---
title: "London vs Zürich for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/london-vs-zurich
description: "Under balanced weights Zürich edges it, 70 to 68, winning 4 of the 9 factors. London is stronger on visa ease; Zürich on safety. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you."
dataset: 2026.10.7 (2026-10-13)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# London vs Zürich for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Zürich edges it, 70 to 68, winning 4 of the 9 factors. London is stronger on visa ease; Zürich on safety. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

| Metric | London | Zürich | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 1 | 0 | London |
| Safety | 76 | 90 | Zürich |
| Healthcare | 86 | 90 | Zürich |
| Internet | 72 | 80 | Zürich |
| Visa ease | 77 | 61 | London |
| Getting there & around | 95 | 94 | London |
| Climate | 25 | 25 | tie |
| Air quality | 86 | 94 | Zürich |
| Quality of life | 96 | 94 | London |

## Cost

| Metric | London | Zürich | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $4,559 | $4,665 | London |
| Central one-bedroom rent | $3,134 | $2,786 | Zürich |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | London | Zürich | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 0.93 | 0.5 | Zürich |
| Political stability (0–100) | 70.7 | 85.2 | Zürich |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 88 | 87 | London |
| Life expectancy | 80.1 yrs | 83.3 yrs | Zürich |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | London | Zürich | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 50.9 Mbps | 64.3 Mbps | Zürich |
| Upload | 8.9 Mbps | 25.8 Mbps | Zürich |

## Visa

| Metric | London | Zürich | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | 90 days | Zürich |
| Entry, EU passport | 180 days | unlimited | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | home country | 90 days | London |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | London | Zürich | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 423 | 224 | London |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 5 | Zürich |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 5 | 5 | tie |

## Climate and air

| Metric | London | Zürich | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 3 | 3 | tie |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 11.2 µg/m³ | 7.6 µg/m³ | Zürich |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, London or Zürich?

London is cheaper: about $4,559 per month versus $4,665 for one person.

### Is London or Zürich safer?

Zürich scores higher on safety (90 vs 76), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, London or Zürich?

Zürich: a measured median of 64.3 Mbps versus 50.9 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [London](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/london) · [Zürich](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/zurich). Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/london-vs-zurich