Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Solothurn

For one person, living is cheaper in Solothurn: $2,728 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in London outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,986
/mo nomad
Solothurn
🇨🇭 Switzerland
$2,728
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Solothurn

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

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $2,728 in Solothurn, rent included.

  • London $3,986
  • Solothurn $2,728

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $4,408 in Solothurn, rent included.

  • London $5,791
  • Solothurn $4,408

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $6,088 in Solothurn, rent included.

  • London $7,595
  • Solothurn $6,088

London costs about 46% more than Solothurn, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both London and Solothurn sit above the global median – London by 195%, Solothurn by 102%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
London
Solothurn
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$25.93 £19.45
$30.10 CHF 24.79
-13.85%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$107 £79.9
$143 CHF 118
-25.64%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.71 £8.03
$18.34 CHF 15.10
-41.60%
Cappuccino
$5.47 £4.11
$6.40 CHF 5.27
-14.53%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 £2.23
$5.50 CHF 4.53
-46.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.20 £1.65
$5.11 CHF 4.21
-56.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.13 £6.85
$6.42 CHF 5.28
42.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.94 £5.96
$5.95 CHF 4.90
33.45%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
Solothurn
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.86 £1.40
$2.20 CHF 1.81
-15.45%
White Bread (500g)
$2.07 £1.55
$3.71 CHF 3.05
-44.20%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.42 £1.81
$3.42 CHF 2.81
-29.24%
Eggs
$5.09 £3.82
$8.35 CHF 6.88
-39.04%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.87 £9.66
$22.38 CHF 18.43
-42.49%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.43 £7.82
$26.23 CHF 21.61
-60.24%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.87 £12.66
$62.0 CHF 51.1
-72.79%
Apples (1kg)
$3.11 £2.33
$2.80 CHF 2.30
11.07%
Banana (1kg)
$1.40 £1.05
$1.40 CHF 1.16
-
Oranges (1kg)
$3.08 £2.31
$3.46 CHF 2.85
-10.98%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.27 £2.45
$4.31 CHF 3.55
-24.13%
Potato (1kg)
$1.58 £1.19
$1.63 CHF 1.34
-3.07%
Onion (1kg)
$1.74 £1.31
$1.74 CHF 1.44
-
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.40 £1.05
$1.60 CHF 1.32
-12.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.80 £1.35
$0.95 CHF 0.78
89.47%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.28 £17.46
$10.83 CHF 8.92
114.96%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.03 £9.77
$13.82 CHF 11.38
-5.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.17 £2.38
$2.76 CHF 2.27
14.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 £3.32
$3.04 CHF 2.50
45.39%
🚌 Getting Around
London
Solothurn
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.07 £3.05
$4.77 CHF 3.93
-14.68%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$247 £185
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.58 £4.18
$8.21 CHF 6.76
-32.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.36 £2.52
$4.66 CHF 3.84
-27.90%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$56.8 £42.58
$87.2 CHF 71.8
-34.93%
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
$29.9K CHF 24.6K
27.62%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.9K £30.7K
$35.8K CHF 29.5K
14.10%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
Solothurn
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$372 £279
$96.7 CHF 79.6
285.06%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.82 £13.37
$30.46 CHF 25.09
-41.50%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.37 £30.29
$54.5 CHF 44.86
-25.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
Solothurn
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.0 £44.99
$90.0 CHF 74.2
-33.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.29 £15.97
$16.71 CHF 13.76
27.41%
Cinema Ticket
$17.74 £13.31
$17.70 CHF 14.57
0.23%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
Solothurn
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,864 £2,149
$3,585 CHF 2,952
-20.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$35.3K £26.5K
$19.6K CHF 16.1K
80.70%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
Solothurn
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$114 £85.5
$142 CHF 117
-19.47%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.3 £40.71
$42.66 CHF 35.14
27.22%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$124 £93.2
$162 CHF 134
-23.41%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$163 £122
$251 CHF 206
-34.93%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
Solothurn
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,869 £2,152
$1,132 CHF 933
153.36%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,233 £1,675
$1,020 CHF 840
118.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,266 £3,951
$1,823 CHF 1,501
188.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,778 £2,835
$1,760 CHF 1,449
114.70%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$18.3K £13.8K
$9,738 CHF 8,021
88.25%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,024 £6,020
$4,850 CHF 3,994
65.44%
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
Solothurn
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,037 £3,779
$6,725 CHF 5,538
-25.10%
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 10, 2026

Last update for Solothurn: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
London
$2.2K
Solothurn
$1K 54.3% $1.2K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
$430
Solothurn
$182 57.8% $249
Eating Out
London
$388
Solothurn
$459 18.5% $72
Groceries & Markets
London
$349
Solothurn
$622 77.9% $272
Getting Around
London
$285
Solothurn
$51 * 82.3% $235
Clothing & Footwear
London
$205
Solothurn
$269 31.1% $64
Sport & Entertainment
London
$95
Solothurn
$125 31.4% $30

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,869 in London versus $1,132 in Solothurn. 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 34% higher in Solothurn, 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 $143 in Solothurn. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $622 – making London the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 London
🇨🇭 Solothurn
🕒 Local time
05:41 5:41 AM
06:41 6:41 AM
1 h ahead of London
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,908,083 Capital
16,599
💱 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 Solothurn 730 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • London
  • Solothurn

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 Solothurn: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in London and in Solothurn compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $3,986 in London, $2,728 in Solothurn – roughly 46% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in London compared to Solothurn?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $4,091 in Solothurn. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between London and Solothurn?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Solothurn, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: London or Solothurn?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,986 in London and $2,728 in Solothurn. That's a gap of about 46%.
What is the difference in childcare costs between London and Solothurn?
Kindergarten costs $2,864 per month in London and $3,585 in Solothurn. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is feasible on a $3,000 budget?
$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,986 in London and $2,728 in Solothurn. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
How does quality of life compare between London and Solothurn?
It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,728 in Solothurn to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is London or Solothurn safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between London and Solothurn?
If budget matters most, go with Solothurn. 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.

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