%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$175 CHF 137
$136 CHF 106
29.09%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$186 CHF 145
$154 CHF 120
20.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bern
Lugano
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,912 CHF 1,495
$1,702 CHF 1,331
12.34%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,254 CHF 981
$1,248 CHF 976
0.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,215 CHF 2,514
$2,849 CHF 2,228
12.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,366 CHF 1,851
$2,589 CHF 2,025
-8.61%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$15.7K CHF 12.3K
$17.8K CHF 13.9K
-12.05%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$12.2K CHF 9,573
$13.3K CHF 10.4K
-8.26%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bern
Lugano
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$7,483 CHF 5,852
$6,979 CHF 5,458
7.23%
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: 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

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