Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Geneva and London

For one person, living costs are similar in Geneva and in London: $4,115 and $4,086 a month, rent and utilities included.

197

Cost of Living Index in Geneva
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Geneva Living Index
196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Geneva

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,115

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,115 per month in Geneva vs $4,086 in London, rent included.

Geneva $4,115
London $4,086

A couple spends around $6,200 per month in Geneva vs $5,816 in London, rent included.

Geneva $6,200
London $5,816

A family of three spends $8,284 per month in Geneva vs $7,546 in London, rent included.

Geneva $8,284
London $7,546

Geneva costs about 1% more than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Geneva and London sit above the global median – Geneva by 207%, London by 205%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.87 CHF 24.84

$26.62 £20.12

12.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$135 CHF 112

$108 £81.3

25.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.31 CHF 15.23

$10.39 £7.86

76.23%

Cappuccino

$6.32 CHF 5.26

$5.79 £4.38

9.15%

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

$4.89 CHF 4.07

$3.01 £2.27

62.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 CHF 3.49

$2.15 £1.63

94.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.39 CHF 7.81

$9.35 £7.07

0.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.48 CHF 7.89

$7.84 £5.93

20.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.30 CHF 1.92

$1.79 £1.35

28.49%

White Bread (500g)

$3.33 CHF 2.77

$2.06 £1.56

61.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.35 CHF 2.78

$2.31 £1.74

45.02%

Eggs

$8.16 CHF 6.79

$5.05 £3.82

61.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.96 CHF 20.76

$12.57 £9.50

98.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.00 CHF 24.12

$10.66 £8.05

172.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.99 CHF 35.75

$17.13 £12.95

150.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 CHF 2.82

$3.03 £2.29

11.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 CHF 1.35

$1.41 £1.07

15.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.71 CHF 2.26

$3.05 £2.31

-11.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.63 CHF 3.85

$3.38 £2.56

36.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 CHF 1.28

$1.67 £1.26

-7.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 CHF 1.70

$1.73 £1.31

18.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 CHF 1.77

$1.41 £1.07

51.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 CHF 1.39

$1.79 £1.35

-6.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.96 CHF 9.11

$23.22 £17.55

-52.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.00 CHF 9.98

$12.99 £9.82

-7.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.04 CHF 2.53

$3.18 £2.41

-4.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 CHF 2.78

$4.41 £3.34

-24.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.51 CHF 2.92

$3.87 £2.93

-9.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.5 CHF 74.4

$250 £189

-64.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.35 CHF 6.11

$5.71 £4.31

28.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.78 CHF 3.14

$3.33 £2.51

13.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$62.8 CHF 52.2

$57.9 £43.77

8.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 CHF 1.98

$2.04 £1.54

16.67%

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

$38.7K CHF 32.2K

$37.5K £28.4K

3.19%

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

$38.7K CHF 32.2K

$40.9K £30.9K

-5.30%

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

$281 CHF 234

$376 £284

-25.21%

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

$36.78 CHF 30.59

$17.88 £13.51

105.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.9 CHF 49.01

$40.01 £30.25

47.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.4 CHF 62.7

$61.2 £46.23

23.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.62 CHF 37.11

$21.07 £15.93

111.77%

Cinema Ticket

$23.76 CHF 19.76

$17.95 £13.57

32.37%

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

$2,406 CHF 2,001

$2,865 £2,166

-16.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.4K CHF 29.4K

$35.3K £26.7K

0.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$136 CHF 113

$116 £87.7

17.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.6 CHF 65.4

$54.1 £40.88

45.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$163 CHF 135

$127 £95.7

28.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$186 CHF 155

$159 £120

16.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,809 CHF 2,336

$2,853 £2,157

-1.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,114 CHF 1,758

$2,301 £1,740

-8.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,784 CHF 3,979

$5,201 £3,932

-8.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,729 CHF 3,101

$3,723 £2,814

0.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$22.0K CHF 18.3K

$19.0K £14.4K

15.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$15.5K CHF 12.9K

$7,881 £5,957

97.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,065 CHF 5,875

$4,818 £3,642

46.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.98

4.65

-57.42%

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

Last update for Geneva: October 3, 2026

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Geneva

$2.1K 52%

London

$2.3K 56.5% 8.9% $188

Groceries & Markets

Geneva

$595 14.6%

London

$349 8.6% 41.3% $246

Eating Out

Geneva

$472 11.6%

London

$397 9.7% 16% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Geneva

$377 9.3%

London

$434 10.7% 15.1% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Geneva

$253 6.2%

London

$205 5% 19% $48

Getting Around

Geneva

$130 3.2%

London

$288 7.1% 122% $158

Sport & Entertainment

Geneva

$123 3%

London

$97 2.4% 21% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,809 in Geneva versus $2,853 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 47% higher in Geneva, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $135 in Geneva versus $108 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $595 vs $349 – making London the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Geneva

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

05:28 5:28 AM

04:28 4:28 AM

1 h behind Geneva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

191,557

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 = 0.832 CHF (1 CHF = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 0.933 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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Between locations

Geneva London 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Geneva
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

Geneva vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Geneva is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,173 per month in Geneva and $6,129 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 70% more in Geneva, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $135 in Geneva and $108 in London. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$5,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,115 in Geneva and $4,086 in London. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward London – 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 London. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Geneva makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.