Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Uster and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Uster: $3,689 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in London outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Uster
🇨🇭 Switzerland
$3,689
/mo nomad
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,986
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,689 per month in Uster vs $3,986 in London, rent included.

  • Uster $3,689
  • London $3,986

A couple spends around $5,289 per month in Uster vs $5,791 in London, rent included.

  • Uster $5,289
  • London $5,791

A family of three spends $6,889 per month in Uster vs $7,595 in London, rent included.

  • Uster $6,889
  • London $7,595

Uster is about 7% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Uster and London sit above the global median – Uster by 173%, London by 195%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Uster
London
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$30.11 CHF 24.80
$25.93 £19.45
16.12%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$120 CHF 98.7
$107 £79.9
12.49%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$18.34 CHF 15.10
$10.71 £8.03
71.24%
Cappuccino
$6.04 CHF 4.97
$5.47 £4.11
10.42%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.33 CHF 4.39
$2.97 £2.23
79.46%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.79 CHF 3.95
$2.20 £1.65
117.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.59 CHF 7.08
$9.13 £6.85
-5.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.73 CHF 5.54
$7.94 £5.96
-15.24%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Uster
London
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.23 CHF 1.83
$1.86 £1.40
19.89%
White Bread (500g)
$3.34 CHF 2.75
$2.07 £1.55
61.35%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.39 CHF 3.61
$2.42 £1.81
81.40%
Eggs
$7.35 CHF 6.05
$5.09 £3.82
44.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$32.17 CHF 26.49
$12.87 £9.66
149.96%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$29.34 CHF 24.17
$10.43 £7.82
181.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$42.64 CHF 35.12
$16.87 £12.66
152.76%
Apples (1kg)
$3.44 CHF 2.84
$3.11 £2.33
10.61%
Banana (1kg)
$2.10 CHF 1.73
$1.40 £1.05
50.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.81 CHF 2.31
$3.08 £2.31
-8.77%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.58 CHF 3.78
$3.27 £2.45
40.06%
Potato (1kg)
$2.04 CHF 1.68
$1.58 £1.19
29.11%
Onion (1kg)
$2.18 CHF 1.79
$1.74 £1.31
25.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.43 CHF 2.00
$1.40 £1.05
73.57%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.33 CHF 1.10
$1.80 £1.35
-26.11%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.65 CHF 8.77
$23.28 £17.46
-54.25%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.97 CHF 10.69
$13.03 £9.77
-0.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.25 CHF 2.68
$3.17 £2.38
2.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.34 CHF 2.75
$4.42 £3.32
-24.43%
🚌 Getting Around
Uster
London
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.60 CHF 3.79
$4.07 £3.05
13.02%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$99.8 CHF 82.2
$247 £185
-59.56%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.46 CHF 4.50
$5.58 £4.18
-2.15%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.28 CHF 2.70
$3.36 £2.52
-2.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$59.4 CHF 48.94
$56.8 £42.57
4.70%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.19 CHF 1.80
$2.13 £1.60
2.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$43.3K CHF 35.6K
$38.2K £28.6K
13.31%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.7K CHF 32.7K
$40.9K £30.7K
-2.88%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Uster
London
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$233 CHF 192
$372 £279
-37.41%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$31.89 CHF 26.26
$17.82 £13.37
78.96%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$65.4 CHF 53.8
$40.37 £30.29
61.90%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Uster
London
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$73.6 CHF 60.6
$60.0 £44.99
22.73%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$45.51 CHF 37.49
$21.29 £15.97
113.76%
Cinema Ticket
$21.75 CHF 17.92
$17.74 £13.31
22.60%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Uster
London
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,802 CHF 1,484
$2,864 £2,149
-37.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$32.6K CHF 26.8K
$35.3K £26.5K
-7.84%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Uster
London
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$164 CHF 135
$114 £85.5
44.26%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$86.4 CHF 71.1
$54.3 £40.71
59.17%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$143 CHF 118
$124 £93.2
15.12%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$173 CHF 142
$163 £122
6.09%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Uster
London
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,678 CHF 1,382
$2,869 £2,152
-41.51%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,759 CHF 1,448
$2,233 £1,675
-21.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,928 CHF 2,412
$5,266 £3,950
-44.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,382 CHF 1,962
$3,778 £2,834
-36.96%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$15.9K CHF 13.1K
$18.3K £13.8K
-13.41%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$12.1K CHF 9,993
$8,024 £6,019
51.21%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Uster
London
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$6,850 CHF 5,642
$5,037 £3,778
36.01%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
1.72
4.74
-63.71%

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

Last update for Uster: 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
Uster
$1.8K
London
$2.2K 27% $474
Groceries & Markets
Uster
$623
London
$349 43.9% $273
Eating Out
Uster
$465
London
$388 16.7% $78
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Uster
$330
London
$430 30.3% $100
Clothing & Footwear
Uster
$255
London
$205 19.6% $50
Getting Around
Uster
$140
London
$285 104% $145
Sport & Entertainment
Uster
$117
London
$95 18.5% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,678 in Uster 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 36% higher in Uster, 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 Uster versus $107 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $623 vs $349 – making London the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇭 Uster
🇬🇧 London
🕒 Local time
16:38 4:38 PM
15:38 3:38 PM
1 h behind Uster
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
33,097
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 17, 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 17, 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
  • Uster London 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Uster
  • 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
Uster vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Uster and in London compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $3,689 in Uster, $3,986 in London – roughly 8% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Uster compared to London?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,534 per month in Uster 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 Uster and London?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Uster, 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 78% 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 Uster 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 $3,689 in Uster 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 Uster and London?
It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $3,689 in Uster to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Uster 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 Uster and London?
If budget matters most, go with Uster. 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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