Cost of living comparison

compared to

Philadelphia vs. London Cost of Living Summary

Philadelphia is 5.7% cheaper than London.

Restaurants
pay 2.3% less in Philadelphia
Groceries
pay 45.2% more in Philadelphia
Transportation
pay 42.4% less in Philadelphia
Housing
pay 8.0% less in Philadelphia
Childcare
pay 15.5% more in Philadelphia
Entertainment and Sports
pay 22.4% less in Philadelphia
Clothing
pay 25.8% less in Philadelphia

The cost of groceries and childcare in Philadelphia are more expensive than in London. Expenses including transportation, clothing, entertainment and sports, housing, and restaurants are lower in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia vs. London Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Philadelphia instead of London, you would:

pay 2.3% less for restaurants

 
London
Philadelphia
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $26.73
£20.04
$20.00
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$11.02
£8.26
$13.00
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $3.12
£2.34
$2.79
 

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pay 45.2% more for groceries

 
London
Philadelphia
Bread
1 loaf
$2.16
£1.62
$4.25
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.54
£4.15
$7.30
 
Milk (1 gallon) $6.58
£4.93
$5.27
 

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pay 42.4% less for transportation

 
London
Philadelphia
Gasoline (1 gallon) $7.12
£5.34
$3.24
 
Monthly public transit pass $240.54
£180.32
$96.50
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $37,798.76
£28,334.89
$36,373.32
 

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pay 8.0% less for housing

 
London
Philadelphia
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$42.83
£32.11
$76.39
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $3,083.09
£2,311.16
$1,831.00
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $2,340.14
£1,754.23
$1,313.60
 

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pay 15.5% more for childcare

 
London
Philadelphia
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $2,480.84
£1,859.70
$2,026.67
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $28,512.27
£21,373.51
$42,560.00
 

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pay 22.4% less for entertainment and sports

 
London
Philadelphia
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $8.69
£6.51
$6.00
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.21
£3.90
$5.06
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$22.72
£17.03
$13.00
 

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pay 25.8% less for clothing

 
London
Philadelphia
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$116.11
£87.04
$51.00
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$52.02
£39.00
$44.86
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$125.96
£94.43
$95.31
 

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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