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

😐 Solo nomad: Zurich is 3.2% more expensive than Lugano without rent, and 34.2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Zurich is 0.1% more expensive than Lugano without rent, and 12.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.39 CHF 24.52

$30.61 CHF 23.91

2.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$148 CHF 116

$181 CHF 141

-18.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$20.60 CHF 16.08

$18.58 CHF 14.51

10.87%

Cappuccino

$6.90 CHF 5.39

$4.48 CHF 3.50

54.02%

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

$5.83 CHF 4.55

$4.75 CHF 3.71

22.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.30 CHF 4.14

$4.02 CHF 3.14

31.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.74 CHF 7.60

$7.53 CHF 5.88

29.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.44 CHF 6.59

$7.26 CHF 5.67

16.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CHF 1.69

$2.25 CHF 1.76

-4.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.40 CHF 2.66

$3.48 CHF 2.72

-2.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.94 CHF 3.07

$4.91 CHF 3.83

-19.76%

Eggs

$7.57 CHF 5.92

$6.97 CHF 5.45

8.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$29.08 CHF 22.71

$26.82 CHF 20.95

8.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$33.28 CHF 25.99

$36.39 CHF 28.42

-8.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$50.8 CHF 39.66

$46.96 CHF 36.68

8.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.01 CHF 3.14

$3.14 CHF 2.45

27.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.82 CHF 2.20

$1.97 CHF 1.54

43.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.04 CHF 2.37

$2.60 CHF 2.03

16.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.17 CHF 4.04

$7.60 CHF 5.94

-31.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.73 CHF 2.13

$2.28 CHF 1.78

19.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.37 CHF 1.85

$2.22 CHF 1.73

6.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.58 CHF 2.02

$2.58 CHF 2.01

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 CHF 1.30

$1.24 CHF 0.97

33.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.15 CHF 8.70

$10.80 CHF 8.44

3.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.52 CHF 12.12

$13.06 CHF 10.20

18.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 CHF 2.15

$2.65 CHF 2.07

3.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 CHF 2.61

$4.15 CHF 3.24

-19.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.96 CHF 3.87

$3.15 CHF 2.46

57.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 CHF 85.4

$87.7 CHF 68.5

24.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.63 CHF 5.96

$6.79 CHF 5.30

12.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.13 CHF 3.23

$4.40 CHF 3.44

-6.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$89.0 CHF 69.5

$62.1 CHF 48.52

43.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.24 CHF 1.75

$2.14 CHF 1.67

4.67%

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

$40.1K CHF 31.3K

$40.3K CHF 31.4K

-0.46%

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

$39.5K CHF 30.8K

$37.7K CHF 29.5K

4.63%

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

$253 CHF 198

$203 CHF 159

24.70%

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

$35.07 CHF 27.39

$71.9 CHF 56.1

-51.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.2 CHF 45.42

$53.8 CHF 41.98

8.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.5 CHF 70.7

$107 CHF 83.5

-15.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.94 CHF 38.22

$62.7 CHF 48.94

-21.90%

Cinema Ticket

$24.92 CHF 19.46

$18.33 CHF 14.32

35.95%

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

$3,471 CHF 2,711

$1,230 CHF 961

182.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.2K CHF 30.6K

$35.5K CHF 27.8K

10.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$137 CHF 107

$123 CHF 96.2

11.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 CHF 47.69

$47.97 CHF 37.46

27.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$149 CHF 117

$133 CHF 104

12.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$201 CHF 157

$152 CHF 119

32.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,726 CHF 2,129

$1,686 CHF 1,317

61.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,225 CHF 1,738

$1,249 CHF 976

78.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,974 CHF 3,884

$2,789 CHF 2,178

78.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,694 CHF 2,885

$2,654 CHF 2,073

39.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$24.7K CHF 19.3K

$17.7K CHF 13.8K

39.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.4K CHF 12.8K

$13.3K CHF 10.4K

23.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,573 CHF 6,696

$6,824 CHF 5,330

25.63%

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: February 28, 2026

Last update for Lugano: February 28, 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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