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

🙂 Solo nomad: Lugano is 8.1% cheaper than Aarau without rent, and 6.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Lugano is 11.9% more expensive than Aarau without rent, and 14.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lugano
Aarau
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$30.61 CHF 23.85
$29.93 CHF 23.32
2.27%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$181 CHF 141
$106 CHF 82.6
70.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$18.58 CHF 14.47
$19.08 CHF 14.86
-2.62%
Cappuccino
$4.48 CHF 3.49
$6.24 CHF 4.86
-28.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.75 CHF 3.70
$3.51 CHF 2.73
35.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.02 CHF 3.13
$4.98 CHF 3.88
-19.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.53 CHF 5.87
$8.24 CHF 6.42
-8.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.26 CHF 5.65
$7.47 CHF 5.82
-2.81%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lugano
Aarau
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.25 CHF 1.76
$2.12 CHF 1.65
6.13%
White Bread (500g)
$3.48 CHF 2.71
$3.30 CHF 2.57
5.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.91 CHF 3.82
$2.46 CHF 1.91
99.59%
Eggs
$6.97 CHF 5.43
$6.86 CHF 5.35
1.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$26.82 CHF 20.89
$29.02 CHF 22.60
-7.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$36.39 CHF 28.35
$35.44 CHF 27.60
2.68%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$46.96 CHF 36.59
$45.08 CHF 35.12
4.17%
Apples (1kg)
$3.14 CHF 2.44
$2.76 CHF 2.15
13.77%
Banana (1kg)
$1.97 CHF 1.53
$2.17 CHF 1.69
-9.22%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.60 CHF 2.02
$2.82 CHF 2.20
-7.80%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.60 CHF 5.92
$5.89 CHF 4.59
29.03%
Potato (1kg)
$2.28 CHF 1.78
$2.25 CHF 1.75
1.33%
Onion (1kg)
$2.22 CHF 1.73
$2.08 CHF 1.62
6.73%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.58 CHF 2.01
$2.53 CHF 1.97
1.98%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 CHF 0.96
$1.45 CHF 1.13
-14.48%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.80 CHF 8.41
$10.65 CHF 8.30
1.41%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.06 CHF 10.18
$10.92 CHF 8.51
19.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.65 CHF 2.06
$2.33 CHF 1.81
13.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.15 CHF 3.24
$2.29 CHF 1.78
81.22%
🚌 Getting Around
Lugano
Aarau
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.15 CHF 2.46
$4.42 CHF 3.44
-28.73%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$87.7 CHF 68.3
$149 CHF 116
-41.14%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.79 CHF 5.29
$8.53 CHF 6.65
-20.40%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$4.40 CHF 3.43
$5.45 CHF 4.24
-19.27%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$62.1 CHF 48.39
$86.6 CHF 67.4
-28.23%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.14 CHF 1.67
$2.21 CHF 1.72
-3.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$40.3K CHF 31.4K
$40.2K CHF 31.3K
0.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.7K CHF 29.4K
$42.4K CHF 33.0K
-11.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lugano
Aarau
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$203 CHF 158
$244 CHF 190
-16.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$71.9 CHF 56.0
$42.69 CHF 33.26
68.33%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.8 CHF 41.87
$59.8 CHF 46.59
-10.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lugano
Aarau
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$107 CHF 83.3
$68.0 CHF 53.0
57.21%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$62.7 CHF 48.81
$42.03 CHF 32.74
49.08%
Cinema Ticket
$18.33 CHF 14.28
$23.17 CHF 18.05
-20.89%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lugano
Aarau
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,230 CHF 958
$3,231 CHF 2,517
-61.93%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$35.5K CHF 27.7K
$24.9K CHF 19.4K
42.79%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lugano
Aarau
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$123 CHF 95.9
$93.1 CHF 72.6
32.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.97 CHF 37.37
$53.3 CHF 41.48
-9.92%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$133 CHF 103
$111 CHF 86.5
19.62%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$152 CHF 118
$171 CHF 133
-11.17%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lugano
Aarau
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,686 CHF 1,314
$1,291 CHF 1,006
30.64%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,249 CHF 973
$1,035 CHF 806
20.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,789 CHF 2,173
$2,435 CHF 1,897
14.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,654 CHF 2,067
$2,123 CHF 1,653
25.03%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$17.7K CHF 13.8K
$10.5K CHF 8,204
67.91%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$13.3K CHF 10.4K
$12.6K CHF 9,833
5.61%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lugano
Aarau
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$6,824 CHF 5,316
$7,587 CHF 5,910
-10.05%
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: February 28, 2026

Last update for Aarau: March 2, 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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