Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mendrisio and Kopavogur

For one person, living is cheaper in Kopavogur: $1,830 a month against $3,034 in Mendrisio, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mendrisio outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

148

Cost of Living Index in Mendrisio
Learn more

Mendrisio Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Kopavogur
Learn more

Kopavogur Living Index

Jump to prices

Mendrisio

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,034

/mo nomad

Kopavogur

🇮🇸 Iceland

$1,830

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mendrisio and in Kopavogur

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

A single person spends $3,034 per month in Mendrisio vs $1,830 in Kopavogur, rent included.

Mendrisio $3,034
Kopavogur $1,830

A couple spends around $3,758 per month in Mendrisio vs $3,032 in Kopavogur, rent included.

Mendrisio $3,758
Kopavogur $3,032

A family of three spends $4,483 per month in Mendrisio vs $4,233 in Kopavogur, rent included.

Mendrisio $4,483
Kopavogur $4,233

Mendrisio costs about 66% more than Kopavogur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Mendrisio and Kopavogur sit above the global median – Mendrisio by 125%, Kopavogur by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$34.26 CHF 28.21

$31.31 ISK 3,798

9.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$177 CHF 146

$85.8 ISK 10.4K

106.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.99 CHF 15.64

$23.94 ISK 2,904

-20.68%

Cappuccino

$4.80 CHF 3.96

$6.92 ISK 839

-30.64%

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

$5.41 CHF 4.46

$2.91 ISK 353

85.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 CHF 3.60

$3.17 ISK 385

37.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.36 CHF 6.88

$10.58 ISK 1,283

-20.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.03 CHF 5.79

$12.53 ISK 1,520

-43.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 CHF 1.80

$1.76 ISK 214

23.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.70 CHF 3.04

$4.11 ISK 498

-9.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.15 CHF 3.42

$3.72 ISK 452

11.56%

Eggs

$7.07 CHF 5.83

$6.99 ISK 848

1.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.44 CHF 20.95

$22.20 ISK 2,692

14.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.11 CHF 23.15

$23.85 ISK 2,893

17.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.04 CHF 32.15

$41.79 ISK 5,069

-6.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 CHF 2.60

$3.34 ISK 405

-5.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 CHF 1.40

$2.85 ISK 345

-40.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 CHF 2.11

$3.19 ISK 387

-19.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.49 CHF 5.35

$6.30 ISK 764

3.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 CHF 1.52

$3.93 ISK 477

-53.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 CHF 1.76

$1.70 ISK 206

25.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CHF 1.93

$3.75 ISK 455

-37.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 CHF 0.96

$1.81 ISK 220

-35.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.74 CHF 8.84

$13.81 ISK 1,675

-22.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.64 CHF 12.06

$24.22 ISK 2,937

-39.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.36 CHF 2.77

$3.74 ISK 453

-10.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 CHF 3.36

$3.41 ISK 414

19.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.03 CHF 2.50

$4.48 ISK 544

-32.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.2 ISK 8,998

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.07 CHF 5.82

$6.01 ISK 729

17.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.38 CHF 4.43

$2.82 ISK 342

90.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$78.3 CHF 64.5

$81.9 ISK 9,931

-4.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 CHF 1.81

$2.12 ISK 257

3.77%

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

$34.6K CHF 28.5K

$50.5K ISK 6.1M

-31.40%

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

$38.6K CHF 31.8K

$54.4K ISK 6.6M

-29.09%

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

$304 CHF 250

$94.7 ISK 11.5K

220.80%

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

$25.15 CHF 20.71

$32.34 ISK 3,923

-22.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.38 CHF 39.85

$87.7 ISK 10.6K

-44.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.1 CHF 60.2

$71.4 ISK 8,665

2.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$53.1 ISK 6,435

Cinema Ticket

$21.74 CHF 17.91

$16.85 ISK 2,043

29.02%

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

$3,187 CHF 2,625

$480 ISK 58.2K

563.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$38.5K CHF 31.7K

$25.5K ISK 3.1M

50.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 CHF 87.8

$144 ISK 17.5K

-26.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.52 CHF 39.14

$53.8 ISK 6,530

-11.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$164 CHF 135

$162 ISK 19.6K

1.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 CHF 137

$249 ISK 30.2K

-33.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,381 CHF 1,137

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,199 CHF 987

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,667 ISK 808.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,422 ISK 778.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,944 CHF 5,719

$5,330 ISK 646.4K

30.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.37

8.81

-73.10%

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

Last update for Mendrisio: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kopavogur: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mendrisio

$1.2K 39.5%

Kopavogur

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mendrisio

$594 19.6%

Kopavogur

$617 33.7% 3.9% $23

Eating Out

Mendrisio

$484 15.9%

Kopavogur

$508 27.7% 4.9% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mendrisio

$377 12.4%

Kopavogur

$215 11.7% 43.1% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Mendrisio

$218 7.2%

Kopavogur

$274 15% 25.6% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Mendrisio

$117 3.8%

Kopavogur

$105 5.7% 9.8% $11

Getting Around

Mendrisio

$46 * 1.5%

Kopavogur

$112 6.1% 144% $66

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 30% higher in Mendrisio, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $177 in Mendrisio versus $86.0 in Kopavogur. Groceries tell a different story – $594 in Mendrisio vs $617 in Kopavogur – so Mendrisio wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Mendrisio

🇮🇸 Kopavogur

🕒 Local time

03:03 3:03 AM

01:03 1:03 AM

2 h behind Mendrisio

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,562

39,335

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mendrisio Kopavogur 2,780 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Mendrisio
Kopavogur

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

Mendrisio vs Kopavogur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,034 in Mendrisio, $1,830 in Kopavogur – roughly 66% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,551 per month in Mendrisio and $2,745 in Kopavogur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $177 in Mendrisio and $86.0 in Kopavogur. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Mendrisio – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Kopavogur, where all-in costs run around $1,830, than in Mendrisio at $3,034. In Kopavogur it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mendrisio it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kopavogur – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Kopavogur. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mendrisio makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.