Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Gallen and London

For one person, living is cheaper in St. Gallen: $3,632 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in London outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

178

Cost of Living Index in St. Gallen
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St. Gallen Living Index
196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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St. Gallen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,632

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,632 per month in St. Gallen vs $4,086 in London, rent included.

St. Gallen $3,632
London $4,086

A couple spends around $5,284 per month in St. Gallen vs $5,816 in London, rent included.

St. Gallen $5,284
London $5,816

A family of three spends $6,937 per month in St. Gallen vs $7,546 in London, rent included.

St. Gallen $6,937
London $7,546

St. Gallen is about 11% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both St. Gallen and London sit above the global median – St. Gallen by 171%, London by 205%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.41 CHF 24.41

$26.62 £20.11

10.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$145 CHF 121

$108 £81.3

35.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.82 CHF 14.79

$10.39 £7.85

71.51%

Cappuccino

$5.99 CHF 4.97

$5.79 £4.38

3.45%

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

$5.81 CHF 4.83

$3.01 £2.27

93.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 CHF 4.42

$2.15 £1.63

147.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.23 CHF 7.66

$9.35 £7.06

-1.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 CHF 5.12

$7.84 £5.93

-21.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.85

$1.79 £1.35

24.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 CHF 2.64

$2.06 £1.56

54.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.68 CHF 3.06

$2.31 £1.74

59.31%

Eggs

$7.68 CHF 6.37

$5.05 £3.82

52.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.41 CHF 21.09

$12.57 £9.50

102.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.97 CHF 24.05

$10.66 £8.05

171.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$38.85 CHF 32.25

$17.13 £12.94

126.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 CHF 2.62

$3.03 £2.29

4.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 CHF 1.33

$1.41 £1.07

14.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 CHF 1.92

$3.05 £2.31

-24.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.01 CHF 4.99

$3.38 £2.56

77.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 CHF 1.41

$1.67 £1.26

1.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 CHF 1.80

$1.73 £1.31

24.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 CHF 1.79

$1.41 £1.07

53.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 CHF 0.98

$1.79 £1.35

-34.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.65 CHF 8.84

$23.22 £17.55

-54.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.32 CHF 9.39

$12.99 £9.82

-12.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 CHF 1.81

$3.18 £2.40

-31.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 CHF 1.92

$4.41 £3.33

-47.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.17 CHF 3.46

$3.87 £2.93

7.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$128 CHF 106

$250 £189

-48.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.64 CHF 5.51

$5.71 £4.31

16.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.79 CHF 3.98

$3.33 £2.51

43.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$77.3 CHF 64.2

$57.9 £43.76

33.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 CHF 1.84

$2.04 £1.54

8.82%

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

$35.3K CHF 29.3K

$37.5K £28.4K

-5.94%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.7K

$40.9K £30.9K

-3.52%

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

$305 CHF 253

$376 £284

-18.88%

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

$38.46 CHF 31.92

$17.88 £13.51

115.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.2 CHF 44.95

$40.01 £30.24

35.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.7 CHF 67.0

$61.2 £46.22

31.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 £15.93

Cinema Ticket

$30.32 CHF 25.16

$17.95 £13.57

68.91%

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

$2,308 CHF 1,915

$2,865 £2,165

-19.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.8K CHF 26.4K

$35.3K £26.7K

-10.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$146 CHF 122

$116 £87.7

26.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.6 CHF 53.7

$54.1 £40.87

19.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$147 CHF 122

$127 £95.7

16.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$179 CHF 148

$159 £120

12.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,734 CHF 1,439

$2,853 £2,156

-39.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,698 CHF 1,410

$2,301 £1,739

-26.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,854 CHF 2,369

$5,201 £3,931

-45.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,153 CHF 1,787

$3,723 £2,813

-42.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.1K CHF 10.0K

$19.0K £14.4K

-36.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,070 CHF 7,528

$7,881 £5,955

15.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,528 CHF 5,418

$4,818 £3,641

35.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.1

4.65

-54.84%

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

Last update for St. Gallen: October 5, 2026

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St. Gallen

$1.7K 46%

London

$2.3K 56.5% 35.5% $603

Groceries & Markets

St. Gallen

$572 15.5%

London

$349 8.6% 39% $223

Eating Out

St. Gallen

$464 12.6%

London

$397 9.7% 14.5% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Gallen

$398 10.8%

London

$434 10.7% 9.1% $36

Clothing & Footwear

St. Gallen

$242 6.6%

London

$205 5% 15.1% $36

Getting Around

St. Gallen

$176 4.8%

London

$288 7.1% 64% $112

Sport & Entertainment

St. Gallen

$141 3.8%

London

$97 2.4% 31.3% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,734 in St. Gallen versus $2,853 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 35% higher in St. Gallen, 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 $145 in St. Gallen versus $108 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $572 vs $349 – making London the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 St. Gallen

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

04:33 4:33 AM

03:33 3:33 AM

1 h behind St. Gallen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,213

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.2 USD

1 CHF = 1.07 EUR

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.83 CHF (1 CHF = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 0.931 CHF (1 CHF = 1.07 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

St. Gallen London 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

St. Gallen
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

St. Gallen vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,632 in St. Gallen, $4,086 in London – roughly 13% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,447 per month in St. Gallen and $6,129 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 64% 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 $145 in St. Gallen and $108 in London. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,632 in St. Gallen and $4,086 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 $3,632 in St. Gallen to $4,086 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 St. Gallen. 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.