Cost of Living Comparison Between Zurich and Lucerne Cost of Living Comparison Between Zurich and Lucerne

🙂 Solo nomad: Zurich is 0.1% cheaper than Lucerne without rent, and 10.3% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Zurich is 2.8% cheaper than Lucerne without rent, and 13.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.44 CHF 24.44

$36.26 CHF 29.12

-16.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$145 CHF 117

$139 CHF 112

4.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$20.65 CHF 16.58

$16.00 CHF 12.85

29.06%

Cappuccino

$6.98 CHF 5.61

$6.72 CHF 5.40

3.87%

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

$5.77 CHF 4.64

$5.39 CHF 4.33

7.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 CHF 4.15

$4.35 CHF 3.49

18.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.08 CHF 8.09

$8.87 CHF 7.12

13.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.64 CHF 6.93

$7.22 CHF 5.80

19.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 CHF 1.73

$2.23 CHF 1.79

-3.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.37 CHF 2.71

$3.76 CHF 3.02

-10.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.02 CHF 3.23

$4.11 CHF 3.30

-2.19%

Eggs

$7.54 CHF 6.05

$7.93 CHF 6.37

-4.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$29.47 CHF 23.67

$30.37 CHF 24.39

-2.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$33.72 CHF 27.08

$34.66 CHF 27.83

-2.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$50.2 CHF 40.31

$51.8 CHF 41.60

-3.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 CHF 3.35

$3.75 CHF 3.01

11.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.87 CHF 2.31

$2.26 CHF 1.81

26.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 CHF 2.40

$2.87 CHF 2.31

4.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.10 CHF 4.09

$6.30 CHF 5.06

-19.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 CHF 2.28

$2.49 CHF 2.00

14.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 CHF 1.84

$2.49 CHF 2.00

-8.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.59 CHF 2.08

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 CHF 1.37

$1.21 CHF 0.97

41.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.06 CHF 8.88

$11.20 CHF 8.99

-1.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CHF 11.44

$13.89 CHF 11.16

2.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 CHF 2.11

$2.51 CHF 2.02

4.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 CHF 2.61

$3.30 CHF 2.65

-1.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.86 CHF 3.91

$4.99 CHF 4.00

-2.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 CHF 87.7

$96.7 CHF 77.6

12.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.61 CHF 6.11

$7.94 CHF 6.37

-4.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.15 CHF 3.33

$4.47 CHF 3.59

-7.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$88.7 CHF 71.2

$87.3 CHF 70.1

1.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 CHF 1.80

$2.20 CHF 1.76

2.27%

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

$40.7K CHF 32.7K

$39.9K CHF 32.0K

1.94%

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

$39.6K CHF 31.8K

$43.1K CHF 34.6K

-8.29%

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

$256 CHF 206

$246 CHF 198

4.08%

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

$35.59 CHF 28.58

$73.2 CHF 58.8

-51.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.2 CHF 46.72

$55.4 CHF 44.47

5.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.3 CHF 72.5

$94.6 CHF 76.0

-4.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$49.68 CHF 39.89

$44.61 CHF 35.82

11.37%

Cinema Ticket

$24.49 CHF 19.66

$22.05 CHF 17.71

11.07%

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

$3,412 CHF 2,739

$2,876 CHF 2,309

18.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.3K CHF 31.5K

$43.4K CHF 34.8K

-9.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$142 CHF 114

$140 CHF 112

1.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.6 CHF 48.66

$78.2 CHF 62.8

-22.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$149 CHF 120

$131 CHF 105

14.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$198 CHF 159

$160 CHF 128

24.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,720 CHF 2,184

$2,027 CHF 1,627

34.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,250 CHF 1,807

$1,778 CHF 1,428

26.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,982 CHF 4,000

$2,924 CHF 2,348

70.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,719 CHF 2,986

$2,840 CHF 2,280

30.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$25.5K CHF 20.4K

$20.1K CHF 16.2K

26.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.1K CHF 12.9K

$12.4K CHF 9,952

29.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,135 CHF 6,532

$6,710 CHF 5,388

21.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.09

2.5

-16.40%

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

Last update for Zurich: January 12, 2026

Last update for Lucerne: January 13, 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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