Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brighton and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Brighton: $2,950 a month against $4,049 in London, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

143

Cost of Living Index in Brighton
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Brighton Living Index
195

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Brighton

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,950

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,049

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brighton 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 Brighton and in London actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,950 in Brighton versus $4,049 in London.

Brighton $2,950
London $4,049

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,214 in Brighton versus $5,827 in London.

Brighton $4,214
London $5,827

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,479 in Brighton versus $7,605 in London.

Brighton $5,479
London $7,605

Living in Brighton costs roughly 27% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brighton 118% above, London 199% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.54 £19.16

$27.09 £20.33

-5.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.8 £69.6

$104 £78.3

-11.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.77 £7.33

$10.86 £8.15

-10.04%

Cappuccino

$5.33 £4.00

$5.60 £4.20

-4.82%

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

$3.93 £2.95

$3.05 £2.29

28.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 £2.50

$2.28 £1.71

46.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.96 £6.72

$9.23 £6.92

-2.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.49 £7.12

$7.95 £5.96

19.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.83 £1.37

6.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 £1.54

$2.05 £1.54

0.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.12 £1.59

$2.47 £1.86

-14.17%

Eggs

$4.53 £3.40

$5.12 £3.84

-11.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.10 £9.08

$12.89 £9.67

-6.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.40 £7.05

$10.84 £8.14

-13.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.08 £11.31

$17.03 £12.78

-11.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 £2.22

$3.07 £2.30

-3.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 £1.43

$1.38 £1.03

38.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 £2.17

$2.99 £2.24

-3.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.76 £2.82

$3.39 £2.54

10.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 £1.68

$1.60 £1.20

40.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 £1.35

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 £0.90

$1.41 £1.06

-14.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 £1.24

$1.81 £1.36

-8.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.98 £17.99

$23.92 £17.94

0.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.11 £8.33

$13.54 £10.16

-17.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 £2.31

$3.23 £2.42

-4.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 £2.43

$4.39 £3.29

-26.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.94 £2.96

$3.92 £2.94

0.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$128 £96.4

$243 £182

-47.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.07 £3.81

$5.58 £4.18

-9.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.62 £1.96

$3.27 £2.46

-19.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.62 £29.72

$58.4 £43.81

-32.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.57

$2.08 £1.56

0.48%

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

$38.4K £28.8K

$38.8K £29.1K

-1.11%

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

$41.1K £30.9K

$40.6K £30.5K

1.30%

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

$291 £218

$380 £285

-23.40%

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

$16.90 £12.68

$18.62 £13.97

-9.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.87 £33.66

$40.45 £30.35

10.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 £38.38

$61.3 £45.95

-16.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.89 £20.17

$21.41 £16.07

25.60%

Cinema Ticket

$17.32 £12.99

$18.09 £13.57

-4.26%

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

$2,062 £1,547

$2,905 £2,180

-29.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.8K £23.1K

$35.5K £26.6K

-13.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 £67.5

$116 £87.3

-22.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.51 £34.14

$54.5 £40.89

-16.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.8

$128 £95.8

-19.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.7 £68.1

$167 £125

-45.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 £1,416

$2,852 £2,140

-33.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,480 £1,110

$2,269 £1,702

-34.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,833 £2,125

$5,250 £3,939

-46.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$3,752 £2,815

-40.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,467 £6,352

$18.5K £13.9K

-54.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,148 £4,612

$8,100 £6,077

-24.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,380 £2,536

$5,109 £3,833

-33.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.12

4.74

8.02%

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

Last update for Brighton: October 18, 2026

Last update for London: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brighton

$1.5K 50.2%

London

$2.3K 56% 53.3% $789

Eating Out

Brighton

$390 13.2%

London

$400 9.9% 2.4% $9.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brighton

$353 12%

London

$439 10.9% 24.4% $86

Groceries & Markets

Brighton

$331 11.2%

London

$353 8.7% 6.8% $22

Getting Around

Brighton

$162 5.5%

London

$280 6.9% 72.6% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Brighton

$148 5%

London

$209 5.2% 41.6% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Brighton

$86 2.9%

London

$97 2.4% 13.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,887 in Brighton and $2,852 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 51% 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: $93.0 in Brighton vs $104 in London for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $331 vs $353 per month, with Brighton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Brighton

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

11:49 11:49 AM

Same time as Brighton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

256,000

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Brighton London 76 km

From you

Brighton
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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

Brighton vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brighton and London differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($2,950 vs $4,049 including rent). Brighton is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 51% 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: $1,887 in Brighton versus $2,852 in London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,062 in Brighton versus $2,905 in London. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in London. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Brighton is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Brighton 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 Brighton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.