Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Staefa

For one person, living is cheaper in Staefa: $3,334 a month against $4,049 in London, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in London outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$4,049
/mo nomad
Staefa
🇨🇭 Switzerland
$3,334
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Staefa

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

A single person spends $4,049 per month in London vs $3,334 in Staefa, rent included.

  • London $4,049
  • Staefa $3,334

A couple spends around $5,827 per month in London vs $5,350 in Staefa, rent included.

  • London $5,827
  • Staefa $5,350

A family of three spends $7,605 per month in London vs $7,365 in Staefa, rent included.

  • London $7,605
  • Staefa $7,365

London costs about 21% more than Staefa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both London and Staefa sit above the global median – London by 199%, Staefa by 146%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
London
Staefa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$27.09 £20.33
$32.82 CHF 27.03
-17.46%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$104 £78.3
$121 CHF 99.3
-13.44%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.86 £8.15
$16.37 CHF 13.49
-33.66%
Cappuccino
$5.60 £4.20
$6.22 CHF 5.12
-9.97%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.05 £2.29
$5.88 CHF 4.84
-48.13%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 £1.71
$5.00 CHF 4.12
-54.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.23 £6.92
$8.26 CHF 6.80
11.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.95 £5.96
$8.41 CHF 6.93
-5.47%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
Staefa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.83 £1.37
$2.23 CHF 1.84
-17.94%
White Bread (500g)
$2.05 £1.54
$3.45 CHF 2.84
-40.58%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.47 £1.86
$3.77 CHF 3.11
-34.48%
Eggs
$5.12 £3.84
$8.37 CHF 6.90
-38.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.89 £9.67
$26.91 CHF 22.17
-52.10%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.84 £8.14
$25.91 CHF 21.34
-58.16%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.03 £12.78
$55.2 CHF 45.46
-69.14%
Apples (1kg)
$3.07 £2.30
$3.47 CHF 2.86
-11.53%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 £1.03
$2.75 CHF 2.27
-49.82%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.99 £2.24
$3.58 CHF 2.95
-16.48%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.39 £2.54
$4.48 CHF 3.69
-24.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.60 £1.20
$2.49 CHF 2.05
-35.74%
Onion (1kg)
$1.80 £1.35
$2.28 CHF 1.88
-21.05%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.41 £1.06
$2.48 CHF 2.05
-43.15%
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
$10.79 CHF 8.88
121.69%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.54 £10.16
$13.68 CHF 11.27
-1.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.23 £2.42
$2.74 CHF 2.26
17.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.39 £3.29
$3.21 CHF 2.64
36.76%
🚌 Getting Around
London
Staefa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.92 £2.94
$4.37 CHF 3.60
-10.30%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$243 £182
$100 CHF 82.5
142.52%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.58 £4.18
$7.40 CHF 6.10
-24.59%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.27 £2.46
$4.73 CHF 3.89
-30.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$58.4 £43.81
$87.0 CHF 71.7
-32.88%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.08 £1.56
$2.34 CHF 1.93
-11.11%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.8K £29.1K
$39.6K CHF 32.6K
-1.97%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.6K £30.5K
$39.5K CHF 32.5K
2.86%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
Staefa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$380 £285
$236 CHF 194
61.03%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.62 £13.97
$31.65 CHF 26.06
-41.17%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.45 £30.35
$56.5 CHF 46.52
-28.38%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
Staefa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$61.3 £45.95
$79.0 CHF 65.1
-22.50%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.41 £16.07
$44.96 CHF 37.03
-52.38%
Cinema Ticket
$18.09 £13.57
$22.08 CHF 18.18
-18.07%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
Staefa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,905 £2,180
$2,812 CHF 2,316
3.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$35.5K £26.6K
$42.2K CHF 34.7K
-15.78%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
Staefa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$116 £87.3
$138 CHF 113
-15.52%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.5 £40.89
$59.9 CHF 49.37
-9.06%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$128 £95.8
$147 CHF 121
-13.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$167 £125
$171 CHF 141
-2.37%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
Staefa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,852 £2,140
$1,581 CHF 1,302
80.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,269 £1,702
$1,382 CHF 1,138
64.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,250 £3,939
$2,894 CHF 2,383
81.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,752 £2,815
$2,779 CHF 2,289
35.00%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$18.5K £13.9K
$17.3K CHF 14.3K
6.94%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,100 £6,077
$14.1K CHF 11.6K
-42.35%
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
Staefa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,109 £3,833
-
-
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 19, 2026

Last update for Staefa: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
London
$2.3K
Staefa
$1.4K 39.1% $887
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
$439
Staefa
$324 26.2% $115
Eating Out
London
$400
Staefa
$488 22% $88
Groceries & Markets
London
$353
Staefa
$637 80.2% $283
Getting Around
London
$280
Staefa
$149 47% $132
Clothing & Footwear
London
$209
Staefa
$232 10.8% $23
Sport & Entertainment
London
$97
Staefa
$123 26.4% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,852 in London versus $1,581 in Staefa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $104 in London versus $121 in Staefa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $353 vs $637 – making London the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 London
🇨🇭 Staefa
🕒 Local time
16:11 4:11 PM
17:11 5:11 PM
1 h ahead of London
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,908,083 Capital
11,567
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • London Staefa 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • London
  • Staefa

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 Staefa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in London and in Staefa compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $4,049 in London, $3,334 in Staefa – roughly 21% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in London compared to Staefa?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,073 per month in London and $5,002 in Staefa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between London and Staefa?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Staefa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 80% cheaper in London – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $104 in London and $121 in Staefa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is feasible on a $2,000 budget?
$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,049 in London and $3,334 in Staefa. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
How does quality of life compare between London and Staefa?
It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $3,334 in Staefa to $4,049 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is London or Staefa 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 Staefa?
If budget matters most, go with Staefa. 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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