Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Biel

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.

194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Biel
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Biel Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Biel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,826

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Biel

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 Biel actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

London $3,986
Biel $2,826

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

London $5,791
Biel $4,452

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

London $7,595
Biel $6,078

London costs about 41% more than Biel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$30.08 CHF 24.77

-13.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$108 CHF 88.9

-1.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$18.28 CHF 15.06

-41.41%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$6.07 CHF 5.00

-9.88%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$5.17 CHF 4.26

-42.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$4.13 CHF 3.40

-46.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$7.77 CHF 6.40

17.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$4.91 CHF 4.04

61.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$2.09 CHF 1.72

-11.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$3.78 CHF 3.11

-45.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$3.30 CHF 2.72

-26.67%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$7.19 CHF 5.92

-29.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$21.93 CHF 18.06

-41.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$27.12 CHF 22.34

-61.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$38.83 CHF 31.98

-56.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$3.06 CHF 2.52

1.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$2.04 CHF 1.68

-31.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$2.46 CHF 2.02

25.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$3.10 CHF 2.55

5.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.47 CHF 1.21

7.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.81 CHF 1.49

-3.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$2.04 CHF 1.68

-31.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.05 CHF 0.87

71.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$10.99 CHF 9.05

111.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$14.90 CHF 12.28

-12.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$0.92 CHF 0.76

244.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$1.77 CHF 1.46

149.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$4.91 CHF 4.04

-17.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

$93.3 CHF 76.9

164.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$7.84 CHF 6.46

-28.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$4.53 CHF 3.73

-25.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$83.0 CHF 68.4

-31.66%

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

$41.7K CHF 34.4K

-8.47%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$34.8K CHF 28.7K

17.41%

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

$372 £279

$137 CHF 113

170.80%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$35.74 CHF 29.43

-50.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$50.2 CHF 41.30

-19.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$77.2 CHF 63.6

-22.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$21.92 CHF 18.05

-19.07%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$2,620 CHF 2,158

9.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$37.2K CHF 30.6K

-4.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$108 CHF 89.2

5.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$40.74 CHF 33.56

33.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$136 CHF 112

-8.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$219 CHF 180

-25.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$1,240 CHF 1,022

131.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$1,120 CHF 922

99.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,951

$2,275 CHF 1,874

131.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,835

$2,035 CHF 1,676

85.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

$9,683 CHF 7,975

89.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,020

$7,818 CHF 6,439

2.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,779

$5,516 CHF 4,543

-8.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

1.68

182.14%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Biel: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Biel

$1.1K 39.6% 49.9% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Biel

$223 7.9% 48.1% $207

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Biel

$454 16.1% 17.2% $67

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Biel

$538 19% 54% $189

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Biel

$143 5.1% 49.8% $142

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Biel

$227 8% 10.6% $22

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Biel

$121 4.3% 26.8% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,869 in London versus $1,240 in Biel. 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 $107 in London versus $108 in Biel. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $538 – making London the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇨🇭 Biel

🕒 Local time

07:22 7:22 AM

08:22 8:22 AM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

56,378

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Biel 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

London
Biel

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 Biel: 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 $5,979 per month in London and $4,240 in Biel. 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 $2,864 per month in London and $2,620 in Biel. 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 $3,986 in London and $2,826 in Biel. 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.