✦ Compare
Lugano vs
Portland
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 Portland, OR at a glance — Portland, OR is 28% cheaper than Lugano, CH overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $1,600/mo versus $1,800/mo. Top income tax: 37% vs 40%.
To keep the same standard of living in Portland, OR, you'd need
$54,296 / year
Portland, OR is 28% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (Portland, OR vs Lugano, CH)
- Housing-21%
- Food & groceries-35%
- Transport-14%
- Utilities-31%
- Healthcare-28%
- Goods & services-35%
◎ How Lugano, CH and Portland, OR compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Lugano, CH | Portland, OR | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 147 | 107 |
| Housing | 160 | 127 |
| Food | 150 | 97 |
| Transport | 115 | 99 |
| Utilities | 122 | 84 |
| Healthcare | 140 | 101 |
| Goods & services | 155 | 101 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,800/mo | $1,600/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | — | $1,300/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | — | $3,000/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | — | $5,200 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $679 | $937 |
| Inexpensive meal | — | $18 |
| Monthly transit pass | — | $100 |
| 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 | — | 45 |
| Time zone | — | UTC-8 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | — | 67 |
| Safety index | — | 55 |
| Healthcare index | — | 78 |
| Pollution index | — | 35 |
| Internet speed | — | 200 Mbps |
| Walkability | — | 67 |
| Public transport | — | 62 |
| Family-friendly | — | 64 |
| Tap water | — | Safe to drink |
| Health insurance | — | $450/mo |
| Life expectancy | 84 yr✓ | 79 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | — | +5 °C |
| July avg | — | +20 °C |
| Sunny days / year | — | 144 |
| Rainfall / year | — | 940 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | — | 1.5 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Switzerland vs United States. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (OECD (PPP), US DOL (federal), World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Lugano vs Portland — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Lugano
- Currency
- Swiss franc (Fr. CHF)
- Languages
- German, French, Italian
- Power
- J · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
Good to know before you move to Portland
Green, quirky and bike-friendly with no sales tax — grey, rainy winters are the trade-off.
- Currency
- US dollar ($ USD)
- Languages
- English
- Time zone
- UTC-8
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Native language
- Safety
- 55/100
- Climate
- ❄ 5°C · ☀ 20°C · 144 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 120V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Pearl District · Alberta · Hawthorne
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 Portland
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsAviasales
- FlightsCheapOAir
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalDiscoverCars
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Parking & carWay.com
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Lugano to Portland: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Lugano to Portland, your cost of living will be roughly 28% cheaper. Portland’s cost-of-living index is 107 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 Portland?
Portland is about 28% cheaper than Lugano overall — its cost-of-living index is 107 versus 147 for Lugano.
Which is more expensive, Lugano or Portland?
Lugano is more expensive than Portland. Its cost-of-living index is 147 vs 107 (US = 100) — about 37% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Lugano or Portland?
Rent is cheaper in Portland — about $1,600/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $1,800 in Lugano.
How much do you need to earn in Portland to live like in Lugano?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Lugano is worth about $54,296 in Portland. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Lugano or Portland?
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.