Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bern and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Bern: $3,361 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in London outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

163

Cost of Living Index in Bern
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Bern Living Index
196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Bern

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,361

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bern and in London

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bern and in London actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,361 in Bern versus $4,086 in London.

Bern $3,361
London $4,086

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,127 in Bern versus $5,816 in London.

Bern $5,127
London $5,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,894 in Bern versus $7,546 in London.

Bern $6,894
London $7,546

Living in Bern costs roughly 18% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bern 151% above, London 205% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.65 CHF 23.78

$26.62 £20.11

7.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 CHF 99.9

$108 £81.3

11.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.95 CHF 13.23

$10.39 £7.85

53.51%

Cappuccino

$6.61 CHF 5.49

$5.79 £4.38

14.16%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 CHF 5.11

$3.01 £2.27

104.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.97 CHF 5.79

$2.15 £1.63

224.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.14 CHF 7.59

$9.35 £7.06

-2.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.95 CHF 6.60

$7.84 £5.93

1.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.19 CHF 1.82

$1.79 £1.35

22.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.91 CHF 2.42

$2.06 £1.56

41.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 CHF 2.70

$2.31 £1.74

40.69%

Eggs

$7.57 CHF 6.29

$5.05 £3.82

49.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.53 CHF 20.36

$12.57 £9.50

95.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.76 CHF 23.87

$10.66 £8.05

169.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$38.92 CHF 32.30

$17.13 £12.94

127.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.94 CHF 3.27

$3.03 £2.29

30.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 CHF 1.62

$1.41 £1.07

38.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.64 CHF 2.19

$3.05 £2.31

-13.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.71 CHF 3.91

$3.38 £2.56

39.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 CHF 1.34

$1.67 £1.26

-3.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 CHF 1.63

$1.73 £1.31

13.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 CHF 1.90

$1.41 £1.07

62.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 CHF 1.12

$1.79 £1.35

-24.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.08 CHF 9.20

$23.22 £17.55

-52.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.00 CHF 9.96

$12.99 £9.82

-7.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 CHF 1.85

$3.18 £2.40

-29.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 CHF 2.42

$4.41 £3.33

-34.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$6.31 CHF 5.24

$3.87 £2.93

63.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$100 CHF 83.2

$250 £189

-59.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.04 CHF 6.68

$5.71 £4.31

40.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.52 CHF 3.76

$3.33 £2.51

35.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$107 CHF 88.8

$57.9 £43.76

84.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 CHF 1.92

$2.04 £1.54

13.24%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$43.0K CHF 35.7K

$37.5K £28.4K

14.57%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$39.2K CHF 32.5K

$40.9K £30.9K

-4.11%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$267 CHF 222

$376 £284

-28.98%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$27.95 CHF 23.20

$17.88 £13.51

56.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.8 CHF 45.51

$40.01 £30.24

37.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$86.9 CHF 72.2

$61.2 £46.22

42.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.30 CHF 38.43

$21.07 £15.93

119.74%

Cinema Ticket

$23.85 CHF 19.79

$17.95 £13.57

32.87%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$3,148 CHF 2,612

$2,865 £2,165

9.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.7K CHF 25.5K

$35.3K £26.7K

-13.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$142 CHF 118

$116 £87.7

22.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.4 CHF 51.0

$54.1 £40.87

13.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$157 CHF 130

$127 £95.7

23.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$195 CHF 162

$159 £120

22.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,900 CHF 1,577

$2,853 £2,156

-33.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 CHF 1,151

$2,301 £1,739

-39.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,555 CHF 2,951

$5,201 £3,931

-31.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,455 CHF 2,037

$3,723 £2,813

-34.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.4K CHF 15.3K

$19.0K £14.4K

-2.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$14.6K CHF 12.1K

$7,881 £5,955

85.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,782 CHF 5,629

$4,818 £3,641

40.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.46

4.65

-47.10%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Bern: October 5, 2026

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Bern

$1.4K 41.8%

London

$2.3K 56.5% 66% $915

Groceries & Markets

Bern

$569 17.2%

London

$349 8.6% 38.6% $220

Eating Out

Bern

$470 14.2%

London

$397 9.7% 15.7% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bern

$350 10.6%

London

$434 10.7% 24% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Bern

$250 7.5%

London

$205 5% 17.9% $45

Getting Around

Bern

$156 4.7%

London

$288 7.1% 84.3% $132

Sport & Entertainment

Bern

$135 4.1%

London

$97 2.4% 27.9% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,900 in Bern and $2,853 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bern pays 41% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $120 in Bern vs $108 in London for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $569 vs $349 per month, with London cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Bern

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

03:37 3:37 AM

02:37 2:37 AM

1 h behind Bern

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

128,848 Capital

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.2 USD

1 CHF = 1.07 EUR

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.83 CHF (1 CHF = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 0.931 CHF (1 CHF = 1.07 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Bern London 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Bern vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bern wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in London. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bern the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 41% higher in Bern, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,900 in Bern versus $2,853 in London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bern – a meal for two runs $120 versus $108 in London. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,361 per month in Bern versus $4,086 in London – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Bern is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bern delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $3,361 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bern hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Bern and London are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bern gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.