Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Olten and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Olten: $3,049 a month against $4,049 in London, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in London outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

148

Cost of Living Index in Olten
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Olten Living Index
195

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Olten

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,049

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,049

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Olten 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 Olten and in London actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Olten $3,049
London $4,049

A couple spends around $4,812 per month in Olten vs $5,827 in London, rent included.

Olten $4,812
London $5,827

A family of three spends $6,576 per month in Olten vs $7,605 in London, rent included.

Olten $6,576
London $7,605

Olten is about 25% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Olten and London sit above the global median – Olten by 125%, London by 199%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$33.18 CHF 27.33

$27.09 £20.33

22.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 100

$104 £78.3

16.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.69 CHF 14.57

$10.86 £8.15

62.89%

Cappuccino

$6.29 CHF 5.18

$5.60 £4.20

12.32%

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

$5.51 CHF 4.54

$3.05 £2.29

80.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.21 CHF 4.29

$2.28 £1.71

128.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.22 CHF 7.59

$9.23 £6.92

-0.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.52 CHF 6.19

$7.95 £5.96

-5.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 CHF 1.73

$1.83 £1.37

15.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.87 CHF 3.19

$2.05 £1.54

88.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.81 CHF 3.14

$2.47 £1.86

54.25%

Eggs

$8.37 CHF 6.90

$5.12 £3.84

63.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.10 CHF 21.50

$12.89 £9.67

102.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.77 CHF 22.05

$10.84 £8.14

146.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$46.34 CHF 38.16

$17.03 £12.78

172.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 CHF 3.31

$3.07 £2.30

30.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 CHF 2.22

$1.38 £1.03

94.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 CHF 2.45

$2.99 £2.24

-0.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.69 CHF 3.86

$3.39 £2.54

38.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.49 CHF 2.05

$1.60 £1.20

55.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 CHF 1.76

$1.80 £1.35

18.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 CHF 2.10

$1.41 £1.06

80.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 CHF 1.06

$1.81 £1.36

-28.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.85 CHF 8.93

$23.92 £17.94

-54.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.12 CHF 11.63

$13.54 £10.16

4.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 CHF 2.30

$3.23 £2.42

-13.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 CHF 2.68

$4.39 £3.29

-25.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.30 CHF 4.37

$3.92 £2.94

35.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 CHF 88.3

$243 £182

-55.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.39 CHF 6.91

$5.58 £4.18

50.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.53 CHF 3.73

$3.27 £2.46

38.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$90.2 CHF 74.3

$58.4 £43.81

54.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 CHF 1.78

$2.08 £1.56

3.85%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

$38.8K £29.1K

1.83%

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

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

$40.6K £30.5K

-3.23%

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

$275 CHF 227

$380 £285

-27.54%

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

$32.97 CHF 27.15

$18.62 £13.97

77.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.51 CHF 39.13

$40.45 £30.35

17.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.2 CHF 66.1

$61.3 £45.95

30.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.41 £16.07

Cinema Ticket

$21.01 CHF 17.30

$18.09 £13.57

16.14%

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

$3,608 CHF 2,971

$2,905 £2,180

24.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.7K CHF 34.3K

$35.5K £26.6K

17.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$143 CHF 118

$116 £87.3

22.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 CHF 48.81

$54.5 £40.89

8.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$167 CHF 137

$128 £95.8

30.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$210 CHF 173

$167 £125

26.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 CHF 997

$2,852 £2,140

-57.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 CHF 852

$2,269 £1,702

-54.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,968 CHF 1,621

$5,250 £3,939

-62.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,948 CHF 1,605

$3,752 £2,815

-48.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.5K £13.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,100 £6,077

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,837 CHF 4,808

$5,109 £3,833

14.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.07

4.74

-56.33%

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

Last update for Olten: October 20, 2026

Last update for London: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Olten

$1K 34%

London

$2.3K 56% 119% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Olten

$617 20.3%

London

$353 8.7% 42.8% $264

Eating Out

Olten

$498 16.3%

London

$400 9.9% 19.7% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Olten

$356 11.7%

London

$439 10.9% 23.4% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Olten

$261 8.6%

London

$209 5.2% 19.7% $51

Getting Around

Olten

$160 5.2%

London

$280 6.9% 75.8% $121

Sport & Entertainment

Olten

$122 4%

London

$97 2.4% 20.3% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,210 in Olten versus $2,852 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 14% higher in Olten, 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 Olten versus $104 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $617 vs $353 – making London the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Olten

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

17:14 5:14 PM

16:14 4:14 PM

1 h behind Olten

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,280

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

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).

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).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Olten London 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Olten
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

Olten vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,049 in Olten, $4,049 in London – roughly 33% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,573 per month in Olten and $6,073 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 75% 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 $122 in Olten and $104 in London. 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 $3,049 in Olten and $4,049 in London. 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 $3,049 in Olten to $4,049 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 Olten. 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.