Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Zug

For one person, living is cheaper in London: $4,086 a month against $4,866 in Zug, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
236

Cost of Living Index in Zug
Learn more

Zug Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Zug

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,866

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Zug

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

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $4,866 in Zug, rent included.

London $4,086
Zug $4,866

A couple spends around $5,816 per month in London vs $7,682 in Zug, rent included.

London $5,816
Zug $7,682

A family of three spends $7,546 per month in London vs $10.5K in Zug, rent included.

London $7,546
Zug $10.5K

London is about 16% cheaper than Zug, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both London and Zug sit above the global median – London by 205%, Zug by 263%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.62 £20.11

$35.83 CHF 29.74

-25.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.3

$177 CHF 147

-39.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 £7.85

$23.97 CHF 19.90

-56.65%

Cappuccino

$5.79 £4.38

$6.99 CHF 5.80

-17.17%

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

$3.01 £2.27

$6.08 CHF 5.04

-50.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.63

$5.89 CHF 4.89

-63.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.35 £7.06

$9.83 CHF 8.16

-4.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 £5.93

$7.60 CHF 6.31

3.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 £1.35

$2.24 CHF 1.86

-20.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 £1.56

$4.19 CHF 3.48

-50.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 £1.74

$4.26 CHF 3.54

-45.77%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.82

$7.87 CHF 6.53

-35.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 £9.50

$27.20 CHF 22.58

-53.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 £8.05

$30.46 CHF 25.28

-65.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 £12.94

$42.05 CHF 34.90

-59.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$3.69 CHF 3.07

-17.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.07

$2.04 CHF 1.69

-30.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.31

$2.71 CHF 2.25

12.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.56

$5.43 CHF 4.50

-37.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$1.94 CHF 1.61

-13.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.31

$2.14 CHF 1.77

-19.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.07

$2.40 CHF 1.99

-41.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.37 CHF 1.13

30.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.22 £17.55

$10.66 CHF 8.85

117.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 £9.82

$17.83 CHF 14.80

-27.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.40

$2.97 CHF 2.47

7.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 £3.33

$3.96 CHF 3.29

11.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 £2.93

$4.90 CHF 4.07

-21.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$250 £189

$162 CHF 134

54.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 £4.31

$8.88 CHF 7.37

-35.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 £2.51

$6.10 CHF 5.06

-45.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.9 £43.76

$35.83 CHF 29.73

61.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.54

$2.31 CHF 1.91

-11.69%

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

$37.5K £28.4K

$42.4K CHF 35.2K

-11.42%

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

$40.9K £30.9K

$39.8K CHF 33.0K

2.84%

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

$376 £284

$273 CHF 227

37.71%

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

$17.88 £13.51

$37.76 CHF 31.34

-52.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.01 £30.24

$61.9 CHF 51.4

-35.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 £46.22

$121 CHF 100

-49.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 £15.93

$31.87 CHF 26.45

-33.89%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.57

$23.75 CHF 19.71

-24.42%

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

$2,865 £2,165

$4,147 CHF 3,442

-30.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.7K

$35.9K CHF 29.8K

-1.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.7

$164 CHF 136

-29.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 £40.87

$66.7 CHF 55.4

-18.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 £95.7

$152 CHF 126

-16.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 £120

$269 CHF 223

-40.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,853 £2,156

$3,874 CHF 3,215

-26.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 £1,739

$2,656 CHF 2,204

-13.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,201 £3,931

$6,844 CHF 5,680

-24.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,723 £2,813

$4,929 CHF 4,091

-24.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.0K £14.4K

$30.5K CHF 25.3K

-37.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,881 £5,955

$20.8K CHF 17.3K

-62.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,818 £3,641

$7,227 CHF 5,999

-33.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

1.9

144.74%

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

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Last update for Zug: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.5%

Zug

$2.7K 54.2% 15.4% $355

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$434 10.7%

Zug

$373 7.6% 14.1% $61

Eating Out

London

$397 9.7%

Zug

$555 11.3% 39.8% $158

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.6%

Zug

$636 13% 82.1% $287

Getting Around

London

$288 7.1%

Zug

$221 4.5% 23.2% $67

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5%

Zug

$293 6% 42.9% $88

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Zug

$168 3.4% 73.4% $71

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,853 in London versus $3,874 in Zug. 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 50% higher in Zug, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in London versus $177 in Zug. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $636 – making London the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇨🇭 Zug

🕒 Local time

11:20 11:20 AM

12:20 12:20 PM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

29,251

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

London Zug 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

London
Zug

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 Zug: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,086 in London, $4,866 in Zug – roughly 19% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,129 per month in London and $7,299 in Zug. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 82% more in Zug, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in London and $177 in Zug. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$5,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,086 in London and $4,866 in Zug. 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 $4,086 in London to $4,866 in Zug. 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 London. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Zug makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.