Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Biel and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Biel: $2,826 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in London outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

137

Cost of Living Index in Biel
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Biel Living Index
194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Biel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,826

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Biel 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 Biel and in London actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,826 per month in Biel vs $3,986 in London, rent included.

Biel $2,826
London $3,986

A couple spends around $4,452 per month in Biel vs $5,791 in London, rent included.

Biel $4,452
London $5,791

A family of three spends $6,078 per month in Biel vs $7,595 in London, rent included.

Biel $6,078
London $7,595

Biel is about 29% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Biel and London sit above the global median – Biel by 109%, London by 195%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.08 CHF 24.77

$25.93 £19.45

16.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 CHF 88.9

$107 £79.9

1.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.28 CHF 15.06

$10.71 £8.03

70.68%

Cappuccino

$6.07 CHF 5.00

$5.47 £4.11

10.97%

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

$5.17 CHF 4.26

$2.97 £2.23

74.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 CHF 3.40

$2.20 £1.65

87.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 CHF 6.40

$9.13 £6.85

-14.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.91 CHF 4.04

$7.94 £5.96

-38.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 CHF 1.72

$1.86 £1.40

12.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 CHF 3.11

$2.07 £1.55

82.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.30 CHF 2.72

$2.42 £1.81

36.36%

Eggs

$7.19 CHF 5.92

$5.09 £3.82

41.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.93 CHF 18.06

$12.87 £9.66

70.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.12 CHF 22.34

$10.43 £7.82

160.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$38.83 CHF 31.98

$16.87 £12.66

130.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 CHF 2.52

$3.11 £2.33

-1.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.68

$1.40 £1.05

45.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.46 CHF 2.02

$3.08 £2.31

-20.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 CHF 2.55

$3.27 £2.45

-5.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 CHF 1.21

$1.58 £1.19

-6.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 CHF 1.49

$1.74 £1.31

4.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 CHF 1.68

$1.40 £1.05

45.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 CHF 0.87

$1.80 £1.35

-41.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.99 CHF 9.05

$23.28 £17.46

-52.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.90 CHF 12.28

$13.03 £9.77

14.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 CHF 0.76

$3.17 £2.38

-70.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 CHF 1.46

$4.42 £3.32

-59.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.91 CHF 4.04

$4.07 £3.05

20.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.3 CHF 76.9

$247 £185

-62.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.84 CHF 6.46

$5.58 £4.18

40.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.53 CHF 3.73

$3.36 £2.52

34.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.0 CHF 68.4

$56.8 £42.58

46.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 CHF 1.83

$2.13 £1.60

4.23%

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

$41.7K CHF 34.4K

$38.2K £28.6K

9.25%

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

$34.8K CHF 28.7K

$40.9K £30.7K

-14.83%

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

$137 CHF 113

$372 £279

-63.07%

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

$35.74 CHF 29.43

$17.82 £13.37

100.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.2 CHF 41.30

$40.37 £30.29

24.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 CHF 63.6

$60.0 £44.99

28.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

Cinema Ticket

$21.92 CHF 18.05

$17.74 £13.31

23.56%

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

$2,620 CHF 2,158

$2,864 £2,149

-8.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.2K CHF 30.6K

$35.3K £26.5K

5.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 CHF 89.2

$114 £85.5

-4.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.74 CHF 33.56

$54.3 £40.71

-24.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$136 CHF 112

$124 £93.2

9.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$219 CHF 180

$163 £122

34.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CHF 1,022

$2,869 £2,152

-56.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,120 CHF 922

$2,233 £1,675

-49.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,275 CHF 1,874

$5,266 £3,951

-56.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,035 CHF 1,676

$3,778 £2,835

-46.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,683 CHF 7,975

$18.3K £13.8K

-47.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,818 CHF 6,439

$8,024 £6,020

-2.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,516 CHF 4,543

$5,037 £3,779

9.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.68

4.74

-64.56%

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

Last update for Biel: October 12, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Biel

$1.1K 39.6%

London

$2.2K 56% 99.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Biel

$538 19%

London

$349 8.8% 35.1% $189

Eating Out

Biel

$454 16.1%

London

$388 9.7% 14.7% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Biel

$227 8%

London

$205 5.1% 9.6% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Biel

$223 7.9%

London

$430 10.8% 92.7% $207

Getting Around

Biel

$143 5.1%

London

$285 7.2% 99% $142

Sport & Entertainment

Biel

$121 4.3%

London

$95 2.4% 21.1% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,240 in Biel versus $2,869 in London. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 10% higher in Biel, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in Biel versus $107 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $538 vs $349 – making London the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Biel

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

08:22 8:22 AM

07:22 7:22 AM

1 h behind Biel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,378

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Biel London 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Biel
London

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Biel vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – London is pricier by about 41%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,240 per month in Biel and $5,979 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Biel, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 164% less in Biel. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,620 per month in Biel and $2,864 in London. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,826 in Biel and $3,986 in London. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Biel – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Biel. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.