Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Olten

For one person, living is cheaper in Olten: $3,049 a month against $4,049 in London, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in London outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

195

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
148

Cost of Living Index in Olten
Learn more

Olten Living Index

Jump to prices

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,049

/mo nomad

Olten

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,049

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Olten

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

A single person spends $4,049 per month in London vs $3,049 in Olten, rent included.

London $4,049
Olten $3,049

A couple spends around $5,827 per month in London vs $4,812 in Olten, rent included.

London $5,827
Olten $4,812

A family of three spends $7,605 per month in London vs $6,576 in Olten, rent included.

London $7,605
Olten $6,576

London costs about 33% more than Olten, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both London and Olten sit above the global median – London by 199%, Olten by 125%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.09 £20.33

$33.18 CHF 27.33

-18.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 £78.3

$122 CHF 100

-14.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.86 £8.15

$17.69 CHF 14.57

-38.61%

Cappuccino

$5.60 £4.20

$6.29 CHF 5.18

-10.97%

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

$3.05 £2.29

$5.51 CHF 4.54

-44.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 £1.71

$5.21 CHF 4.29

-56.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.23 £6.92

$9.22 CHF 7.59

0.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.95 £5.96

$7.52 CHF 6.19

5.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 £1.37

$2.11 CHF 1.73

-13.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 £1.54

$3.87 CHF 3.19

-47.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 £1.86

$3.81 CHF 3.14

-35.17%

Eggs

$5.12 £3.84

$8.37 CHF 6.90

-38.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.89 £9.67

$26.10 CHF 21.50

-50.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.84 £8.14

$26.77 CHF 22.05

-59.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.03 £12.78

$46.34 CHF 38.16

-63.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 £2.30

$4.02 CHF 3.31

-23.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 £1.03

$2.69 CHF 2.22

-48.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 £2.24

$2.97 CHF 2.45

0.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 £2.54

$4.69 CHF 3.86

-27.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 £1.20

$2.49 CHF 2.05

-35.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 £1.35

$2.14 CHF 1.76

-15.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.06

$2.55 CHF 2.10

-44.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 £1.36

$1.29 CHF 1.06

40.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.92 £17.94

$10.85 CHF 8.93

120.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.54 £10.16

$14.12 CHF 11.63

-4.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.23 £2.42

$2.79 CHF 2.30

15.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 £3.29

$3.25 CHF 2.68

35.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.92 £2.94

$5.30 CHF 4.37

-26.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$243 £182

$107 CHF 88.3

126.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$8.39 CHF 6.91

-33.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.27 £2.46

$4.53 CHF 3.73

-27.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.4 £43.81

$90.2 CHF 74.3

-35.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-3.70%

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

$38.8K £29.1K

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

-1.80%

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

$40.6K £30.5K

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

3.34%

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

$380 £285

$275 CHF 227

38.00%

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

$18.62 £13.97

$32.97 CHF 27.15

-43.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.45 £30.35

$47.51 CHF 39.13

-14.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.3 £45.95

$80.2 CHF 66.1

-23.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.41 £16.07

Cinema Ticket

$18.09 £13.57

$21.01 CHF 17.30

-13.90%

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

$2,905 £2,180

$3,608 CHF 2,971

-19.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.5K £26.6K

$41.7K CHF 34.3K

-14.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.3

$143 CHF 118

-18.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.5 £40.89

$59.3 CHF 48.81

-8.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 £95.8

$167 CHF 137

-23.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$167 £125

$210 CHF 173

-20.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,852 £2,140

$1,210 CHF 997

135.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,269 £1,702

$1,035 CHF 852

119.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,250 £3,939

$1,968 CHF 1,621

166.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,752 £2,815

$1,948 CHF 1,605

92.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.5K £13.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,100 £6,077

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,109 £3,833

$5,837 CHF 4,808

-12.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

2.07

128.99%

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

Last update for London: October 19, 2026

Last update for Olten: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56%

Olten

$1K 34% 54.4% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$439 10.9%

Olten

$356 11.7% 19% $83

Eating Out

London

$400 9.9%

Olten

$498 16.3% 24.5% $98

Groceries & Markets

London

$353 8.7%

Olten

$617 20.3% 74.7% $264

Getting Around

London

$280 6.9%

Olten

$160 5.2% 43.1% $121

Clothing & Footwear

London

$209 5.2%

Olten

$261 8.6% 24.5% $51

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Olten

$122 4% 25.5% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,852 in London versus $1,210 in Olten. 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 14% higher in Olten, 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 $104 in London versus $122 in Olten. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $353 vs $617 – making London the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇨🇭 Olten

🕒 Local time

17:06 5:06 PM

18:06 6:06 PM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

17,280

💱 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 Olten 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

London
Olten

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 Olten: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,049 in London, $3,049 in Olten – roughly 33% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,073 per month in London and $4,573 in Olten. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 75% 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 $104 in London and $122 in Olten. 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 $4,049 in London and $3,049 in Olten. 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 $3,049 in Olten to $4,049 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 Olten. 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.