Cost of living comparison
compared to
United States vs. London Cost of Living Summary
United States is 26.2% cheaper than London.
- Restaurants
-
pay 11.0% less in United States
- Groceries
-
pay 27.3% more in United States
- Transportation
-
pay 48.1% less in United States
- Housing
-
pay 37.2% less in United States
- Childcare
-
pay 41.2% less in United States
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 24.8% less in United States
- Clothing
-
pay 34.7% less in United States
United States vs. London Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United States instead of London, you would:
pay 11.0% less for restaurants
|
London
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$26.43
£19.83
|
$19.86
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.57
£7.93
|
$11.42
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.95
£2.22
|
$2.67
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.16
£1.62
|
$2.05
|
|
London vs. United States - Cost of restaurants
pay 27.3% more for groceries
|
London
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.04
£1.53
|
$3.63
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.36
£4.77
|
$6.52
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.98
£5.24
|
$3.98
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.01
£3.76
|
$4.30
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.81
£3.61
|
$5.46
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.40
£1.05
|
$2.34
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.63
£0.47
|
$0.80
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.38
£1.03
|
$2.02
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.52
£1.14
|
$2.19
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.74
£0.55
|
$1.34
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.80
£0.60
|
$1.39
|
|
London vs. United States - Cost of groceries
pay 48.1% less for transportation
|
London
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.95
£5.96
|
$4.01
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$245.79
£184.41
|
$66.70
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$38,182.92
£28,648.64
|
$34,164.82
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$31.77
£23.84
|
$18.02
|
|
London vs. United States - Cost of transportation
pay 37.2% less for housing
|
London
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$40.48
£30.38
|
$70.22
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,841.09
£2,131.67
|
$1,681.01
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,287.10
£1,716.01
|
$1,404.28
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$284.00
£213.09
|
$157.64
|
|
London vs. United States - Cost of housing
pay 41.2% less for childcare
|
London
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,857.20
£2,143.76
|
$1,450.99
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$35,755.44
£26,827.31
|
$24,361.50
|
|
London vs. United States - Cost of childcare
pay 24.8% less for entertainment and sports
|
London
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$9.25
£6.94
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.62
£4.22
|
$5.31
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$23.46
£17.60
|
$10.42
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$60.55
£45.43
|
$50.68
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$17.84
£13.38
|
$13.95
|
|
London vs. United States - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 34.7% less for clothing
|
London
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$113.97
£85.51
|
$53.15
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$53.96
£40.49
|
$41.88
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$125.54
£94.19
|
$89.76
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$162.46
£121.89
|
$114.01
|
|
London vs. United States - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
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Compare further: London vs. United States
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cost of living in United Kingdom vs. United States.
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