Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Switzerland

Name: Switzerland
Address: CH

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.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index
174

Cost of Living Index in Switzerland
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Switzerland Living Index

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,612

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

United Kingdom $2,462
Switzerland $3,612

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

United Kingdom $3,600
Switzerland $5,498

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

United Kingdom $4,738
Switzerland $7,384

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

Living in the United Kingdom costs about 32% less than in Switzerland on average.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.48 £16.05

$29.97 CHF 24.72

-28.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 £64.0

$119 CHF 97.9

-27.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.93

$18.30 CHF 15.09

-42.02%

Cappuccino

$4.91 £3.67

$6.19 CHF 5.11

-20.68%

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

$2.66 £1.99

$5.23 CHF 4.31

-49.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.39

$4.97 CHF 4.10

-62.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.95

$9.18 CHF 7.57

-27.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.11

$7.16 CHF 5.91

-4.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$2.15 CHF 1.78

-21.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.28

$3.71 CHF 3.06

-53.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.62

$3.71 CHF 3.06

-41.51%

Eggs

$4.00 £2.99

$7.77 CHF 6.41

-48.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 £7.04

$25.73 CHF 21.23

-63.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 £6.86

$28.14 CHF 23.22

-67.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.03

$43.32 CHF 35.74

-65.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 £2.21

$3.74 CHF 3.08

-20.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.21

$2.21 CHF 1.82

-26.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.13

$2.74 CHF 2.26

4.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.63

$5.01 CHF 4.13

-29.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.37

$2.07 CHF 1.71

-11.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.20

$2.11 CHF 1.74

-23.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.93

$2.23 CHF 1.84

-43.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.24

$1.36 CHF 1.12

22.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.65 £17.66

$10.67 CHF 8.80

121.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.84

$13.36 CHF 11.02

-21.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.23

$2.76 CHF 2.28

7.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.62

$2.92 CHF 2.41

20.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.97

$4.34 CHF 3.58

-8.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.2

$100 CHF 82.8

7.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.87

$7.83 CHF 6.46

-33.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.75

$4.57 CHF 3.77

-48.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.84 £20.04

$85.2 CHF 70.3

-68.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.48

$2.27 CHF 1.87

-12.33%

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

$39.4K £29.5K

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

-0.09%

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

$40.5K £30.2K

$38.8K CHF 32.0K

4.33%

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

$327 £244

$280 CHF 231

16.75%

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

$18.21 £13.60

$37.53 CHF 30.96

-51.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.60 £32.56

$58.1 CHF 47.94

-24.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 £31.63

$84.1 CHF 69.3

-49.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 £13.61

$47.13 CHF 38.87

-61.34%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.34

$23.81 CHF 19.64

-41.83%

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

$1,868 £1,395

$2,987 CHF 2,464

-37.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £16.9K

$35.3K CHF 29.1K

-35.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 £69.4

$138 CHF 114

-32.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.92 £34.30

$65.6 CHF 54.1

-29.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £75.9

$150 CHF 124

-32.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.4

$191 CHF 157

-46.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 £1,003

$2,074 CHF 1,711

-35.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 £802

$1,639 CHF 1,352

-34.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,231 £1,667

$3,559 CHF 2,936

-37.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 £1,301

$2,840 CHF 2,342

-38.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,601 £4,183

$18.3K CHF 15.1K

-69.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,265 £3,185

$12.9K CHF 10.7K

-67.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,349 £2,502

$7,033 CHF 5,802

-52.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

2.07

157.00%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Last update for Switzerland: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6%

Switzerland

$1.6K 45.4% 52.7% $566

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$389 15.8%

Switzerland

$376 10.4% 3.4% $13

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$328 13.3%

Switzerland

$470 13% 43.5% $142

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$307 12.5%

Switzerland

$602 16.7% 96% $295

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$154 6.3%

Switzerland

$245 6.8% 58.9% $91

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$140 5.7%

Switzerland

$148 4.1% 5.8% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$70 2.9%

Switzerland

$132 3.7% 88% $62

Cost Breakdown

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

National salary averages: $3,251 in the United Kingdom, $7,158 in Switzerland. 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

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇨🇭 Switzerland

🕒 Local time

11:14 11:14 AM

12:14 12:14 PM

1 h ahead of the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

8,902,308

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

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).

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).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

United Kingdom
Switzerland

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

United Kingdom vs Switzerland: 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.