Cost of Living Comparison Between Lugano and Aarau Cost of Living Comparison Between Lugano and Aarau

🙂 Solo nomad: Lugano is 1.6% cheaper than Aarau without rent, and 3.5% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Lugano is 0.6% cheaper than Aarau without rent, and 15% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lugano
Aarau
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$30.54 CHF 24.83
$29.1 CHF 23.66
4.95%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$184 CHF 149
$108 CHF 88.1
69.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$18.53 CHF 15.07
$18.73 CHF 15.23
-1.07%
Cappuccino
$4.24 CHF 3.45
$6.52 CHF 5.3
-34.97%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.7 CHF 3.82
$3.39 CHF 2.76
38.64%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.06 CHF 3.3
$4.81 CHF 3.91
-15.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.18 CHF 5.84
$7.94 CHF 6.45
-9.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.59 CHF 6.17
$7.52 CHF 6.11
0.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lugano
Aarau
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.26 CHF 1.84
$2.08 CHF 1.69
8.65%
White Bread (500g)
$3.51 CHF 2.86
$3.24 CHF 2.64
8.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.72 CHF 3.84
$2.53 CHF 2.06
86.56%
Eggs
$6.69 CHF 5.44
$7.08 CHF 5.75
-5.51%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$27.42 CHF 22.29
$28.91 CHF 23.51
-5.15%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$37.36 CHF 30.38
$35.92 CHF 29.21
4.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$47.43 CHF 38.56
$44.89 CHF 36.5
5.66%
Apples (1kg)
$3.23 CHF 2.63
$2.85 CHF 2.32
13.33%
Banana (1kg)
$2.02 CHF 1.64
$2.12 CHF 1.72
-4.72%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.51 CHF 2.04
$2.79 CHF 2.27
-10.04%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.37 CHF 6
$5.89 CHF 4.79
25.13%
Potato (1kg)
$2.19 CHF 1.78
$2.3 CHF 1.87
-4.78%
Onion (1kg)
$2.26 CHF 1.84
$1.97 CHF 1.6
14.72%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.56 CHF 2.08
$2.57 CHF 2.09
-0.39%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.3 CHF 1.05
$1.47 CHF 1.2
-11.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.78 CHF 8.76
$10.52 CHF 8.55
2.47%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.91 CHF 8.87
$16.39 CHF 13.33
-33.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.66 CHF 2.16
$2.23 CHF 1.81
19.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.19 CHF 3.4
$2.16 CHF 1.76
93.98%
🚌 Getting Around
Lugano
Aarau
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.26 CHF 2.65
$4.26 CHF 3.46
-23.47%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$86.8 CHF 70.5
$151 CHF 122
-42.41%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.6 CHF 5.37
$8.4 CHF 6.83
-21.43%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$4.47 CHF 3.64
$5.5 CHF 4.47
-18.73%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$60.9 CHF 49.49
$88 CHF 71.6
-30.85%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.21 CHF 1.8
$2.23 CHF 1.81
-0.90%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.8K CHF 32.3K
$39.8K CHF 32.4K
-0.18%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.9K CHF 30.8K
$42.3K CHF 34.4K
-10.25%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lugano
Aarau
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$203 CHF 165
$244 CHF 199
-16.97%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$73.2 CHF 59.5
$41.88 CHF 34.05
74.71%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$55.1 CHF 44.78
$59 CHF 47.97
-6.65%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lugano
Aarau
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$111 CHF 90
$65.9 CHF 53.6
68.12%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$62 CHF 50.4
$41.97 CHF 34.12
47.63%
Cinema Ticket
$18.76 CHF 15.25
$23.32 CHF 18.96
-19.55%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lugano
Aarau
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,245 CHF 1,012
$3,228 CHF 2,625
-61.45%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$35.5K CHF 28.8K
$24.7K CHF 20.1K
43.73%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lugano
Aarau
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$126 CHF 103
$91.5 CHF 74.4
38.01%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.68 CHF 38.77
$53.4 CHF 43.44
-10.76%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$133 CHF 108
$110 CHF 89.1
21.11%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$151 CHF 123
$169 CHF 138
-10.77%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lugano
Aarau
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,648 CHF 1,340
$1,301 CHF 1,058
26.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,256 CHF 1,021
$1,033 CHF 840
21.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,885 CHF 2,345
$2,421 CHF 1,968
19.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,649 CHF 2,154
$2,070 CHF 1,683
27.98%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$17.6K CHF 14.3K
$10.3K CHF 8,382
70.40%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$18.8K CHF 15.3K
$12.5K CHF 10.2K
49.91%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lugano
Aarau
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$7,350 CHF 5,976
$7,155 CHF 5,817
2.72%
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 Lugano: October 28, 2025

Last update for Aarau: October 27, 2025

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