Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riehen and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Riehen: $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.

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

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

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

  • Riehen $3,372
  • London $3,986

A couple spends around $5,084 per month in Riehen vs $5,791 in London, rent included.

  • Riehen $5,084
  • London $5,791

A family of three spends $6,797 per month in Riehen vs $7,595 in London, rent included.

  • Riehen $6,797
  • London $7,595

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

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Riehen
London
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$29.55 CHF 24.34
$25.93 £19.45
13.96%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$120 CHF 98.5
$107 £79.9
12.26%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$15.72 CHF 12.94
$10.71 £8.03
46.78%
Cappuccino
$6.21 CHF 5.11
$5.47 £4.11
13.53%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.98 CHF 4.10
$2.97 £2.23
67.68%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.26 CHF 4.33
$2.20 £1.65
139.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.15 CHF 5.89
$9.13 £6.85
-21.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.57 CHF 5.41
$7.94 £5.96
-17.25%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Riehen
London
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.13 CHF 1.75
$1.86 £1.40
14.52%
White Bread (500g)
$3.14 CHF 2.59
$2.07 £1.55
51.69%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.51 CHF 2.89
$2.42 £1.81
45.04%
Eggs
$7.13 CHF 5.87
$5.09 £3.82
40.08%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$24.83 CHF 20.45
$12.87 £9.66
92.93%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$24.86 CHF 20.48
$10.43 £7.82
138.35%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$37.07 CHF 30.53
$16.87 £12.66
119.74%
Apples (1kg)
$3.52 CHF 2.90
$3.11 £2.33
13.18%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 CHF 1.33
$1.40 £1.05
15.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.51 CHF 2.07
$3.08 £2.31
-18.51%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.36 CHF 3.59
$3.27 £2.45
33.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.78 CHF 1.46
$1.58 £1.19
12.66%
Onion (1kg)
$2.09 CHF 1.72
$1.74 £1.31
20.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.19 CHF 1.80
$1.40 £1.05
56.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 CHF 1.02
$1.80 £1.35
-31.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.91 CHF 8.99
$23.28 £17.46
-53.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.39 CHF 8.56
$13.03 £9.77
-20.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.48 CHF 2.87
$3.17 £2.38
9.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.32 CHF 1.91
$4.42 £3.32
-47.51%
🚌 Getting Around
Riehen
London
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.45 CHF 3.67
$4.07 £3.05
9.34%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$98.6 CHF 81.2
$247 £185
-60.05%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$9.84 CHF 8.11
$5.58 £4.18
76.34%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$4.02 CHF 3.31
$3.36 £2.52
19.64%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$73.6 CHF 60.6
$56.8 £42.58
29.62%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.18 CHF 1.80
$2.13 £1.60
2.35%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$41.5K CHF 34.1K
$38.2K £28.6K
8.58%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.3K CHF 32.3K
$40.9K £30.7K
-4.02%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Riehen
London
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$339 CHF 280
$372 £279
-8.79%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$41.49 CHF 34.17
$17.82 £13.37
132.83%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$56.6 CHF 46.59
$40.37 £30.29
40.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Riehen
London
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$88.7 CHF 73.1
$60.0 £44.99
47.97%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$45.01 CHF 37.07
$21.29 £15.97
111.41%
Cinema Ticket
$21.40 CHF 17.63
$17.74 £13.31
20.63%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Riehen
London
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,786 CHF 1,471
$2,864 £2,149
-37.66%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$36.6K CHF 30.2K
$35.3K £26.5K
3.70%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Riehen
London
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 CHF 84.0
$114 £85.5
-10.55%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.0 CHF 46.94
$54.3 £40.71
5.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$165 CHF 136
$124 £93.2
32.99%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$183 CHF 151
$163 £122
12.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Riehen
London
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,680 CHF 1,384
$2,869 £2,152
-41.44%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,440 CHF 1,186
$2,233 £1,675
-35.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,422 CHF 2,819
$5,266 £3,951
-35.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,418 CHF 1,992
$3,778 £2,835
-36.00%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$15.7K CHF 12.9K
$18.3K £13.8K
-14.54%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$12.0K CHF 9,867
$8,024 £6,020
49.30%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Riehen
London
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$8,642 CHF 7,118
$5,037 £3,779
71.58%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.31
4.74
-51.27%

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

Last update for Riehen: 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
Riehen
$1.4K
London
$2.2K 55.1% $793
Groceries & Markets
Riehen
$540
London
$349 35.3% $191
Eating Out
Riehen
$448
London
$388 13.5% $60
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Riehen
$438
London
$430 1.6% $7.2
Clothing & Footwear
Riehen
$228
London
$205 10.2% $23
Getting Around
Riehen
$146
London
$285 95.1% $139
Sport & Entertainment
Riehen
$132
London
$95 27.4% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,680 in Riehen 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 72% higher in Riehen, 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 $120 in Riehen versus $107 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $540 vs $349 – making London the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇭 Riehen
🇬🇧 London
🕒 Local time
16:00 4:00 PM
15:00 3:00 PM
1 h behind Riehen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
20,970
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 18, 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 18, 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
  • Riehen London 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Riehen
  • 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
Riehen vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Riehen and in London compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $3,372 in Riehen, $3,986 in London – roughly 18% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Riehen compared to London?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,057 per month in Riehen 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 Riehen and London?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Riehen, 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 55% 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 $120 in Riehen 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 $3,000 budget?
$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,372 in Riehen 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 Riehen and London?
It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $3,372 in Riehen to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Riehen 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 Riehen and London?
If budget matters most, go with Riehen. 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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