Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Aarau

For one person, living is cheaper in Aarau: $2,794 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in London outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
135

Cost of Living Index in Aarau
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Aarau Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Aarau

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Aarau

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

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $2,794 in Aarau, rent included.

London $3,986
Aarau $2,794

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $4,568 in Aarau, rent included.

London $5,791
Aarau $4,568

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $6,342 in Aarau, rent included.

London $7,595
Aarau $6,342

London costs about 43% more than Aarau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both London and Aarau sit above the global median – London by 195%, Aarau by 107%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$29.07 CHF 23.94

-10.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$106 CHF 87.6

0.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$17.63 CHF 14.52

-39.25%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$5.80 CHF 4.78

-5.69%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$5.22 CHF 4.30

-43.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$4.70 CHF 3.87

-53.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$6.15 CHF 5.06

48.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$6.60 CHF 5.44

20.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$2.05 CHF 1.69

-9.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$3.62 CHF 2.98

-42.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$2.59 CHF 2.13

-6.56%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$7.22 CHF 5.95

-29.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$30.30 CHF 24.96

-57.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$29.34 CHF 24.16

-64.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$40.30 CHF 33.19

-58.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$2.89 CHF 2.38

7.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.78 CHF 1.46

-21.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$2.44 CHF 2.01

26.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$5.50 CHF 4.53

-40.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.66 CHF 1.37

-4.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.96 CHF 1.61

-11.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$2.28 CHF 1.87

-38.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.19 CHF 0.98

51.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$10.86 CHF 8.94

114.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$10.21 CHF 8.41

27.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$2.49 CHF 2.05

27.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$2.86 CHF 2.36

54.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$5.11 CHF 4.20

-20.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

$146 CHF 120

68.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$6.84 CHF 5.64

-18.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$3.32 CHF 2.74

1.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$58.8 CHF 48.45

-3.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$2.22 CHF 1.83

-4.05%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$42.9K CHF 35.4K

-11.04%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

4.12%

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

$372 £279

$120 CHF 98.9

209.88%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$30.84 CHF 25.40

-42.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$55.7 CHF 45.84

-27.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$97.9 CHF 80.6

-38.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

$59.6 CHF 49.04

-64.25%

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$21.42 CHF 17.64

-17.18%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$3,152 CHF 2,596

-9.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$32.4K CHF 26.7K

8.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$88.7 CHF 73.0

28.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$70.6 CHF 58.2

-23.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$109 CHF 90.1

13.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$169 CHF 140

-3.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$1,277 CHF 1,052

124.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$1,033 CHF 851

116.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,951

$2,290 CHF 1,886

129.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,835

$2,114 CHF 1,742

78.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,020

$11.8K CHF 9,759

-32.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,779

$6,801 CHF 5,601

-25.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

2.31

105.19%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Aarau: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Aarau

$1K 37% 53.7% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Aarau

$207 7.4% 52% $224

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Aarau

$439 15.7% 13.2% $51

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Aarau

$588 21% 68.2% $238

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Aarau

$190 6.8% 33.4% $95

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Aarau

$197 7.1% 3.8% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Aarau

$141 5% 47.5% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,869 in London versus $1,277 in Aarau. 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 35% higher in Aarau, 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 $107 in London versus $106 in Aarau. Groceries tell a different story – $349 in London vs $588 in Aarau – so London wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇨🇭 Aarau

🕒 Local time

23:31 11:31 PM

00:31 12:31 AM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

21,191

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

London Aarau 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

London
Aarau

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

London vs Aarau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

London costs about 43% more than Aarau, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $4,191 in Aarau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 69% less in Aarau. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,864 per month in London and $3,152 in Aarau. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,986 in London and $2,794 in Aarau. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Aarau costs $2,794 versus $3,986 in London. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Aarau. 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.