For one person, living is cheaper in London: $4,086 a month against $4,866 in Zug, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.
Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Zug and in London actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
A single person spends $4,866 per month in Zug vs $4,086 in London, rent included.
Zug $4,866
London $4,086
A couple spends around $7,682 per month in Zug vs $5,816 in London, rent included.
Zug $7,682
London $5,816
A family of three spends $10.5K per month in Zug vs $7,546 in London, rent included.
Zug $10.5K
London $7,546
😐
Zug costs about 19% more than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.
📊
Both Zug and London sit above the global median – Zug by 263%, London by 205%.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Zug
London
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$35.83CHF 29.74
$26.62£20.11
34.60%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$177CHF 147
$108£81.3
64.62%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$23.97CHF 19.90
$10.39£7.85
130.70%
Cappuccino
$6.99CHF 5.80
$5.79£4.38
20.73%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$6.08CHF 5.04
$3.01£2.27
101.99%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$5.89CHF 4.89
$2.15£1.63
173.95%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$9.83CHF 8.16
$9.35£7.06
5.13%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$7.60CHF 6.31
$7.84£5.93
-3.06%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Zug
London
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$2.24CHF 1.86
$1.79£1.35
25.14%
White Bread(500g)
$4.19CHF 3.48
$2.06£1.56
103.40%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$4.26CHF 3.54
$2.31£1.74
84.42%
Eggs
$7.87CHF 6.53
$5.05£3.82
55.84%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$27.20CHF 22.58
$12.57£9.50
116.39%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$30.46CHF 25.28
$10.66£8.05
185.74%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$42.05CHF 34.90
$17.13£12.94
145.48%
Apples(1kg)
$3.69CHF 3.07
$3.03£2.29
21.78%
Banana(1kg)
$2.04CHF 1.69
$1.41£1.07
44.68%
Oranges(1kg)
$2.71CHF 2.25
$3.05£2.31
-11.15%
Tomato(1kg)
$5.43CHF 4.50
$3.38£2.56
60.65%
Potato(1kg)
$1.94CHF 1.61
$1.67£1.26
16.17%
Onion(1kg)
$2.14CHF 1.77
$1.73£1.31
23.70%
Lettuce(1 head)
$2.40CHF 1.99
$1.41£1.07
70.21%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$1.37CHF 1.13
$1.79£1.35
-23.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$10.66CHF 8.85
$23.22£17.55
-54.09%
Wine(Bottle)
$17.83CHF 14.80
$12.99£9.82
37.26%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$2.97CHF 2.47
$3.18£2.40
-6.60%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$3.96CHF 3.29
$4.41£3.33
-10.20%
🚌 Getting Around
Zug
London
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$4.90CHF 4.07
$3.87£2.93
26.61%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$162CHF 134
$250£189
-35.20%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$8.88CHF 7.37
$5.71£4.31
55.52%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$6.10CHF 5.06
$3.33£2.51
83.18%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$35.83CHF 29.73
$57.9£43.76
-38.13%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$2.31CHF 1.91
$2.04£1.54
13.24%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$42.4KCHF 35.2K
$37.5K£28.4K
12.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.8KCHF 33.0K
$40.9K£30.9K
-2.76%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zug
London
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$273CHF 227
$376£284
-27.38%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$37.76CHF 31.34
$17.88£13.51
111.19%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$61.9CHF 51.4
$40.01£30.24
54.81%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Zug
London
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$121CHF 100
$61.2£46.22
97.53%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$31.87CHF 26.45
$21.07£15.93
51.26%
Cinema Ticket
$23.75CHF 19.71
$17.95£13.57
32.31%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Zug
London
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$4,147CHF 3,442
$2,865£2,165
44.73%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$35.9KCHF 29.8K
$35.3K£26.7K
1.66%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Zug
London
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$164CHF 136
$116£87.7
41.61%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$66.7CHF 55.4
$54.1£40.87
23.32%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$152CHF 126
$127£95.7
19.70%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$269CHF 223
$159£120
68.92%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Zug
London
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$3,874CHF 3,215
$2,853£2,156
35.77%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$2,656CHF 2,204
$2,301£1,739
15.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$6,844CHF 5,680
$5,201£3,931
31.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$4,929CHF 4,091
$3,723£2,813
32.39%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$30.5KCHF 25.3K
$19.0K£14.4K
60.60%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$20.8KCHF 17.3K
$7,881£5,955
164.16%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Zug
London
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$7,227CHF 5,999
$4,818£3,641
50.02%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
1.9
4.65
-59.14%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Zug: October 3, 2026
Last update for London: October 4, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Zug
$2.7K 54.2%
London
$2.3K 56.5% ↓ 13.4%$355
🛒Groceries & Markets
Zug
$636 13%
London
$349 8.6% ↓ 45.1%$287
🍽Eating Out
Zug
$555 11.3%
London
$397 9.7% ↓ 28.5%$158
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zug
$373 7.6%
London
$434 10.7% ↑ 16.4%$61
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Zug
$293 6%
London
$205 5% ↓ 30%$88
🚌Getting Around
Zug
$221 4.5%
London
$288 7.1% ↑ 30.3%$67
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Zug
$168 3.4%
London
$97 2.4% ↓ 42.3%$71
🏠Accommodation & Living
Zug
$4.9K 47.8%
London
$3.7K 49.1% ↓ 24.5%$1.2K
🛒Groceries & Markets
Zug
$1.5K 14.6%
London
$802 10.6% ↓ 46.6%$699
🍽Eating Out
Zug
$2K 19.4%
London
$1.3K 17.8% ↓ 32.7%$654
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zug
$411 4%
London
$452 6% ↑ 10.1%$41
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Zug
$652 6.3%
London
$456 6% ↓ 30%$196
🚌Getting Around
Zug
$452 4.4%
London
$584 7.7% ↑ 29.2%$132
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Zug
$368 3.6%
London
$215 2.8% ↓ 41.6%$153
Cost Breakdown
🏠A central one-bedroom costs $3,874 in Zug 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 50% higher in Zug, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.
🛒A mid-range dinner for two costs $177 in Zug versus $108 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $636 vs $349 – making London the more affordable choice for daily food spending.
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
Zug vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Zug and in London compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $4,866 in Zug, $4,086 in London – roughly 19% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Zug compared to London?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,299 per month in Zug and $6,129 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Zug and London?
Rent is clearly cheaper in London, 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?
Groceries cost about 82% more in Zug, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $177 in Zug and $108 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 $5,000 budget?
$5,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,866 in Zug and $4,086 in London. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
How does quality of life compare between Zug and London?
It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $4,086 in London to $4,866 in Zug. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Zug 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 Zug and London?
If budget matters most, go with London. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Zug makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.