Cost of living comparison
compared to
District of Columbia vs. United Kingdom Cost of Living Summary
District of Columbia is 40.0% more expensive than United Kingdom overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 37.6% more in District of Columbia
- Groceries
-
pay 79.4% more in District of Columbia
- Transportation
-
pay 24.7% less in District of Columbia
- Housing
-
pay 56.2% more in District of Columbia
- Childcare
-
pay 90.2% more in District of Columbia
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 31.8% more in District of Columbia
- Clothing
-
pay 9.7% more in District of Columbia
The cost of childcare, groceries, housing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and clothing in District of Columbia are more expensive than in United Kingdom. Notably, childcare and groceries are significantly more expensive in District of Columbia.
District of Columbia vs. United Kingdom Cost Breakdown
If you lived in District of Columbia instead of United Kingdom, you would:
pay 37.6% more for restaurants
|
United Kingdom
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.41
£15.26
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.94
£7.43
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.32
£1.74
|
$3.20
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.65
£1.23
|
$2.79
|
|
United Kingdom vs. District of Columbia - Cost of restaurants
pay 79.4% more for groceries
|
United Kingdom
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.59
£1.19
|
$4.43
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.71
£3.52
|
$8.04
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.20
£4.64
|
$4.19
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.87
£2.89
|
$4.55
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.87
£2.89
|
$7.74
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.32
£0.99
|
$2.95
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.73
£0.55
|
$0.92
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.28
£0.96
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.49
£1.12
|
$3.00
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.72
£0.54
|
$1.35
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.71
£0.53
|
$1.64
|
|
United Kingdom vs. District of Columbia - Cost of groceries
pay 24.7% less for transportation
|
United Kingdom
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.22
£5.40
|
$3.53
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$99.05
£74.07
|
$77.50
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,224.29
£27,089.65
|
$35,699.74
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$22.08
£16.51
|
$16.73
|
|
United Kingdom vs. District of Columbia - Cost of transportation
pay 56.2% more for housing
|
United Kingdom
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$41.90
£31.33
|
$69.41
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,285.79
£961.56
|
$2,568.48
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,062.09
£794.26
|
$2,088.16
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$233.57
£174.67
|
$146.54
|
|
United Kingdom vs. District of Columbia - Cost of housing
pay 90.2% more for childcare
|
United Kingdom
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,530.71
£1,144.72
|
$2,650.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$19,375.12
£14,489.32
|
$40,166.67
|
|
United Kingdom vs. District of Columbia - Cost of childcare
pay 31.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
United Kingdom
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.35
£4.75
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.54
£3.39
|
$6.07
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$19.18
£14.34
|
$13.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$49.26
£36.84
|
$103.76
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.88
£10.38
|
$16.75
|
|
United Kingdom vs. District of Columbia - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 9.7% more for clothing
|
United Kingdom
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$86.00
£64.31
|
$76.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.20
£33.05
|
$48.40
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$95.21
£71.20
|
$104.31
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$101.36
£75.80
|
$133.22
|
|
United Kingdom vs. District of Columbia - Cost of clothing
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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