Cost of Living Comparison Between Lausanne and Lugano Cost of Living Comparison Between Lausanne and Lugano

😐 Solo nomad: Lausanne is 2.8% more expensive than Lugano without rent, and 11.5% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Lausanne is 0.4% cheaper than Lugano without rent, and 3.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lausanne
Lugano
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$33.21 CHF 25.94
$30.61 CHF 23.91
8.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$150 CHF 117
$181 CHF 141
-17.04%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$19.06 CHF 14.89
$18.58 CHF 14.51
2.58%
Cappuccino
$5.95 CHF 4.65
$4.48 CHF 3.50
32.81%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.42 CHF 4.24
$4.75 CHF 3.71
14.11%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.70 CHF 3.67
$4.02 CHF 3.14
16.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.78 CHF 7.64
$7.53 CHF 5.88
29.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.53 CHF 6.66
$7.26 CHF 5.67
17.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lausanne
Lugano
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.17 CHF 1.70
$2.25 CHF 1.76
-3.56%
White Bread (500g)
$4.10 CHF 3.20
$3.48 CHF 2.72
17.82%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.35 CHF 3.40
$4.91 CHF 3.83
-11.41%
Eggs
$7.33 CHF 5.72
$6.97 CHF 5.45
5.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$26.07 CHF 20.36
$26.82 CHF 20.95
-2.80%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$29.04 CHF 22.68
$36.39 CHF 28.42
-20.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$53.0 CHF 41.39
$46.96 CHF 36.68
12.86%
Apples (1kg)
$3.66 CHF 2.85
$3.14 CHF 2.45
16.56%
Banana (1kg)
$2.09 CHF 1.63
$1.97 CHF 1.54
6.09%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.82 CHF 2.20
$2.60 CHF 2.03
8.46%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.71 CHF 5.24
$7.60 CHF 5.94
-11.71%
Potato (1kg)
$2.46 CHF 1.92
$2.28 CHF 1.78
7.89%
Onion (1kg)
$2.36 CHF 1.85
$2.22 CHF 1.73
6.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.50 CHF 1.95
$2.58 CHF 2.01
-3.10%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.39 CHF 1.08
$1.24 CHF 0.97
12.10%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.95 CHF 8.55
$10.80 CHF 8.44
1.39%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.06 CHF 12.54
$13.06 CHF 10.20
22.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.10 CHF 1.64
$2.65 CHF 2.07
-20.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.18 CHF 2.48
$4.15 CHF 3.24
-23.37%
🚌 Getting Around
Lausanne
Lugano
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.76 CHF 3.72
$3.15 CHF 2.46
51.11%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$97.4 CHF 76.1
$87.7 CHF 68.5
11.01%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$7.86 CHF 6.14
$6.79 CHF 5.30
15.76%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.43 CHF 2.68
$4.40 CHF 3.44
-22.05%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$67.6 CHF 52.8
$62.1 CHF 48.52
8.74%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.17 CHF 1.70
$2.14 CHF 1.67
1.40%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$40.1K CHF 31.3K
$40.3K CHF 31.4K
-0.48%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.8K CHF 31.9K
$37.7K CHF 29.5K
8.30%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lausanne
Lugano
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$320 CHF 250
$203 CHF 159
57.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$51.5 CHF 40.25
$71.9 CHF 56.1
-28.29%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$57.6 CHF 45.01
$53.8 CHF 41.98
7.24%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lausanne
Lugano
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$78.7 CHF 61.5
$107 CHF 83.5
-26.41%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$48.02 CHF 37.50
$62.7 CHF 48.94
-23.36%
Cinema Ticket
$26.28 CHF 20.53
$18.33 CHF 14.32
43.37%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lausanne
Lugano
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,755 CHF 2,151
$1,230 CHF 961
123.94%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$34.3K CHF 26.8K
$35.5K CHF 27.8K
-3.56%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lausanne
Lugano
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$107 CHF 83.5
$123 CHF 96.2
-13.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$69.9 CHF 54.6
$47.97 CHF 37.46
45.72%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$150 CHF 117
$133 CHF 104
13.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$183 CHF 143
$152 CHF 119
20.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lausanne
Lugano
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,829 CHF 1,428
$1,686 CHF 1,317
8.44%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,464 CHF 1,143
$1,249 CHF 976
17.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,651 CHF 2,851
$2,789 CHF 2,178
30.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,972 CHF 2,321
$2,654 CHF 2,073
12.00%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$19.7K CHF 15.4K
$17.7K CHF 13.8K
11.25%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$15.5K CHF 12.1K
$13.3K CHF 10.4K
15.99%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lausanne
Lugano
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$7,950 CHF 6,209
$6,824 CHF 5,330
16.49%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.5
2.5
-

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

Last update for Lausanne: March 1, 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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