Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Meilen

For one person, living is cheaper in Meilen: $3,372 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in London outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

194

Cost of Living Index in London
Learn more

London Living Index
163

Cost of Living Index in Meilen
Learn more

Meilen Living Index

Jump to prices

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Meilen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Meilen

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

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $3,372 in Meilen, rent included.

London $3,986
Meilen $3,372

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $5,942 in Meilen, rent included.

London $5,791
Meilen $5,942

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $8,512 in Meilen, rent included.

London $7,595
Meilen $8,512

London costs about 18% more than Meilen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both London and Meilen sit above the global median – London by 195%, Meilen by 150%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$32.47 CHF 26.74

-20.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$122 CHF 101

-13.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$16.33 CHF 13.45

-34.42%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$6.31 CHF 5.19

-13.31%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$5.68 CHF 4.67

-47.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$5.01 CHF 4.13

-56.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$8.46 CHF 6.97

7.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$8.29 CHF 6.83

-4.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$2.21 CHF 1.82

-15.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$3.27 CHF 2.69

-36.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$3.78 CHF 3.11

-35.98%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$7.49 CHF 6.17

-32.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$26.56 CHF 21.87

-51.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$25.69 CHF 21.16

-59.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$40.25 CHF 33.15

-58.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$3.42 CHF 2.82

-9.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$2.03 CHF 1.67

-31.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$2.67 CHF 2.20

15.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$4.58 CHF 3.77

-28.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.96 CHF 1.61

-19.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-19.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$2.32 CHF 1.91

-39.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.25 CHF 1.03

44.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$11.03 CHF 9.09

111.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$13.25 CHF 10.91

-1.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$2.26 CHF 1.86

40.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$3.23 CHF 2.66

36.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$4.59 CHF 3.78

-11.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

$96.8 CHF 79.7

154.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$7.55 CHF 6.21

-26.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$4.50 CHF 3.71

-25.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.57

$88.0 CHF 72.5

-35.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$2.26 CHF 1.86

-5.75%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$38.7K CHF 31.9K

-1.26%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$39.4K CHF 32.5K

3.76%

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

$372 £279

$235 CHF 194

58.12%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$36.06 CHF 29.70

-50.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$65.3 CHF 53.8

-38.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$88.1 CHF 72.6

-31.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

$44.50 CHF 36.65

-52.16%

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$21.90 CHF 18.04

-19.00%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$2,816 CHF 2,319

1.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$42.3K CHF 34.8K

-16.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$137 CHF 113

-17.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$59.2 CHF 48.77

-8.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$144 CHF 118

-13.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$174 CHF 143

-6.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$1,690 CHF 1,392

69.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$1,471 CHF 1,211

51.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,950

$2,831 CHF 2,332

85.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,834

$4,065 CHF 3,348

-7.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

$15.8K CHF 13.0K

16.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,019

$11.9K CHF 9,812

-32.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,778

$8,259 CHF 6,802

-39.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

1.72

175.58%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Meilen: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Meilen

$1.5K 43.6% 34.1% $762

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Meilen

$337 10% 21.8% $94

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Meilen

$486 14.4% 25.4% $99

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Meilen

$570 16.9% 63.2% $221

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Meilen

$145 4.3% 49.1% $140

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Meilen

$231 6.9% 12.8% $26

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Meilen

$132 3.9% 38.2% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,869 in London versus $1,690 in Meilen. 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 64% higher in Meilen, 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 $122 in Meilen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $570 – making London the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇨🇭 Meilen

🕒 Local time

15:43 3:43 PM

16:43 4:43 PM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

13,515

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Meilen 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

London
Meilen

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 Meilen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,986 in London, $3,372 in Meilen – roughly 18% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $5,059 in Meilen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 63% cheaper in London – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London and $122 in Meilen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,986 in London and $3,372 in Meilen. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $3,372 in Meilen to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Meilen. 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.