Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Interlaken

For one person, living costs are similar in London and in Interlaken: $3,986 and $3,832 a month, rent and utilities included.

London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,986
/mo nomad
Interlaken
🇨🇭 Switzerland
$3,832
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Interlaken

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,986 in London versus $3,832 in Interlaken.

  • London $3,986
  • Interlaken $3,832

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,791 in London versus $6,054 in Interlaken.

  • London $5,791
  • Interlaken $6,054

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,595 in London versus $8,276 in Interlaken.

  • London $7,595
  • Interlaken $8,276

Living in London is roughly 4% more expensive than in Interlaken, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 195% above, Interlaken 184% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
London
Interlaken
Difference
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
$97.0 CHF 79.9
9.83%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.71 £8.03
$18.32 CHF 15.09
-41.54%
Cappuccino
$5.47 £4.11
$5.23 CHF 4.31
4.59%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 £2.23
$5.33 CHF 4.39
-44.28%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.20 £1.65
$3.56 CHF 2.93
-38.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.13 £6.85
$8.06 CHF 6.64
13.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.94 £5.96
$5.25 CHF 4.32
51.24%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
Interlaken
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.86 £1.40
$1.63 CHF 1.34
14.11%
White Bread (500g)
$2.07 £1.55
$3.50 CHF 2.88
-40.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.42 £1.81
$4.56 CHF 3.76
-46.93%
Eggs
$5.09 £3.82
$7.36 CHF 6.06
-30.84%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.87 £9.66
$31.48 CHF 25.93
-59.12%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.43 £7.82
$29.83 CHF 24.56
-65.04%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.87 £12.66
$42.38 CHF 34.90
-60.19%
Apples (1kg)
$3.11 £2.33
$3.93 CHF 3.23
-20.87%
Banana (1kg)
$1.40 £1.05
$1.57 CHF 1.30
-10.83%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.08 £2.31
$2.68 CHF 2.21
14.93%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.27 £2.45
$3.10 CHF 2.56
5.48%
Potato (1kg)
$1.58 £1.19
$1.33 CHF 1.10
18.80%
Onion (1kg)
$1.74 £1.31
$1.71 CHF 1.41
1.75%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.40 £1.05
$2.13 CHF 1.75
-34.27%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.80 £1.35
$1.20 CHF 0.99
50.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.28 £17.46
$10.82 CHF 8.91
115.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.03 £9.77
$12.59 CHF 10.37
3.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.17 £2.38
$2.20 CHF 1.81
44.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 £3.32
$3.81 CHF 3.14
16.01%
🚌 Getting Around
London
Interlaken
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.07 £3.05
$4.09 CHF 3.37
-0.49%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$247 £185
$194 CHF 160
27.03%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.58 £4.18
$6.09 CHF 5.02
-8.37%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.36 £2.52
$6.04 CHF 4.97
-44.37%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$56.8 £42.58
$60.7 CHF 50.0
-6.54%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.13 £1.60
$2.28 CHF 1.88
-6.58%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.2K £28.6K
$42.6K CHF 35.1K
-10.43%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.9K £30.7K
$38.3K CHF 31.5K
6.89%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
Interlaken
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$372 £279
$354 CHF 292
5.05%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.82 £13.37
$31.34 CHF 25.82
-43.14%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.37 £30.29
$71.3 CHF 58.8
-43.41%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
Interlaken
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.0 £44.99
$97.2 CHF 80.1
-38.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.29 £15.97
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$17.74 £13.31
$27.83 CHF 22.92
-36.26%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
Interlaken
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,864 £2,149
$3,585 CHF 2,953
-20.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$35.3K £26.5K
$32.2K CHF 26.6K
9.55%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
Interlaken
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$114 £85.5
$157 CHF 130
-27.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.3 £40.71
$120 CHF 99.0
-54.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$124 £93.2
$200 CHF 165
-37.92%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$163 £122
$323 CHF 266
-49.57%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
Interlaken
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,869 £2,152
$1,926 CHF 1,586
48.95%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,233 £1,675
$1,571 CHF 1,294
42.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,266 £3,951
$3,291 CHF 2,711
59.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,778 £2,835
$3,373 CHF 2,778
12.03%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$18.3K £13.8K
$12.1K CHF 9,993
51.09%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,024 £6,020
$8,397 CHF 6,916
-4.44%
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
Interlaken
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,037 £3,779
$7,431 CHF 6,120
-32.22%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.74
2.48
91.13%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Interlaken: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
London
$2.2K
Interlaken
$1.6K 29.6% $662
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
$430
Interlaken
$457 6.2% $27
Eating Out
London
$388
Interlaken
$445 14.8% $57
Groceries & Markets
London
$349
Interlaken
$599 71.4% $250
Getting Around
London
$285
Interlaken
$247 13.5% $39
Clothing & Footwear
London
$205
Interlaken
$360 75.8% $155
Sport & Entertainment
London
$95
Interlaken
$153 60.2% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,869 in London and $1,926 in Interlaken. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Interlaken pays 48% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $107 in London vs $97.0 in Interlaken. Groceries flip the comparison at $349 vs $599, with London cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇬🇧 London
🇨🇭 Interlaken
🕒 Local time
12:32 12:32 PM
13:32 1:32 PM
1 h ahead of London
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,908,083 Capital
5,600
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • London Interlaken 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • London
  • Interlaken

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 Interlaken: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Interlaken cheaper than London?
Interlaken is cheaper overall, especially in transport. The 4% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: London or Interlaken?
On paper, salaries run 48% lower in Interlaken. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between London and Interlaken?
Rent for a central apartment: $2,869 in London versus $1,926 in Interlaken. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in London and in Interlaken?
All in, you'll spend $3,986 per month in London versus $3,832 in Interlaken – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Interlaken runs roughly 27% less than in London. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $2,500 enough to cover costs in London or in Interlaken?
Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Interlaken is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Is London or Interlaken more family-friendly?
For families, Interlaken is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in London, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, London or Interlaken?
Safety-wise, London and Interlaken are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Interlaken gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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