✦ Compare
Florence vs
Lugano
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Florence, IT vs Lugano, CH at a glance — Lugano, CH is 50% more expensive than Florence, IT overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $1,800/mo versus $900/mo. Top income tax: 40% vs 43%.
To keep the same standard of living in Lugano, CH, you'd need
$112,523 / year
Lugano, CH is 50% more expensive overall
Category breakdown (Lugano, CH vs Florence, IT)
- Housing+68%
- Food & groceries+44%
- Transport+47%
- Utilities+3%
- Healthcare+75%
- Goods & services+46%
◎ How Florence, IT and Lugano, CH compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Florence, IT | Lugano, CH | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 98 | 147 |
| Housing | 95 | 160 |
| Food | 104 | 150 |
| Transport | 78 | 115 |
| Utilities | 118 | 122 |
| Healthcare | 80 | 140 |
| Goods & services | 106 | 155 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $900/mo | $1,800/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $680/mo | — |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $1,700/mo | — |
| Buy price / m² centre | $4,800 | — |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $1,018 | $679 |
| Inexpensive meal | $15 | — |
| Monthly transit pass | $40 | — |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 43% | 40% |
| VAT / sales tax | 22% | 8.1% |
| Corporate tax | 24% | 15% |
| Capital gains | 26% | 0% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $1,900/mo | $6,000/mo |
| Avg annual wage (OECD, PPP) | $53,864✓ | — |
| GDP per capita | $43,309✓ | $114,769✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | 1.5%✓ | 0.2%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | Yes | No |
| English proficiency | Moderate | — |
| Coworking spaces | 18 | — |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | — |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 70 | — |
| Safety index | 60 | — |
| Healthcare index | 80 | — |
| Pollution index | 48 | — |
| Internet speed | 120 Mbps | — |
| Walkability | 84 | — |
| Public transport | 68 | — |
| Family-friendly | 66 | — |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | — |
| Life expectancy | 84 yr✓ | 84 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | Moderate | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +7 °C | — |
| July avg | +26 °C | — |
| Sunny days / year | 240 | — |
| Rainfall / year | 830 mm | — |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1 h | — |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Italy vs Switzerland. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (OECD (PPP), World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Florence vs Lugano — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Florence
An open-air museum in the Tuscan hills — Renaissance art, Chianti country on the doorstep and a walkable historic core. Tourism keeps the centre pricey and busy, but salaries are modest and it runs cheaper than Milan or Rome overall.
- Currency
- Euro (€ EUR)
- Languages
- Italian
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 120 Mbps
- English
- Fairly common
- Safety
- 60/100
- Climate
- ❄ 7°C · ☀ 26°C · 240 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- F/L · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Oltrarno · Santa Croce · San Marco · Campo di Marte
Good to know before you move to Lugano
- Currency
- Swiss franc (Fr. CHF)
- Languages
- German, French, Italian
- Power
- J · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
Plan your move to Florence
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalLocalrent
- Airport transferWelcome Pickups
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
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Plan your move to Lugano
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalDiscoverCars
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
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? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Florence to Lugano: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Florence to Lugano, your cost of living will be roughly 50% more expensive. Lugano’s cost-of-living index is 147 versus 98 for Florence (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Florence cheaper than Lugano?
Lugano is about 50% more expensive than Florence overall — its cost-of-living index is 147 versus 98 for Florence.
Which is more expensive, Florence or Lugano?
Lugano is more expensive than Florence. Its cost-of-living index is 147 vs 98 (US = 100) — about 50% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Florence or Lugano?
Rent is cheaper in Florence — about $900/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $1,800 in Lugano.
How much do you need to earn in Lugano to live like in Florence?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Florence is worth about $112,523 in Lugano. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Florence or Lugano?
Switzerland has the lower top income-tax rate — 40% versus 43% in Italy.
◷ More comparisons from Florence
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.