Cost of living comparison

Switzerland

compared to

Iceland

Reykjavik vs. Lugano Cost of Living Summary

Reykjavik is 11.8% more expensive than Lugano.

Restaurants: pay 0.6% less in Reykjavik
Groceries: pay 10.3% more in Reykjavik
Transportation: pay 14.2% more in Reykjavik
Housing: pay 21.5% more in Reykjavik
Childcare: pay 49.8% less in Reykjavik
Entertainment and Sports: pay 26.4% more in Reykjavik
Clothing: pay 32.8% more in Reykjavik

The cost of clothing, entertainment and sports, housing, transportation, and groceries in Reykjavik are more expensive than in Lugano. Expenses including childcare and restaurants are lower in Reykjavik.

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Reykjavik vs. Lugano Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Reykjavik instead of Lugano, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 0.6% less for restaurants

	Lugano	Reykjavik
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$34.20 CHF28.22	$31.06 ISK3,782	-9.2%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$19.20 CHF15.84	$26.97 ISK3,284	+40.5%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$5.40 CHF4.46	$3.31 ISK404	-38.6%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$4.30 CHF3.55	$3.11 ISK378	-27.8%
Average			-0.6%

Lugano vs. Reykjavik - Cost of restaurants

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pay 10.3% more for groceries

	Lugano	Reykjavik
Bread 1 loaf	$3.62 CHF2.99	$4.19 ISK511	+15.7%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$12.97 CHF10.70	$10.93 ISK1,331	-15.7%
Milk (1 gallon)	$8.34 CHF6.88	$7.78 ISK947	-6.8%
Eggs 1 dozen	$7.15 CHF5.90	$7.08 ISK862	-0.9%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$12.95 CHF10.69	$11.00 ISK1,340	-15.1%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.47 CHF1.21	$1.50 ISK183	+2.4%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.75 CHF0.62	$1.27 ISK154	+68.4%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.13 CHF0.93	$1.46 ISK178	+29.0%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$2.88 CHF2.38	$2.93 ISK357	+1.8%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.82 CHF0.68	$1.78 ISK216	+115.8%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.96 CHF0.79	$0.76 ISK92	-21.5%
Average			+10.3%

Lugano vs. Reykjavik - Cost of groceries

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pay 14.2% more for transportation

	Lugano	Reykjavik
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$8.56 CHF7.06	$7.76 ISK946	-9.3%
Monthly public transit pass	$61.20 CHF50.49	$94.80 ISK11,545	+54.9%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$34,679.10 CHF28,612.96	$50,588.43 ISK6M	+45.9%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$51.36 CHF42.37	$29.26 ISK3,563	-43.0%
Average			+14.2%

Lugano vs. Reykjavik - Cost of transportation

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pay 21.5% more for housing

	Lugano	Reykjavik
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$48.75 CHF40.22	$86.01 ISK10,474	+76.4%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$1,702.62 CHF1,404.80	$2,522.88 ISK307K	+48.2%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$1,289.97 CHF1,064.32	$2,032.25 ISK247K	+57.5%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$231.70 CHF191.17	$73.44 ISK8,943	-68.3%
Average			+21.5%

Lugano vs. Reykjavik - Cost of housing

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pay 49.8% less for childcare

	Lugano	Reykjavik
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$3,199.92 CHF2,640.18	$1,185.23 ISK144K	-63.0%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$37,999.01 CHF31,352.15	$25,853.51 ISK3M	-32.0%
Average			-49.8%

Lugano vs. Reykjavik - Cost of childcare

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pay 26.4% more for entertainment and sports

	Lugano	Reykjavik
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$9.60 CHF7.92	$13.89 ISK1,692	+44.7%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$4.70 CHF3.88	$6.74 ISK821	+43.5%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$10.80 CHF8.91	$13.89 ISK1,692	+28.6%
Monthly membership at local gym	$70.70 CHF58.33	$100.25 ISK12,209	+41.8%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$21.60 CHF17.82	$19.57 ISK2,384	-9.4%
Average			+26.4%

Lugano vs. Reykjavik - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 32.8% more for clothing

	Lugano	Reykjavik
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$108.00 CHF89.11	$149.01 ISK18,147	+38.0%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$48.00 CHF39.60	$65.79 ISK8,012	+37.1%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$164.00 CHF135.31	$181.84 ISK22,145	+10.9%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$168.00 CHF138.61	$248.81 ISK30,300	+48.1%
Average			+32.8%

Lugano vs. Reykjavik - Cost of clothing

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

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