Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Yens

For one person, living is cheaper in Yens: $3,329 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in London outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
162

Cost of Living Index in Yens
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Yens Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Yens

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,329

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Yens

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

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $3,329 in Yens, rent included.

London $3,986
Yens $3,329

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $5,100 in Yens, rent included.

London $5,791
Yens $5,100

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $6,872 in Yens, rent included.

London $7,595
Yens $6,872

London costs about 20% more than Yens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both London and Yens sit above the global median – London by 195%, Yens by 147%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$29.34 CHF 24.16

-11.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$119 CHF 98.0

-10.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$15.95 CHF 13.14

-32.85%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$6.00 CHF 4.94

-8.83%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$4.95 CHF 4.08

-40.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$4.27 CHF 3.51

-48.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$9.07 CHF 7.47

0.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$7.69 CHF 6.34

3.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$2.13 CHF 1.76

-12.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$2.99 CHF 2.46

-30.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$3.18 CHF 2.62

-23.90%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$7.17 CHF 5.91

-29.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$23.95 CHF 19.73

-46.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$28.06 CHF 23.11

-62.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$39.38 CHF 32.44

-57.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$3.63 CHF 2.99

-14.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.95 CHF 1.61

-28.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$2.52 CHF 2.08

22.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$4.43 CHF 3.65

-26.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.62 CHF 1.34

-2.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.94 CHF 1.60

-10.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.98 CHF 1.63

-29.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.27 CHF 1.05

41.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$10.70 CHF 8.81

117.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$11.98 CHF 9.87

8.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$2.24 CHF 1.85

41.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$2.86 CHF 2.36

54.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$4.58 CHF 3.77

-11.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

$98.4 CHF 81.0

150.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$7.70 CHF 6.34

-27.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$4.56 CHF 3.75

-26.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$84.2 CHF 69.3

-32.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$2.36 CHF 1.94

-9.75%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$41.9K CHF 34.5K

-8.83%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$39.7K CHF 32.7K

3.01%

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

$372 £279

$274 CHF 225

35.99%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$27.35 CHF 22.52

-34.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$51.4 CHF 42.31

-21.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$89.6 CHF 73.8

-33.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

$45.51 CHF 37.48

-53.22%

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$24.00 CHF 19.76

-26.08%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$2,954 CHF 2,433

-3.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$30.3K CHF 25.0K

16.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$141 CHF 116

-19.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$61.4 CHF 50.6

-11.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$138 CHF 114

-9.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$197 CHF 162

-17.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$1,679 CHF 1,383

70.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$1,440 CHF 1,186

55.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,951

$2,839 CHF 2,338

85.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,835

$2,494 CHF 2,054

51.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

$16.2K CHF 13.3K

13.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,020

$12.0K CHF 9,900

-33.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,779

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

1.95

143.08%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Yens: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Yens

$1.4K 43.3% 35.5% $793

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Yens

$352 10.6% 18.1% $78

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Yens

$452 13.6% 16.7% $65

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Yens

$558 16.8% 59.6% $208

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Yens

$147 4.4% 48.4% $138

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Yens

$242 7.3% 17.9% $37

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Yens

$138 4.1% 44.1% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,869 in London versus $1,679 in Yens. 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 $107 in London versus $119 in Yens. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $558 – making London the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇨🇭 Yens

🕒 Local time

08:59 8:59 AM

09:59 9:59 AM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

2,200

💱 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 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).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

London Yens 730 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

London
Yens

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 Yens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,986 in London, $3,329 in Yens – roughly 20% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $4,993 in Yens. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 60% 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 $119 in Yens. 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 $3,329 in Yens. 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 $3,329 in Yens 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 Yens. 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.