Cost of living comparison
compared to
United Kingdom vs. United States Cost of Living Summary
United Kingdom is 5.9% more expensive than United States overall.
- Restaurants
- pay 8.2% less in United Kingdom
- Groceries
- pay 25.5% less in United Kingdom
- Transportation
- pay 49.8% more in United Kingdom
- Housing
- pay 7.9% less in United Kingdom
- Childcare
- pay 3.1% less in United Kingdom
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 17.6% more in United Kingdom
- Clothing
- pay 18.3% more in United Kingdom
United Kingdom vs. United States Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United Kingdom instead of United States, you would:
pay 8.2% less for restaurants
United States | United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $19.45 | $20.41 £15.46 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $11.12 | $9.94 £7.53 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.56 | $2.32 £1.76 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.00 | $1.65 £1.25 | |
United States vs. United Kingdom - Cost of restaurants
pay 25.5% less for groceries
United States | United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $3.56 | $1.59 £1.21 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $6.50 | $4.71 £3.57 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $3.97 | $6.20 £4.70 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $4.27 | $3.87 £2.93 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $5.41 | $3.87 £2.93 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.37 | $1.32 £1.00 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.78 | $0.73 £0.55 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $2.04 | $1.28 £0.97 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.21 | $1.49 £1.13 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.34 | $0.72 £0.54 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.38 | $0.71 £0.54 | |
United States vs. United Kingdom - Cost of groceries
pay 49.8% more for transportation
United States | United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $3.41 | $7.22 £5.47 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $65.85 | $99.05 £75.03 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $32,336.38 | $36,224.29 £27,440.55 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $17.61 | $22.08 £16.73 | |
United States vs. United Kingdom - Cost of transportation
pay 7.9% less for housing
United States | United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $68.97 | $41.90 £31.74 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,664.59 | $1,285.79 £974.01 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $1,416.15 | $1,062.09 £804.55 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $150.19 | $233.57 £176.93 | |
United States vs. United Kingdom - Cost of housing
pay 3.1% less for childcare
United States | United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,387.27 | $1,530.71 £1,159.54 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $23,196.46 | $19,375.12 £14,677.00 | |
United States vs. United Kingdom - Cost of childcare
pay 17.6% more for entertainment and sports
United States | United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $5.84 | $6.35 £4.81 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.15 | $4.54 £3.44 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $9.90 | $19.18 £14.53 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $51.45 | $49.26 £37.31 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $13.64 | $13.88 £10.52 | |
United States vs. United Kingdom - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 18.3% more for clothing
United States | United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $51.08 | $86.00 £65.15 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $41.81 | $44.20 £33.48 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $87.56 | $95.21 £72.12 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $112.04 | $101.36 £76.78 | |
United States vs. United Kingdom - 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: June 2026
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