Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Besancon and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Besancon: $1,755 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $26,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Besancon
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Besancon Living Index
194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Besancon

🇫🇷 France

$1,755

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Besancon and in London

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Besancon and in London actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,755 in Besancon versus $3,986 in London.

Besancon $1,755
London $3,986

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,536 in Besancon versus $5,791 in London.

Besancon $2,536
London $5,791

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,318 in Besancon versus $7,595 in London.

Besancon $3,318
London $7,595

Living in Besancon costs roughly 56% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Besancon 30% above, London 195% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.89

$25.93 £19.57

-35.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.2 €49.19

$107 £80.4

-48.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.94 €9.76

$10.71 £8.08

2.15%

Cappuccino

$3.03 €2.71

$5.47 £4.13

-44.61%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.10

$2.97 £2.24

-20.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 €1.38

$2.20 £1.66

-29.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 €5.87

$9.13 £6.89

-27.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 €4.96

$7.94 £6.00

-29.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.86 £1.40

-31.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 €1.52

$2.07 £1.56

-17.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.42 £1.82

-11.57%

Eggs

$4.41 €3.94

$5.09 £3.84

-13.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.97 €17.81

$12.87 £9.72

55.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.95 €9.77

$10.43 £7.87

4.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.96

$16.87 £12.73

6.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$3.11 £2.35

-14.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.40 £1.06

61.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 €2.43

$3.08 £2.33

-11.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.46 €2.19

$3.27 £2.47

-24.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.58 £1.20

60.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 €2.16

$1.74 £1.31

39.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.40 £1.06

2.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.80 £1.36

-35.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.78 €12.29

$23.28 £17.57

-40.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.39 €8.37

$13.03 £9.83

-27.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.85 €4.32

$3.17 £2.39

53.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 €2.90

$4.42 £3.34

-26.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.68 €1.50

$4.07 £3.07

-58.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.17 €39.40

$247 £186

-82.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 €2.71

$5.58 £4.21

-45.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.12 €1.89

$3.36 £2.54

-36.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.05 €26.80

$56.8 £42.84

-47.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.90

$2.13 £1.61

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.4K €30.7K

$38.2K £28.8K

-9.89%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.3K €30.6K

$40.9K £30.9K

-16.18%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$225 €200

$372 £281

-39.66%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$14.65 €13.07

$17.82 £13.45

-17.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.19 €30.50

$40.37 £30.47

-15.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.44 €23.58

$60.0 £45.27

-55.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 €17.55

$21.29 £16.07

-7.56%

Cinema Ticket

$11.32 €10.10

$17.74 £13.39

-36.19%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$339 €302

$2,864 £2,162

-88.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,309 €6,520

$35.3K £26.7K

-79.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 €88.3

$114 £86.1

-13.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.58 €34.41

$54.3 £40.96

-28.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 €83.0

$124 £93.8

-25.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €110

$163 £123

-24.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$635 €566

$2,869 £2,165

-77.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$590 €527

$2,233 £1,685

-73.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$991 €884

$5,266 £3,975

-81.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$803 €717

$3,778 £2,852

-78.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,822 €2,517

$18.3K £13.8K

-84.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,245 €2,002

$8,024 £6,056

-72.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,181 €1,945

$5,037 £3,802

-56.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.62

4.74

-23.63%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Besancon: October 13, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Besancon

$590 33.6%

London

$2.2K 56% 278% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Besancon

$356 20.3%

London

$349 8.8% 1.9% $6.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Besancon

$273 15.6%

London

$430 10.8% 57.4% $157

Eating Out

Besancon

$262 15%

London

$388 9.7% 47.7% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Besancon

$159 9.1%

London

$205 5.1% 28.6% $46

Getting Around

Besancon

$65 3.7%

London

$285 7.2% 342% $221

Sport & Entertainment

Besancon

$49 2.8%

London

$95 2.4% 94.5% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $635 in Besancon and $2,869 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 131% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $55.0 in Besancon vs $107 in London. Groceries flip the comparison at $356 vs $349, with London cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Besancon

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

01:35 1:35 AM

00:35 12:35 AM

1 h behind Besancon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

119,198

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Besancon London 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Besancon
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Besancon vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Besancon wins on cost – living expenses run 127% lower than in London. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Besancon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 131% lower in London. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $635 in Besancon versus $2,869 in London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Besancon runs roughly 459% less than in London. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $339 in Besancon versus $2,864 in London. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,755 in Besancon versus $3,986 in London, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Besancon but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Besancon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Besancon delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,755 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Besancon hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Besancon and London are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Besancon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 127% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.