Cost of living comparison
compared to
New York City vs. United Kingdom Cost of Living Summary
New York City is 65.3% more expensive than United Kingdom overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 36.1% more in New York City
- Groceries
-
pay 2.0 times more in New York City
- Transportation
-
pay 4.3% less in New York City
- Housing
-
pay 93.9% more in New York City
- Childcare
-
pay 2.5 times more in New York City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 60.0% more in New York City
- Clothing
-
pay 19.9% more in New York City
The cost of childcare, groceries, housing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and clothing in New York City are more expensive than in United Kingdom. Notably, childcare, groceries, and housing are significantly more expensive in New York City.
New York City vs. United Kingdom Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New York City instead of United Kingdom, you would:
pay 36.1% more for restaurants
|
United Kingdom
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.41
£15.26
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.94
£7.43
|
$13.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.32
£1.74
|
$3.09
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.65
£1.23
|
$2.61
|
|
United Kingdom vs. New York City - Cost of restaurants
pay 2.0 times more for groceries
|
United Kingdom
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.59
£1.19
|
$4.75
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.71
£3.52
|
$8.89
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.20
£4.64
|
$6.05
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.87
£2.89
|
$7.20
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.87
£2.89
|
$7.07
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.32
£0.99
|
$3.29
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.73
£0.55
|
$1.08
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.28
£0.96
|
$2.60
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.49
£1.12
|
$2.68
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.72
£0.54
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.71
£0.53
|
$1.78
|
|
United Kingdom vs. New York City - Cost of groceries
pay 4.3% less for transportation
|
United Kingdom
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.22
£5.40
|
$3.47
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$99.05
£74.07
|
$132.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,224.29
£27,089.65
|
$36,344.69
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$22.08
£16.51
|
$22.39
|
|
United Kingdom vs. New York City - Cost of transportation
pay 93.9% more for housing
|
United Kingdom
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$41.90
£31.33
|
$67.59
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,285.79
£961.56
|
$4,037.06
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,062.09
£794.26
|
$2,496.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$233.57
£174.67
|
$151.98
|
|
United Kingdom vs. New York City - Cost of housing
pay 2.5 times more for childcare
|
United Kingdom
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,530.71
£1,144.72
|
$3,154.10
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$19,375.12
£14,489.32
|
$57,250.00
|
|
United Kingdom vs. New York City - Cost of childcare
pay 60.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
United Kingdom
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.35
£4.75
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.54
£3.39
|
$5.71
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$19.18
£14.34
|
$19.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$49.26
£36.84
|
$150.04
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.88
£10.38
|
$20.00
|
|
United Kingdom vs. New York City - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 19.9% more for clothing
|
United Kingdom
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$86.00
£64.31
|
$67.80
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.20
£33.05
|
$49.94
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$95.21
£71.20
|
$115.58
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$101.36
£75.80
|
$168.76
|
|
United Kingdom vs. New York City - 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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