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

😐 Solo nomad: Zurich is 3.8% more expensive than Lugano without rent, and 35% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Zurich is 0.2% more expensive than Lugano without rent, and 12.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.12 CHF 25.3

$30.54 CHF 24.83

1.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$148 CHF 120

$184 CHF 149

-19.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$20.93 CHF 17.02

$18.53 CHF 15.07

12.95%

Cappuccino

$6.67 CHF 5.43

$4.24 CHF 3.45

57.31%

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

$6.1 CHF 4.96

$4.7 CHF 3.82

29.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 CHF 4.21

$4.06 CHF 3.3

27.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.93 CHF 8.08

$7.18 CHF 5.84

38.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.68 CHF 7.05

$7.59 CHF 6.17

14.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 CHF 1.77

$2.26 CHF 1.84

-3.98%

White Bread (500g)

$3.4 CHF 2.77

$3.51 CHF 2.86

-3.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.94 CHF 3.2

$4.72 CHF 3.84

-16.53%

Eggs

$7.42 CHF 6.03

$6.69 CHF 5.44

10.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$29.63 CHF 24.09

$27.42 CHF 22.29

8.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$33.86 CHF 27.53

$37.36 CHF 30.38

-9.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$49.36 CHF 40.13

$47.43 CHF 38.56

4.07%

Apples (1kg)

$4.12 CHF 3.35

$3.23 CHF 2.63

27.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.83 CHF 2.3

$2.02 CHF 1.64

40.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 CHF 2.45

$2.51 CHF 2.04

19.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$5 CHF 4.06

$7.37 CHF 6

-32.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.78 CHF 2.26

$2.19 CHF 1.78

26.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 CHF 1.94

$2.26 CHF 1.84

5.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.58 CHF 2.1

$2.56 CHF 2.08

0.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 CHF 1.35

$1.3 CHF 1.05

27.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.87 CHF 8.84

$10.78 CHF 8.76

0.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.34 CHF 12.48

$10.91 CHF 8.87

40.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 CHF 2.15

$2.66 CHF 2.16

-0.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 CHF 2.62

$4.19 CHF 3.4

-22.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.89 CHF 3.98

$3.26 CHF 2.65

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 CHF 87.3

$86.8 CHF 70.5

23.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.55 CHF 6.14

$6.6 CHF 5.37

14.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.32 CHF 3.52

$4.47 CHF 3.64

-3.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$86.9 CHF 70.7

$60.9 CHF 49.49

42.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 CHF 1.88

$2.21 CHF 1.8

4.98%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.2K

$39.8K CHF 32.3K

-0.38%

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

$40.2K CHF 32.7K

$37.9K CHF 30.8K

5.91%

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

$253 CHF 206

$203 CHF 165

25.00%

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

$36.2 CHF 29.43

$73.2 CHF 59.5

-50.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.7 CHF 46.92

$55.1 CHF 44.78

4.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$89.6 CHF 72.9

$111 CHF 90

-19.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$49.81 CHF 40.5

$62 CHF 50.4

-19.61%

Cinema Ticket

$25.08 CHF 20.39

$18.76 CHF 15.25

33.69%

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

$3,449 CHF 2,805

$1,245 CHF 1,012

177.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.4K CHF 32.1K

$35.5K CHF 28.8K

11.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$140 CHF 114

$126 CHF 103

10.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.2 CHF 50.5

$47.68 CHF 38.77

30.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$145 CHF 118

$133 CHF 108

9.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$198 CHF 161

$151 CHF 123

31.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,766 CHF 2,249

$1,648 CHF 1,340

67.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,234 CHF 1,816

$1,256 CHF 1,021

77.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,875 CHF 3,964

$2,885 CHF 2,345

69.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,725 CHF 3,029

$2,649 CHF 2,154

40.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$24.6K CHF 20K

$17.6K CHF 14.3K

39.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$18K CHF 14.7K

$18.8K CHF 15.3K

-3.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,196 CHF 6,664

$7,350 CHF 5,976

11.52%

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: October 27, 2025

Last update for Lugano: October 28, 2025

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