Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buchs and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Buchs: $3,009 a month against $4,049 in London, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Buchs
🇨🇭 Switzerland
$3,009
/mo nomad
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$4,049
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,009 in Buchs versus $4,049 in London.

  • Buchs $3,009
  • London $4,049

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,535 in Buchs versus $5,827 in London.

  • Buchs $4,535
  • London $5,827

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,062 in Buchs versus $7,605 in London.

  • Buchs $6,062
  • London $7,605

Living in Buchs costs roughly 26% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buchs 122% above, London 199% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Buchs
London
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$23.43 CHF 19.30
$27.09 £20.33
-13.51%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$84.3 CHF 69.4
$104 £78.3
-19.24%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$15.36 CHF 12.65
$10.86 £8.15
41.44%
Cappuccino
$4.71 CHF 3.88
$5.60 £4.20
-15.89%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.77 CHF 3.10
$3.05 £2.29
23.61%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.20 CHF 2.63
$2.28 £1.71
40.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.13 CHF 5.04
$9.23 £6.92
-33.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.39 CHF 4.44
$7.95 £5.96
-32.20%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Buchs
London
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.01 CHF 1.66
$1.83 £1.37
9.84%
White Bread (500g)
$3.94 CHF 3.24
$2.05 £1.54
92.20%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.64 CHF 3.82
$2.47 £1.86
87.85%
Eggs
$7.32 CHF 6.03
$5.12 £3.84
42.97%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$32.21 CHF 26.53
$12.89 £9.67
149.88%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$18.51 CHF 15.24
$10.84 £8.14
70.76%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$32.47 CHF 26.74
$17.03 £12.78
90.66%
Apples (1kg)
$3.53 CHF 2.91
$3.07 £2.30
14.98%
Banana (1kg)
$2.14 CHF 1.76
$1.38 £1.03
55.07%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.14 CHF 2.59
$2.99 £2.24
5.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.70 CHF 5.52
$3.39 £2.54
97.64%
Potato (1kg)
$1.78 CHF 1.46
$1.60 £1.20
11.25%
Onion (1kg)
$2.54 CHF 2.10
$1.80 £1.35
41.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.44 CHF 2.01
$1.41 £1.06
73.05%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.21 CHF 1.00
$1.81 £1.36
-33.15%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.84 CHF 8.92
$23.92 £17.94
-54.68%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.70 CHF 10.46
$13.54 £10.16
-6.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.28 CHF 2.70
$3.23 £2.42
1.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.91 CHF 3.22
$4.39 £3.29
-10.93%
🚌 Getting Around
Buchs
London
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$5.17 CHF 4.25
$3.92 £2.94
31.89%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$243 £182
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 CHF 4.42
$5.58 £4.18
-3.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.46 CHF 2.85
$3.27 £2.46
5.81%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$61.2 CHF 50.4
$58.4 £43.81
4.73%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.23 CHF 1.83
$2.08 £1.56
7.21%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$42.5K CHF 35.0K
$38.8K £29.1K
9.55%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.6K CHF 32.6K
$40.6K £30.5K
-2.57%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buchs
London
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$184 CHF 152
$380 £285
-51.47%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$31.24 CHF 25.73
$18.62 £13.97
67.78%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$67.2 CHF 55.4
$40.45 £30.35
66.18%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Buchs
London
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$61.3 £45.95
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$21.41 £16.07
-
Cinema Ticket
$15.20 CHF 12.52
$18.09 £13.57
-15.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Buchs
London
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$611 CHF 503
$2,905 £2,180
-78.96%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.7K CHF 17.0K
$35.5K £26.6K
-41.83%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Buchs
London
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$107 CHF 88.0
$116 £87.3
-8.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$23.70 CHF 19.52
$54.5 £40.89
-56.52%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$95.2 CHF 78.4
$128 £95.8
-25.46%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$170 CHF 140
$167 £125
1.71%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Buchs
London
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,828 CHF 1,505
$2,852 £2,140
-35.92%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,561 CHF 1,285
$2,269 £1,702
-31.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,690 CHF 2,216
$5,250 £3,939
-48.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,746 CHF 2,261
$3,752 £2,815
-26.82%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$18.5K £13.9K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$8,100 £6,077
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Buchs
London
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$8,480 CHF 6,984
$5,109 £3,833
65.97%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
1.93
4.74
-59.28%

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

Last update for Buchs: October 18, 2026

Last update for London: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Buchs
$1.6K
London
$2.3K 45.4% $708
Groceries & Markets
Buchs
$555
London
$353 36.3% $201
Eating Out
Buchs
$359
London
$400 11.3% $41
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buchs
$283
London
$439 55.2% $156
Clothing & Footwear
Buchs
$178
London
$209 17.7% $32
Getting Around
Buchs
$43 *
London
$280 548% $237
Sport & Entertainment
Buchs
$30 *
London
$97 221% $67

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,828 in Buchs and $2,852 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buchs pays 66% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $84.0 in Buchs vs $104 in London. Groceries flip the comparison at $555 vs $353, with London cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇨🇭 Buchs
🇬🇧 London
🕒 Local time
21:49 9:49 PM
20:49 8:49 PM
1 h behind Buchs
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
12,187
8,908,083 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Buchs London 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Buchs
  • 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
Buchs vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Buchs and in London?
Buchs and London differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($3,009 vs $4,049 including rent). Buchs is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Buchs or London?
Average pay runs 66% higher in Buchs, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Buchs and in London?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,828 in Buchs versus $2,852 in London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Buchs and London?
Childcare runs $611 in Buchs versus $2,905 in London. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Buchs – a meal for two runs $84.0 versus $104 in London. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is feasible on a $3,000 budget?
Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Buchs is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
How does quality of life compare between Buchs and London?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Is Buchs or London safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Buchs 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.
Where should expats move: Buchs or London?
Expats usually find Buchs gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Buchs vs other spots: cost of living compared

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