Cost of Living Comparison Between Lugano and Zurich Cost of Living Comparison Between Lugano and Zurich

🙂 Solo nomad: Lugano is 7.9% cheaper than Zurich without rent, and 28% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Lugano is 0.7% more expensive than Zurich without rent, and 13.6% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.76 CHF 24.70

$30.44 CHF 24.44

1.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$186 CHF 149

$145 CHF 117

27.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.72 CHF 15.04

$20.65 CHF 16.58

-9.35%

Cappuccino

$4.27 CHF 3.43

$6.98 CHF 5.61

-38.83%

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

$4.90 CHF 3.93

$5.77 CHF 4.64

-15.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.17 CHF 3.35

$5.17 CHF 4.15

-19.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.32 CHF 5.88

$10.08 CHF 8.09

-27.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.49 CHF 6.02

$8.64 CHF 6.93

-13.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.24 CHF 1.80

$2.15 CHF 1.73

4.19%

White Bread (500g)

$3.43 CHF 2.75

$3.37 CHF 2.71

1.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.74 CHF 3.81

$4.02 CHF 3.23

17.91%

Eggs

$6.68 CHF 5.37

$7.54 CHF 6.05

-11.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.86 CHF 21.57

$29.47 CHF 23.67

-8.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$36.55 CHF 29.35

$33.72 CHF 27.08

8.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$46.84 CHF 37.61

$50.2 CHF 40.31

-6.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.24 CHF 2.60

$4.17 CHF 3.35

-22.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 CHF 1.55

$2.87 CHF 2.31

-32.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 CHF 2.00

$2.99 CHF 2.40

-16.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.40 CHF 5.94

$5.10 CHF 4.09

45.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 CHF 1.77

$2.84 CHF 2.28

-22.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 CHF 1.86

$2.29 CHF 1.84

0.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 CHF 2.07

$2.59 CHF 2.08

-0.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 CHF 0.99

$1.71 CHF 1.37

-27.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.09 CHF 8.91

$11.06 CHF 8.88

0.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 CHF 10.20

$14.25 CHF 11.44

-10.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 CHF 2.06

$2.62 CHF 2.11

-1.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.17 CHF 3.35

$3.25 CHF 2.61

28.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.15 CHF 2.53

$4.86 CHF 3.91

-35.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.0 CHF 70.7

$109 CHF 87.7

-19.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.61 CHF 5.31

$7.61 CHF 6.11

-13.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.37 CHF 3.51

$4.15 CHF 3.33

5.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$62.3 CHF 50.1

$88.7 CHF 71.2

-29.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 CHF 1.74

$2.25 CHF 1.80

-3.56%

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

$39.7K CHF 31.9K

$40.7K CHF 32.7K

-2.46%

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

$37.1K CHF 29.8K

$39.6K CHF 31.8K

-6.34%

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

$206 CHF 165

$256 CHF 206

-19.77%

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

$72.5 CHF 58.2

$35.59 CHF 28.58

103.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 CHF 43.07

$58.2 CHF 46.72

-7.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$110 CHF 88.7

$90.3 CHF 72.5

22.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$61.7 CHF 49.50

$49.68 CHF 39.89

24.09%

Cinema Ticket

$18.80 CHF 15.10

$24.49 CHF 19.66

-23.23%

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

$1,210 CHF 972

$3,412 CHF 2,739

-64.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.5K CHF 28.5K

$39.3K CHF 31.5K

-9.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$123 CHF 98.7

$142 CHF 114

-13.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.30 CHF 38.78

$60.6 CHF 48.66

-20.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 CHF 108

$149 CHF 120

-9.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 CHF 122

$198 CHF 159

-23.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,675 CHF 1,345

$2,720 CHF 2,184

-38.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,233 CHF 990

$2,250 CHF 1,807

-45.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,849 CHF 2,288

$4,982 CHF 4,000

-42.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,645 CHF 2,124

$3,719 CHF 2,986

-28.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.6K CHF 14.9K

$25.5K CHF 20.4K

-27.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.7K CHF 11.0K

$16.1K CHF 12.9K

-14.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,541 CHF 5,253

$8,135 CHF 6,532

-19.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.5

2.09

19.62%

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

Last update for Lugano: January 13, 2026

Last update for Zurich: January 12, 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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