🇬🇧 United Kingdom · 2026

Cost of Living in London

50.8% above the United Kingdom average

Ranked #9 of 577 cities · More expensive than 98.4% of cities worldwide

+50.8%
Cost of Living
+96.4%
Rent
+8.2%
Groceries
-8.5%
Purchasing Power

Compared to United Kingdom average · See United Kingdom ranking →

Rent Prices in London

Apartment City Centre Outside Centre You Save
1-Bedroom GBP 2,145/mo ≈ $2,857 GBP 1,726/mo ≈ $2,300 20%
3-Bedroom GBP 4,001/mo ≈ $5,331 GBP 2,843/mo ≈ $3,787 29%
Numbeo · 2026-10-02

Prices of Goods & Services in London

Groceries

Apples (1kg)
GBP 2.23
Beer (0.5L, supermarket)
GBP 2.27
Bread (500g)
GBP 1.61
Local cheese (1kg)
GBP 11.16
Chicken (1kg)
GBP 7.70
Cigarettes (Marlboro)
GBP 16.88
Eggs (12)
GBP 4.41
Milk (1L)
GBP 1.27
Potatoes (1kg)
GBP 1.03
Tomatoes (1kg)
GBP 2.68
Water (1.5L)
GBP 1.29
Wine (mid-range)
GBP 10.75

Restaurants

Draft beer (0.5L)
GBP 6.75
Cappuccino
GBP 4.44
McMeal
GBP 9.37
Cheap meal
GBP 17.50
Mid-range dinner (2 people)
GBP 89.50

Clothing & Shoes

Business shoes (leather)
GBP 96.84
Jeans (Levi's 501)
GBP 82.56
Sport shoes (Nike)
GBP 90.55
Summer dress (Zara/H&M)
GBP 41.81

Leisure

Cinema ticket
GBP 14.75
Gym membership
GBP 73.15

Transportation

Gasoline (1L)
GBP 1.36
Taxi start
GBP 4.20
Monthly pass
GBP 197.50

Utilities

Basic utilities (85m²)
GBP 237.29

Prices in local currency, cross-referenced from multiple independent sources. October 2026.

Multi-Source Comparison

★★★ High Confidence

London has a cost of living index of 81.6 (New York = 100, rent included), the average of 3 of 3 data sources.

81.6
Index
3
Sources
9.8
Gap between sources

Source Values (NYC = 100)

Numbeo
77.3
Expatistan
No data
LivingCost
87.1
ShouldIMove price index
80.4

ShouldIMove price index: our own basket of real item prices plus rent.

Eurostat Validation (EU27 = 100) Gov. Data
Eurostat
140.4

Based on 117 country PLI x 1.2 city factor

View all 577 cities | Data collected: Numbeo October 2026 · LivingCost October 2026 · SIM index March 2026

Cost Indices

Cost of Living
+50.8% Very expensive
Rent
+96.4% Very expensive
Groceries
+8.2% Expensive
Restaurants
+14.8% Expensive
Purchasing Power
-8.5% Weak

Living in London: What to Expect

London is very expensive by global standards (ranked #9 of 577 cities). It is 50.8% more expensive than the United Kingdom average, based on 23 cities.

Groceries are expensive and dining out is expensive. The best value is groceries and the priciest is rent.

Workers in United Kingdom earning GBP 42,197 gross take home GBP 2,825/month after tax (19.7% effective rate). See full United Kingdom tax calculator →

How Does London Compare?

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