✦ Compare
Lugano vs
New York
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Lugano, CH vs New York, NY at a glance — New York, NY is 23% cheaper than Lugano, CH overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $3,800/mo versus $1,800/mo. Top income tax: 37% vs 40%.
To keep the same standard of living in New York, NY, you'd need
$57,395 / year
New York, NY is 23% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (New York, NY vs Lugano, CH)
- Housing+6%
- Food & groceries-43%
- Transport-23%
- Utilities-35%
- Healthcare-45%
- Goods & services-39%
◎ How Lugano, CH and New York, NY compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Lugano, CH | New York, NY | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 147 | 113 |
| Housing | 160 | 170 |
| Food | 150 | 86 |
| Transport | 115 | 89 |
| Utilities | 122 | 79 |
| Healthcare | 140 | 77 |
| Goods & services | 155 | 94 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,800/mo | $3,800/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | — | $2,600/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | — | $7,500/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | — | $15,000 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $679 | $887 |
| Inexpensive meal | — | $25 |
| Monthly transit pass | — | $132 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 40% | 37% |
| VAT / sales tax | 8.1% | 0% |
| Social security (employee) | — | 7.7% |
| Corporate tax | 15% | 21% |
| Capital gains | 0% | 20% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $6,000/mo | $4,300/mo |
| Avg annual wage (OECD, PPP) | — | $86,977✓ |
| Minimum wage | — | $1,257/mo✓ |
| GDP per capita | $114,769✓ | $90,027✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | 0.2%✓ | — |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | No |
| English proficiency | — | Native |
| Coworking spaces | — | 200 |
| Time zone | — | UTC-5 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | — | 69 |
| Safety index | — | 55 |
| Healthcare index | — | 78 |
| Pollution index | — | 55 |
| Internet speed | — | 200 Mbps |
| Walkability | — | 90 |
| Public transport | — | 85 |
| Family-friendly | — | 55 |
| Tap water | — | Safe to drink |
| Health insurance | — | $500/mo |
| Life expectancy | 84 yr✓ | 79 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | — | 0 °C |
| July avg | — | +25 °C |
| Sunny days / year | — | 234 |
| Rainfall / year | — | 1,200 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | — | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Switzerland vs United States. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (OECD (PPP), US DOL (federal), World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Lugano vs New York — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Lugano
- Currency
- Swiss franc (Fr. CHF)
- Languages
- German, French, Italian
- Power
- J · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
Good to know before you move to New York
The benchmark against which everywhere else feels cheap. World-class salaries and everything else, offset by the highest rents in the dataset.
- Currency
- US dollar ($ USD)
- Languages
- English
- Time zone
- UTC-5
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Native language
- Safety
- 55/100
- Climate
- ❄ 0°C · ☀ 25°C · 234 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 120V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Manhattan · Brooklyn · Queens
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
Plan your move to New York
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsAviasales
- FlightsCheapOAir
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalDiscoverCars
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Parking & carWay.com
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Lugano to New York: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Lugano to New York, your cost of living will be roughly 23% cheaper. New York’s cost-of-living index is 113 versus 147 for Lugano (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Lugano cheaper than New York?
New York is about 23% cheaper than Lugano overall — its cost-of-living index is 113 versus 147 for Lugano.
Which is more expensive, Lugano or New York?
Lugano is more expensive than New York. Its cost-of-living index is 147 vs 113 (US = 100) — about 30% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Lugano or New York?
Rent is cheaper in Lugano — about $1,800/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $3,800 in New York.
How much do you need to earn in New York to live like in Lugano?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Lugano is worth about $57,395 in New York. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Lugano or New York?
United States has the lower top income-tax rate — 37% versus 40% in Switzerland.
◷ More comparisons from Lugano
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.