Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and St. Gallen

For one person, living is cheaper in St. Gallen: $3,632 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in London outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
178

Cost of Living Index in St. Gallen
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St. Gallen Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

St. Gallen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,632

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in St. Gallen

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

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $3,632 in St. Gallen, rent included.

London $4,086
St. Gallen $3,632

A couple spends around $5,816 per month in London vs $5,284 in St. Gallen, rent included.

London $5,816
St. Gallen $5,284

A family of three spends $7,546 per month in London vs $6,937 in St. Gallen, rent included.

London $7,546
St. Gallen $6,937

London costs about 13% more than St. Gallen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both London and St. Gallen sit above the global median – London by 205%, St. Gallen by 171%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.62 £20.11

$29.41 CHF 24.41

-9.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.3

$145 CHF 121

-26.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 £7.85

$17.82 CHF 14.79

-41.69%

Cappuccino

$5.79 £4.38

$5.99 CHF 4.97

-3.34%

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

$3.01 £2.27

$5.81 CHF 4.83

-48.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.63

$5.33 CHF 4.42

-59.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.35 £7.06

$9.23 CHF 7.66

1.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 £5.93

$6.17 CHF 5.12

27.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 £1.35

$2.23 CHF 1.85

-19.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 £1.56

$3.18 CHF 2.64

-35.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 £1.74

$3.68 CHF 3.06

-37.23%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.82

$7.68 CHF 6.37

-34.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 £9.50

$25.41 CHF 21.09

-50.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 £8.05

$28.97 CHF 24.05

-63.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 £12.94

$38.85 CHF 32.25

-55.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$3.16 CHF 2.62

-4.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.07

$1.61 CHF 1.33

-12.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.31

$2.31 CHF 1.92

32.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.56

$6.01 CHF 4.99

-43.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$1.70 CHF 1.41

-1.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.31

$2.16 CHF 1.80

-19.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.07

$2.16 CHF 1.79

-34.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.18 CHF 0.98

51.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.22 £17.55

$10.65 CHF 8.84

118.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 £9.82

$11.32 CHF 9.39

14.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.40

$2.18 CHF 1.81

45.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 £3.33

$2.31 CHF 1.92

90.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 £2.93

$4.17 CHF 3.46

-7.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$250 £189

$128 CHF 106

94.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 £4.31

$6.64 CHF 5.51

-14.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 £2.51

$4.79 CHF 3.98

-30.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.9 £43.76

$77.3 CHF 64.2

-25.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.54

$2.22 CHF 1.84

-8.11%

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

$37.5K £28.4K

$35.3K CHF 29.3K

6.31%

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

$40.9K £30.9K

$39.5K CHF 32.7K

3.65%

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

$376 £284

$305 CHF 253

23.28%

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

$17.88 £13.51

$38.46 CHF 31.92

-53.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.01 £30.24

$54.2 CHF 44.95

-26.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 £46.22

$80.7 CHF 67.0

-24.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 £15.93

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.57

$30.32 CHF 25.16

-40.80%

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

$2,865 £2,165

$2,308 CHF 1,915

24.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.7K

$31.8K CHF 26.4K

11.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.7

$146 CHF 122

-20.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 £40.87

$64.6 CHF 53.7

-16.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 £95.7

$147 CHF 122

-14.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 £120

$179 CHF 148

-10.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,853 £2,156

$1,734 CHF 1,439

64.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 £1,739

$1,698 CHF 1,410

35.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,201 £3,931

$2,854 CHF 2,369

82.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,723 £2,813

$2,153 CHF 1,787

72.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.0K £14.4K

$12.1K CHF 10.0K

57.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,881 £5,955

$9,070 CHF 7,528

-13.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,818 £3,641

$6,528 CHF 5,418

-26.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

2.1

121.43%

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

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Last update for St. Gallen: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.5%

St. Gallen

$1.7K 46% 26.2% $603

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$434 10.7%

St. Gallen

$398 10.8% 8.4% $36

Eating Out

London

$397 9.7%

St. Gallen

$464 12.6% 16.9% $67

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.6%

St. Gallen

$572 15.5% 63.8% $223

Getting Around

London

$288 7.1%

St. Gallen

$176 4.8% 39% $112

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5%

St. Gallen

$242 6.6% 17.8% $36

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

St. Gallen

$141 3.8% 45.6% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,853 in London versus $1,734 in St. Gallen. 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 35% higher in St. Gallen, 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 $108 in London versus $145 in St. Gallen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $572 – making London the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇨🇭 St. Gallen

🕒 Local time

14:02 2:02 PM

15:02 3:02 PM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

78,213

💱 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 = 1.08 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.847 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 = 0.93 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

London St. Gallen 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

London
St. Gallen

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 St. Gallen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,086 in London, $3,632 in St. Gallen – roughly 13% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,129 per month in London and $5,447 in St. Gallen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 64% 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 $108 in London and $145 in St. Gallen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,086 in London and $3,632 in St. Gallen. 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 $3,632 in St. Gallen to $4,086 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 St. Gallen. 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.