Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Switzerland and the United Kingdom

Name: United Kingdom
Address: GB

For one person, living is cheaper in the United Kingdom: $2,462 a month against $3,612 in Switzerland, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

174

Cost of Living Index in Switzerland
Learn more

Switzerland Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
Learn more

United Kingdom Living Index

Jump to prices

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,612

/mo nomad

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Switzerland and in the United Kingdom

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,612 in Switzerland versus $2,462 in the United Kingdom.

Switzerland $3,612
United Kingdom $2,462

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,498 in Switzerland versus $3,600 in the United Kingdom.

Switzerland $5,498
United Kingdom $3,600

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,384 in Switzerland versus $4,738 in the United Kingdom.

Switzerland $7,384
United Kingdom $4,738

Switzerland ($1,976–$5,153) and the United Kingdom ($1,126–$4,646) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Switzerland is roughly 47% more expensive than in the United Kingdom on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Switzerland 165% above, the United Kingdom 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.97 CHF 24.72

$21.48 £16.05

39.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 CHF 97.9

$85.7 £64.0

38.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.30 CHF 15.09

$10.61 £7.93

72.48%

Cappuccino

$6.19 CHF 5.11

$4.91 £3.67

26.07%

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

$5.23 CHF 4.31

$2.66 £1.99

96.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.97 CHF 4.10

$1.87 £1.39

165.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.18 CHF 7.57

$6.63 £4.95

38.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.16 CHF 5.91

$6.84 £5.11

4.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 CHF 1.78

$1.68 £1.26

27.98%

White Bread (500g)

$3.71 CHF 3.06

$1.72 £1.28

115.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.71 CHF 3.06

$2.17 £1.62

70.97%

Eggs

$7.77 CHF 6.41

$4.00 £2.99

94.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.73 CHF 21.23

$9.42 £7.04

173.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.14 CHF 23.22

$9.19 £6.86

206.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$43.32 CHF 35.74

$14.77 £11.03

193.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 CHF 3.08

$2.97 £2.21

25.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 CHF 1.82

$1.62 £1.21

36.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 CHF 2.26

$2.85 £2.13

-3.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.01 CHF 4.13

$3.52 £2.63

42.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 CHF 1.71

$1.83 £1.37

13.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.11 CHF 1.74

$1.61 £1.20

31.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 CHF 1.84

$1.25 £0.93

78.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 CHF 1.12

$1.66 £1.24

-18.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.67 CHF 8.80

$23.65 £17.66

-54.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.36 CHF 11.02

$10.50 £7.84

27.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 CHF 2.28

$2.98 £2.23

-7.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 CHF 2.41

$3.51 £2.62

-16.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.34 CHF 3.58

$3.98 £2.97

9.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$100 CHF 82.8

$107 £80.2

-6.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.83 CHF 6.46

$5.18 £3.87

51.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.57 CHF 3.77

$2.35 £1.75

94.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$85.2 CHF 70.3

$26.84 £20.04

217.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.27 CHF 1.87

$1.99 £1.48

14.07%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

$39.4K £29.5K

0.09%

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

$38.8K CHF 32.0K

$40.5K £30.2K

-4.15%

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

$280 CHF 231

$327 £244

-14.35%

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

$37.53 CHF 30.96

$18.21 £13.60

106.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.1 CHF 47.94

$43.60 £32.56

33.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$84.1 CHF 69.3

$42.36 £31.63

98.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.13 CHF 38.87

$18.22 £13.61

158.67%

Cinema Ticket

$23.81 CHF 19.64

$13.85 £10.34

71.91%

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

$2,987 CHF 2,464

$1,868 £1,395

59.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K CHF 29.1K

$22.6K £16.9K

56.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$138 CHF 114

$92.9 £69.4

48.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.6 CHF 54.1

$45.92 £34.30

42.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$150 CHF 124

$102 £75.9

47.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$191 CHF 157

$102 £76.4

86.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,074 CHF 1,711

$1,342 £1,003

54.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,639 CHF 1,352

$1,073 £802

52.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,559 CHF 2,936

$2,231 £1,667

59.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,840 CHF 2,342

$1,742 £1,301

63.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K CHF 15.1K

$5,601 £4,183

227.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.9K CHF 10.7K

$4,265 £3,185

203.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,033 CHF 5,802

$3,349 £2,502

109.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.07

5.32

-61.09%

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

Last update for Switzerland: October 24, 2026

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Switzerland

$1.6K 45.4%

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6% 34.5% $566

Groceries & Markets

Switzerland

$602 16.7%

United Kingdom

$307 12.5% 49% $295

Eating Out

Switzerland

$470 13%

United Kingdom

$328 13.3% 30.3% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Switzerland

$376 10.4%

United Kingdom

$389 15.8% 3.5% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Switzerland

$245 6.8%

United Kingdom

$154 6.3% 37.1% $91

Getting Around

Switzerland

$148 4.1%

United Kingdom

$140 5.7% 5.5% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Switzerland

$132 3.7%

United Kingdom

$70 2.9% 46.8% $62

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,790 in Switzerland, $1,287 in the United Kingdom. Capital cities: $2,102 in Bern vs $2,811 in London.

National salary averages: $7,158 in Switzerland, $3,251 in the United Kingdom. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 39% higher in Switzerland.

Dining out costs 52% more in Switzerland.

Salaries are about 2.2 times higher in Switzerland, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Switzerland.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Switzerland

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🕒 Local time

23:33 11:33 PM

22:33 10:33 PM

1 h behind Switzerland

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,902,308

67,326,569

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 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 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.825 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.921 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Switzerland United Kingdom 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Switzerland
United Kingdom

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

Switzerland vs United Kingdom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $3,612 per month in Switzerland and $2,462 in the United Kingdom, the United Kingdom comes out about 32% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in the United Kingdom: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,790 in Switzerland and $1,287 in the United Kingdom. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: the United Kingdom wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.