Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lugano and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,345 in Lugano, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

162

Cost of Living Index in Lugano
Learn more

Lugano Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Lugano

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,345

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lugano and in Lisbon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lugano and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,345 in Lugano versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Lugano $3,345
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,484 in Lugano versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Lugano $5,484
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,624 in Lugano versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Lugano $7,624
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Lugano is roughly 51% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lugano 146% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$35.07 CHF 28.93

$16.65 €14.91

110.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$179 CHF 148

$61.7 €55.3

190.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.20 CHF 15.84

$11.36 €10.17

69.01%

Cappuccino

$4.74 CHF 3.91

$2.97 €2.66

59.60%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.30 CHF 4.37

$2.29 €2.05

131.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 CHF 3.52

$1.74 €1.56

144.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.65 CHF 7.96

$3.40 €3.05

183.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.34 CHF 6.05

$3.31 €2.96

121.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.27 CHF 1.87

$1.16 €1.04

95.69%

White Bread (500g)

$3.76 CHF 3.10

$1.91 €1.71

96.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.16 CHF 3.43

$1.51 €1.35

175.50%

Eggs

$7.31 CHF 6.03

$4.02 €3.60

81.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.97 CHF 21.42

$12.94 €11.59

100.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.73 CHF 23.70

$7.77 €6.96

269.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$40.41 CHF 33.33

$17.76 €15.91

127.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.35 CHF 2.77

$2.30 €2.06

45.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 CHF 1.41

$1.73 €1.55

-1.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.50 CHF 2.06

$1.86 €1.66

34.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.52 CHF 5.38

$2.59 €2.32

151.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CHF 1.53

$1.82 €1.63

2.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.12 CHF 1.75

$1.97 €1.76

7.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 CHF 2.05

$1.47 €1.32

69.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 CHF 0.98

$0.72 €0.65

65.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.01 CHF 9.08

$6.58 €5.90

67.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.54 CHF 11.99

$5.61 €5.02

159.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.23 CHF 2.66

$1.36 €1.22

137.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.14 CHF 3.42

$2.14 €1.91

93.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 CHF 2.52

$2.33 €2.09

30.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.8 CHF 51.8

$44.68 €40.01

40.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.41 CHF 6.11

$3.85 €3.45

92.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.40 CHF 4.46

$1.07 €0.96

404.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$77.5 CHF 63.9

$16.46 €14.74

370.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 CHF 1.85

$2.20 €1.97

2.27%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$39.3K CHF 32.5K

$34.2K €30.6K

15.08%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$39.1K CHF 32.3K

$38.7K €34.7K

1.03%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$303 CHF 250

$161 €144

87.69%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$24.90 CHF 20.54

$18.41 €16.49

35.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.00 CHF 40.42

$32.74 €29.32

49.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.7 CHF 60.8

$44.55 €39.90

65.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.07 CHF 29.75

$19.10 €17.10

88.85%

Cinema Ticket

$20.63 CHF 17.02

$9.60 €8.60

114.90%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$3,192 CHF 2,633

$668 €598

378.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.9K CHF 31.2K

$17.6K €15.8K

114.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 CHF 90.3

$102 €91.4

7.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.85 CHF 40.30

$44.46 €39.82

9.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$163 CHF 135

$98.5 €88.2

65.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$171 CHF 141

$124 €111

38.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,898 CHF 1,566

$1,608 €1,440

18.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 CHF 1,171

$1,190 €1,066

19.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,851 CHF 3,177

$2,812 €2,519

36.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,906 CHF 2,397

$2,013 €1,803

44.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$15.2K CHF 12.5K

$7,839 €7,021

93.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,375 CHF 7,733

$4,576 €4,098

104.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,543 CHF 5,397

$1,575 €1,411

315.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.37

3.85

-38.44%

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

Last update for Lugano: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Lugano

$1.4K 42.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 16.2% $230

Groceries & Markets

Lugano

$606 18.1%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 55.1% $334

Eating Out

Lugano

$496 14.8%

Lisbon

$243 11% 51.1% $254

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lugano

$377 11.3%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 43.6% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Lugano

$222 6.6%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 25.2% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Lugano

$115 3.4%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 44.5% $51

Getting Around

Lugano

$109 3.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 42.3% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,898 in Lugano and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lugano pays about 4.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $179 in Lugano vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $606 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Lugano

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

05:37 5:37 AM

04:37 4:37 AM

1 h behind Lugano

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,583

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.825 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.924 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lugano Lisbon 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lugano
Lisbon

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Lugano vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,345 in Lugano and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 34% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lugano is about 4.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,898 in Lugano versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,192 in Lugano versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 123% higher in Lugano. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,345 in Lugano, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Lugano. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Lisbon is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lugano, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Lugano and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Lugano. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.