Cost of living comparison
compared to
Lugano vs. Switzerland Cost of Living Summary
Lugano is 9.6% cheaper than Switzerland overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 1.3% less in Lugano
- Groceries
-
pay 3.6% less in Lugano
- Transportation
-
pay 1.3% less in Lugano
- Housing
-
pay 13.7% less in Lugano
- Childcare
-
pay 23.7% less in Lugano
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 10.8% less in Lugano
- Clothing
-
pay 12.8% less in Lugano
Expenses including childcare, housing, clothing, entertainment and sports, groceries, and restaurants are lower in Lugano.
Lugano vs. Switzerland Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Lugano instead of Switzerland, you would:
pay 1.3% less for restaurants
|
Switzerland
|
Lugano
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$32.37
CHF25.99
|
$31.28
CHF25.11
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$18.82
CHF15.11
|
$22.52
CHF18.08
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$5.26
CHF4.23
|
$4.90
CHF3.93
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$4.76
CHF3.82
|
$4.07
CHF3.26
|
|
Switzerland vs. Lugano - Cost of restaurants
pay 3.6% less for groceries
|
Switzerland
|
Lugano
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.73
CHF2.99
|
$3.58
CHF2.88
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$14.66
CHF11.77
|
$13.76
CHF11.05
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.19
CHF6.58
|
$8.68
CHF6.97
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$7.43
CHF5.96
|
$6.99
CHF5.62
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$14.43
CHF11.59
|
$17.11
CHF13.73
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.69
CHF1.36
|
$1.43
CHF1.14
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.10
CHF0.89
|
$0.88
CHF0.71
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.35
CHF1.08
|
$1.22
CHF0.98
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.94
CHF2.36
|
$3.33
CHF2.67
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.16
CHF0.93
|
$1.03
CHF0.83
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.10
CHF0.88
|
$1.04
CHF0.84
|
|
Switzerland vs. Lugano - Cost of groceries
pay 1.3% less for transportation
|
Switzerland
|
Lugano
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$8.41
CHF6.75
|
$8.39
CHF6.74
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$119.36
CHF95.82
|
$89.88
CHF72.16
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$40,637.10
CHF32,622.53
|
$41,041.86
CHF32,947.46
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$45.06
CHF36.17
|
$53.55
CHF42.99
|
|
Switzerland vs. Lugano - Cost of transportation
pay 13.7% less for housing
|
Switzerland
|
Lugano
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$59.20
CHF47.52
|
$53.80
CHF43.19
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,797.02
CHF1,442.60
|
$1,699.65
CHF1,364.44
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,562.03
CHF1,253.96
|
$1,272.13
CHF1,021.24
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$197.97
CHF158.93
|
$155.01
CHF124.44
|
|
Switzerland vs. Lugano - Cost of housing
pay 23.7% less for childcare
|
Switzerland
|
Lugano
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,700.86
CHF2,168.19
|
$1,251.28
CHF1,004.50
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$33,359.10
CHF26,779.92
|
$35,452.83
CHF28,460.72
|
|
Switzerland vs. Lugano - Cost of childcare
pay 10.8% less for entertainment and sports
|
Switzerland
|
Lugano
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.73
CHF7.00
|
$7.51
CHF6.03
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$6.04
CHF4.85
|
$4.55
CHF3.65
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.28
CHF9.06
|
$11.07
CHF8.89
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$101.44
CHF81.43
|
$110.53
CHF88.73
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$24.10
CHF19.35
|
$18.77
CHF15.07
|
|
Switzerland vs. Lugano - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 12.8% less for clothing
|
Switzerland
|
Lugano
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$142.30
CHF114.24
|
$151.72
CHF121.80
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$70.55
CHF56.63
|
$52.14
CHF41.85
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$162.86
CHF130.74
|
$150.15
CHF120.54
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$202.63
CHF162.67
|
$154.32
CHF123.89
|
|
Switzerland vs. Lugano - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: November 2025
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Lugano or Switzerland. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.