Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Meilen and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Meilen: $3,372 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in London outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Meilen
🇨🇭 Switzerland
$3,372
/mo nomad
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,986
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Meilen and in London

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Meilen and in London actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,372 per month in Meilen vs $3,986 in London, rent included.

  • Meilen $3,372
  • London $3,986

A couple spends around $5,942 per month in Meilen vs $5,791 in London, rent included.

  • Meilen $5,942
  • London $5,791

A family of three spends $8,512 per month in Meilen vs $7,595 in London, rent included.

  • Meilen $8,512
  • London $7,595

Meilen is about 15% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Meilen and London sit above the global median – Meilen by 150%, London by 195%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Meilen
London
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$32.47 CHF 26.74
$25.93 £19.45
25.22%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$122 CHF 101
$107 £79.9
14.95%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$16.33 CHF 13.45
$10.71 £8.03
52.47%
Cappuccino
$6.31 CHF 5.19
$5.47 £4.11
15.36%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.68 CHF 4.67
$2.97 £2.23
91.25%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.01 CHF 4.13
$2.20 £1.65
127.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.46 CHF 6.97
$9.13 £6.85
-7.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.29 CHF 6.83
$7.94 £5.96
4.41%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Meilen
London
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.21 CHF 1.82
$1.86 £1.40
18.82%
White Bread (500g)
$3.27 CHF 2.69
$2.07 £1.55
57.97%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.78 CHF 3.11
$2.42 £1.81
56.20%
Eggs
$7.49 CHF 6.17
$5.09 £3.82
47.15%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$26.56 CHF 21.87
$12.87 £9.66
106.37%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$25.69 CHF 21.16
$10.43 £7.82
146.31%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$40.25 CHF 33.15
$16.87 £12.66
138.59%
Apples (1kg)
$3.42 CHF 2.82
$3.11 £2.33
9.97%
Banana (1kg)
$2.03 CHF 1.67
$1.40 £1.05
45.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.67 CHF 2.20
$3.08 £2.31
-13.31%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.58 CHF 3.77
$3.27 £2.45
40.06%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 CHF 1.61
$1.58 £1.19
24.05%
Onion (1kg)
$2.16 CHF 1.78
$1.74 £1.31
24.14%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.32 CHF 1.91
$1.40 £1.05
65.71%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 CHF 1.03
$1.80 £1.35
-30.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.03 CHF 9.09
$23.28 £17.46
-52.62%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.25 CHF 10.91
$13.03 £9.77
1.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.26 CHF 1.86
$3.17 £2.38
-28.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.23 CHF 2.66
$4.42 £3.32
-26.92%
🚌 Getting Around
Meilen
London
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.59 CHF 3.78
$4.07 £3.05
12.78%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$96.8 CHF 79.7
$247 £185
-60.77%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$7.55 CHF 6.21
$5.58 £4.18
35.30%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$4.50 CHF 3.71
$3.36 £2.52
33.93%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$88.0 CHF 72.5
$56.8 £42.57
55.12%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.26 CHF 1.86
$2.13 £1.60
6.10%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.7K CHF 31.9K
$38.2K £28.6K
1.28%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.4K CHF 32.5K
$40.9K £30.7K
-3.62%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Meilen
London
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$235 CHF 194
$372 £279
-36.76%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.06 CHF 29.70
$17.82 £13.37
102.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$65.3 CHF 53.8
$40.37 £30.29
61.75%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Meilen
London
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$88.1 CHF 72.6
$60.0 £44.99
46.94%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$44.50 CHF 36.65
$21.29 £15.97
109.02%
Cinema Ticket
$21.90 CHF 18.04
$17.74 £13.31
23.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Meilen
London
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,816 CHF 2,319
$2,864 £2,149
-1.70%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$42.3K CHF 34.8K
$35.3K £26.5K
19.61%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Meilen
London
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$137 CHF 113
$114 £85.5
20.56%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.2 CHF 48.77
$54.3 £40.71
9.10%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$144 CHF 118
$124 £93.2
15.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$174 CHF 143
$163 £122
6.57%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Meilen
London
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,690 CHF 1,392
$2,869 £2,152
-41.10%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,471 CHF 1,211
$2,233 £1,675
-34.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,831 CHF 2,332
$5,266 £3,950
-46.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$4,065 CHF 3,348
$3,778 £2,834
7.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$15.8K CHF 13.0K
$18.3K £13.8K
-13.91%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$11.9K CHF 9,812
$8,024 £6,019
48.48%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Meilen
London
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$8,259 CHF 6,802
$5,037 £3,778
63.98%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
1.72
4.74
-63.71%

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

Last update for Meilen: October 11, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Meilen
$1.5K
London
$2.2K 51.8% $762
Groceries & Markets
Meilen
$570
London
$349 38.7% $221
Eating Out
Meilen
$486
London
$388 20.3% $99
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Meilen
$337
London
$430 27.8% $94
Clothing & Footwear
Meilen
$231
London
$205 11.4% $26
Getting Around
Meilen
$145
London
$285 96.5% $140
Sport & Entertainment
Meilen
$132
London
$95 27.6% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,690 in Meilen versus $2,869 in London. 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 64% higher in Meilen, 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 $122 in Meilen versus $107 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $570 vs $349 – making London the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇭 Meilen
🇬🇧 London
🕒 Local time
14:32 2:32 PM
13:32 1:32 PM
1 h behind Meilen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
13,515
8,908,083 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Meilen London 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Meilen
  • London

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
Meilen vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Meilen and in London compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $3,372 in Meilen, $3,986 in London – roughly 18% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Meilen compared to London?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,059 per month in Meilen and $5,979 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Meilen and London?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Meilen, 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 63% 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 $122 in Meilen and $107 in London. 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 $3,372 in Meilen and $3,986 in London. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
How does quality of life compare between Meilen and London?
It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $3,372 in Meilen to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Meilen or London 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 Meilen and London?
If budget matters most, go with Meilen. 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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