Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Geneva

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

196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
197

Cost of Living Index in Geneva
Learn more

Geneva Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Geneva

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,115

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Geneva

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

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

London $4,086
Geneva $4,115

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

London $5,816
Geneva $6,200

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

London $7,546
Geneva $8,284

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.62 £20.11

$29.87 CHF 24.79

-10.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.3

$135 CHF 112

-20.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 £7.85

$18.31 CHF 15.20

-43.26%

Cappuccino

$5.79 £4.38

$6.32 CHF 5.25

-8.39%

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

$3.01 £2.27

$4.89 CHF 4.06

-38.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.63

$4.19 CHF 3.48

-48.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.35 £7.06

$9.39 CHF 7.80

-0.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 £5.93

$9.48 CHF 7.87

-17.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 £1.35

$2.30 CHF 1.91

-22.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 £1.56

$3.33 CHF 2.77

-38.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 £1.74

$3.35 CHF 2.78

-31.04%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.82

$8.16 CHF 6.77

-38.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 £9.50

$24.96 CHF 20.72

-49.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 £8.05

$29.00 CHF 24.07

-63.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 £12.94

$42.99 CHF 35.68

-60.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$3.39 CHF 2.81

-10.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.07

$1.63 CHF 1.35

-13.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.31

$2.71 CHF 2.25

12.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.56

$4.63 CHF 3.84

-27.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$1.54 CHF 1.27

8.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.31

$2.05 CHF 1.70

-15.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.07

$2.13 CHF 1.77

-33.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.67 CHF 1.38

7.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.22 £17.55

$10.96 CHF 9.09

111.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 £9.82

$12.00 CHF 9.96

8.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.40

$3.04 CHF 2.53

4.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 £3.33

$3.34 CHF 2.78

32.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 £2.93

$3.51 CHF 2.92

10.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$250 £189

$89.5 CHF 74.3

179.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 £4.31

$7.35 CHF 6.10

-22.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 £2.51

$3.78 CHF 3.13

-11.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.9 £43.76

$62.8 CHF 52.1

-7.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.54

$2.38 CHF 1.98

-14.29%

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

$37.5K £28.4K

$38.7K CHF 32.2K

-3.09%

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

$40.9K £30.9K

$38.7K CHF 32.1K

5.60%

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

$376 £284

$281 CHF 233

33.71%

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

$17.88 £13.51

$36.78 CHF 30.53

-51.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.01 £30.24

$58.9 CHF 48.92

-32.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 £46.22

$75.4 CHF 62.6

-18.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 £15.93

$44.62 CHF 37.04

-52.78%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.57

$23.76 CHF 19.72

-24.45%

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

$2,865 £2,165

$2,406 CHF 1,997

19.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.7K

$35.4K CHF 29.4K

-0.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.7

$136 CHF 113

-14.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 £40.87

$78.6 CHF 65.3

-31.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 £95.7

$163 CHF 135

-22.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 £120

$186 CHF 154

-14.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,853 £2,156

$2,809 CHF 2,332

1.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 £1,739

$2,114 CHF 1,755

8.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,201 £3,931

$4,784 CHF 3,971

8.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,723 £2,813

$3,729 CHF 3,095

-0.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.0K £14.4K

$22.0K CHF 18.3K

-13.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,881 £5,955

$15.5K CHF 12.9K

-49.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,818 £3,641

$7,065 CHF 5,864

-31.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

1.98

134.85%

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

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Last update for Geneva: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.5%

Geneva

$2.1K 52% 8.1% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$434 10.7%

Geneva

$377 9.3% 13.1% $57

Eating Out

London

$397 9.7%

Geneva

$472 11.6% 19% $75

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.6%

Geneva

$595 14.6% 70.3% $246

Getting Around

London

$288 7.1%

Geneva

$130 3.2% 54.9% $158

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5%

Geneva

$253 6.2% 23.5% $48

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Geneva

$123 3% 26.6% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,853 in London versus $2,809 in Geneva. 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 $108 in London versus $135 in Geneva. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $595 – making London the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇨🇭 Geneva

🕒 Local time

06:28 6:28 AM

07:28 7:28 AM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

191,557

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1 CHF = 1.2 USD

1 CHF = 1.07 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.83 CHF (1 CHF = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 0.931 CHF (1 CHF = 1.07 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

London Geneva 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

London
Geneva

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 Geneva: 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 $6,129 per month in London and $6,173 in Geneva. 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 $108 in London and $135 in Geneva. 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 $4,086 in London and $4,115 in Geneva. 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.