# Lugano — relocation profile

Lugano, Switzerland · Full democracy · livability 82/100

## At a glance

- **Country:** Switzerland
- **Region:** Europe
- **Estimated monthly cost of living (solo, renting in the centre):** $4,788/month
- **Livability score:** 82 / 100 (rank 5 of 132 Townleap cities)
- **Settler safety score:** 92 / 100 (rank 1 of 132)
- **Cost vs New York City:** 43% cheaper
- **Also appears in:** Remote Workers, Lowest Crime, Budget Maximizers, European Dream, Fresh Start Cities, Family-Friendly Cities, English-Friendly Cities, Retire Abroad, Young Professionals, Free Societies, Strong Democracy, Leaving the UK, Where Germans Actually Move, Freelance-Friendly

## Cost of living

| Item | USD / month |
| --- | --- |
| Rent — 1-bed, city centre | $1,813 |
| Rent — 1-bed, outside centre | $1,253 |
| Rent — 3-bed, city centre | $3,142 |
| Average net salary (after tax) | $7,016 |
| **Total monthly cost (solo, rent included)** | **$4,788** |

One-off cost to land (deposit, agency fee, furnishing, first admin): $12,142.

Reference point: 31% cheaper than Zurich.

## Settling

- **Democracy index (EIU, 0–10):** 9.3
- **Regime type:** Full democracy
- **Homicide rate:** 0.6 per 100,000/year
- **Time to permanent residency:** 10 years
- **Time to citizenship:** 10 years
- **English proficiency:** High (EF EPI 564)
- **Main languages:** Italian, German, French

## Day to day

- **Summer (low–high):** 18–27°C
- **Winter (low–high):** 2–10°C
- **Internet speed:** 306.24 Mbps
- **Healthcare index (0–100):** 85.9
- **Natural features:** lake, mountains_nearby

## Economy

- **GDP per capita:** $96,498 (2024, country-level)
- **Inflation:** 1.1% (2024)
- **Unemployment:** 4.9% (2025)
- **Population:** 63,495

## Similar cities

| City | Country | Rent (1-bed, centre) | Monthly cost | Page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Salzburg | Austria | $1,537 | $3,773 | /cities/salzburg |
| Lausanne | Switzerland | $2,058 | $4,846 | /cities/lausanne |
| Lucerne | Switzerland | $2,173 | $5,232 | /cities/lucerne |
| Berlin | Germany | $1,550 | $3,669 | /cities/berlin |
| Vienna | Austria | $1,303 | $3,410 | /cities/vienna |

## Related pages

- Cost of living breakdown: /cost-of-living/lugano
- Compare with another city: /cities/compare
- Visa and residency paths: /cities/lugano/visa

---

Source: [Townleap](https://www.townleap.com/cities/lugano) — permanent-relocation data for people picking a country to actually live in, not visit.

Cost figures are Numbeo-derived and in USD unless labelled otherwise. Economics are World Bank. Every number on this page is also on the HTML page at the same URL — this variant exists so you do not have to parse a React app to read a rent figure.