✦ Compare
London 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.
London, UK vs Lugano, CH at a glance — Lugano, CH is 7% more expensive than London, UK overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $1,800/mo versus $2,600/mo. Top income tax: 40% vs 45%.
To keep the same standard of living in Lugano, CH, you'd need
$80,378 / year
Lugano, CH is 7% more expensive overall
Category breakdown (Lugano, CH vs London, UK)
- Housing-10%
- Food & groceries+27%
- Transport-12%
- Utilities-6%
- Healthcare+59%
- Goods & services+27%
◎ How London, UK and Lugano, CH compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| London, UK | Lugano, CH | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 138 | 147 |
| Housing | 178 | 160 |
| Food | 118 | 150 |
| Transport | 130 | 115 |
| Utilities | 130 | 122 |
| Healthcare | 88 | 140 |
| Goods & services | 122 | 155 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $2,600/mo | $1,800/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $1,850/mo | — |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $5,200/mo | — |
| Buy price / m² centre | $16,000 | — |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $727 | $679 |
| Inexpensive meal | $20 | — |
| Monthly transit pass | $200 | — |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 45% | 40% |
| VAT / sales tax | 20% | 8.1% |
| Social security (employee) | 8% | — |
| Corporate tax | 25% | 15% |
| Capital gains | 24% | 0% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $2,900/mo | $6,000/mo |
| Avg annual wage (OECD, PPP) | $66,299✓ | — |
| Minimum wage | $2,050/mo | — |
| GDP per capita | $57,602✓ | $114,769✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | 3.9%✓ | 0.2%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | No |
| English proficiency | Native | — |
| Coworking spaces | 250 | — |
| Time zone | UTC+0 | — |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 68 | — |
| Safety index | 55 | — |
| Healthcare index | 74 | — |
| Pollution index | 60 | — |
| Internet speed | 90 Mbps | — |
| Walkability | 88 | — |
| Public transport | 92 | — |
| Family-friendly | 62 | — |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | — |
| Life expectancy | 81 yr✓ | 84 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +5 °C | — |
| July avg | +19 °C | — |
| Sunny days / year | 106 | — |
| Rainfall / year | 690 mm | — |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1 h | — |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: United Kingdom 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: London vs Lugano — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to London
Europe's financial capital — unmatched jobs, culture and connections, paid for with some of the highest rents on the continent.
- Currency
- Pound sterling (£ GBP)
- Languages
- English
- Time zone
- UTC+0
- Internet
- 90 Mbps
- English
- Native language
- Safety
- 55/100
- Climate
- ❄ 5°C · ☀ 19°C · 106 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- G · 230V
- Driving
- Left-hand side
- Popular areas
- Shoreditch · Camden · Clapham
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 London
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalDiscoverCars
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
Sponsored
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
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from London to Lugano: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from London to Lugano, your cost of living will be roughly 7% more expensive. Lugano’s cost-of-living index is 147 versus 138 for London (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is London cheaper than Lugano?
Lugano is about 7% more expensive than London overall — its cost-of-living index is 147 versus 138 for London.
Which is more expensive, London or Lugano?
Lugano is more expensive than London. Its cost-of-living index is 147 vs 138 (US = 100) — about 7% higher.
Is rent cheaper in London or Lugano?
Rent is cheaper in Lugano — about $1,800/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $2,600 in London.
How much do you need to earn in Lugano to live like in London?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in London is worth about $80,378 in Lugano. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, London or Lugano?
Switzerland has the lower top income-tax rate — 40% versus 45% in United Kingdom.
◷ More comparisons from London
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.