Cost of living in United Kingdom

Summary of cost of living in United Kingdom

  • Family of four estimated monthly costs: £4,350
  • Single person estimated monthly costs: £2,518
  • United Kingdom is the 3rd most expensive country in Western Europe (3 out of 18)
  • Cost of living in United Kingdom is more expensive than in 88% of countries in the World (9 out of 66)
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Food
Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district £13
Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) £8
500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast £4.26
1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk £1.20
12 eggs, large £3.63
1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes £2.28
500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese £5.34
1 kg (2 lb.) of apples £2.13
1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes £0.89
0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket £1.97
1 bottle of red table wine, good quality £10
2 liters of coca-cola £2.36
Bread for 2 people for 1 day £1.04
Housing
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in expensive area £1,997
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in normal area £1,637
Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat £229
Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in expensive area £1,818
Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in normal area £1,060
Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 sqft) studio £190
Internet 8 mbps (1 month) £26
40” flat screen tv £324
Microwave 800/900 watt (bosch, panasonic, lg, sharp, or equivalent brands) £83
Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) £7
Hourly rate for cleaning help £16
Clothes
1 pair of jeans (levis 501 or similar) £73
1 summer dress in a high street store (zara, h&m or similar retailers) £32
1 pair of sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) £81
1 pair of men’s leather business shoes £83
Transportation
Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new £25,126
1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas £1.44
Monthly ticket public transport £85
Personal Care
Cold medicine for 6 days (tylenol, frenadol, coldrex, or equivalent brands) £5.04
1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) £8
Short visit to private doctor (15 minutes) £74
1 box of 32 tampons (tampax, ob, ...) £4.77
Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) £1.97
Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) £3.78
4 rolls of toilet paper £2.39
Tube of toothpaste £1.77
Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city £14
Entertainment
Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub £40
2 tickets to the movies £19
2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) £124
Dinner for two at an italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert £69
1 cocktail drink in downtown club £11
Cappuccino in expat area of the city £3.71
1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) £5.75
Ipad wi-fi 128gb £537
1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) £0.28
1 month of gym membership in business district £35
1 package of marlboro cigarettes £14

Moving to United Kingdom with your children?

International Schools in United Kingdom

Map of Cost of Living in United Kingdom

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This map shows only the top cities in United Kingdom. We also have on this page a list of all the cities available in Expatistan:
List of all the cities available in Expatistan

The color of each marker corresponds with the cost of living in the city red markers show more expensive cities green ones show cheaper cities
Moving the mouse on top of a city will show its name and the Cost of Living Index of that city.

What is the Cost of Living Index? To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a central reference city (that happens to be Prague). Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.
Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.

Cost of Living Ranking in United Kingdom

(top cities by data quality)

Ranking City Price Index *
1st London 237
2nd Bristol 143
3rd Newcastle upon Tyne 138
4th Brighton and Hove 137
5th Manchester 136
6th Edinburgh 136
7th Aberdeen 126
8th York 125
9th Glasgow 123
10th Plymouth 122
11th Portsmouth 119
12th Stoke-on-Trent 118
13th Norwich 115
14th Swansea 115
15th Dundee 112

Price Index:

To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a central reference city (that happens to be Prague). Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.
Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.

Are you moving to United Kingdom? Do you know how much money you will need there to maintain your current standard of living?

Find out what is the real equivalent in UK of your current salary and improve your chances of a happy relocation.

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Prices recently added

  • 1 pack of marlboro cigarettes in Dundee costs £14 (3 days ago)
  • 2 tickets to the movies in Dundee costs £22 (3 days ago)
  • Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city in Dundee costs £13 (3 days ago)
  • 1 liter of gasoline in Dundee costs £1.39 (3 days ago)
  • Internet connection 300 mbps, 1 month in Dundee costs £28 (3 days ago)
  • 1 kg of tomatoes in Dundee costs £2.40 (3 days ago)
  • 1 month of gym membership in business district in Plymouth costs £24 (3 days ago)
  • Nice dinner at an italian restaurant, dinner for two in Plymouth costs £60 (3 days ago)
  • 2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) in Plymouth costs £120 (3 days ago)
  • Basic dinner out in neighborhood pub, dinner for two in Plymouth costs £30 (3 days ago)

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