Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bujumbura and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Bujumbura: $659 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $41,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Bujumbura
🇧🇮 Burundi
$659
/mo nomad
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$4,086
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $659 in Bujumbura versus $4,086 in London.

  • Bujumbura $659
  • London $4,086

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,170 in Bujumbura versus $5,816 in London.

  • Bujumbura $1,170
  • London $5,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,681 in Bujumbura versus $7,546 in London.

  • Bujumbura $1,681
  • London $7,546

Living in Bujumbura costs roughly 84% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bujumbura is 51% below, London is 205% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bujumbura
London
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.90 BIF 11.6K
$26.62 £20.11
-85.35%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$64.9 BIF 193.3K
$108 £81.3
-39.71%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.76 BIF 11.2K
$10.39 £7.85
-63.81%
Cappuccino
$3.08 BIF 9,190
$5.79 £4.38
-46.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.79 BIF 5,323
$3.01 £2.27
-40.53%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.38 BIF 4,099
$2.15 £1.63
-35.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.23 BIF 6,656
$9.35 £7.06
-76.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.49 BIF 19.4K
$7.84 £5.93
-17.22%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bujumbura
London
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.04 BIF 3,094
$1.79 £1.35
-41.90%
White Bread (500g)
$2.06 BIF 6,146
$2.06 £1.56
-
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.95 BIF 5,813
$2.31 £1.74
-15.58%
Eggs
$3.56 BIF 10.6K
$5.05 £3.82
-29.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.30 BIF 24.7K
$12.57 £9.50
-33.97%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.40 BIF 34.0K
$10.66 £8.05
6.94%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.50 BIF 34.3K
$17.13 £12.94
-32.87%
Apples (1kg)
$5.81 BIF 17.3K
$3.03 £2.29
91.75%
Banana (1kg)
-
$1.41 £1.07
-
Oranges (1kg)
$2.07 BIF 6,156
$3.05 £2.31
-32.13%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.65 BIF 4,906
$3.38 £2.56
-51.18%
Potato (1kg)
-
$1.67 £1.26
-
Onion (1kg)
-
$1.73 £1.31
-
Lettuce (1 head)
-
$1.41 £1.07
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.00 BIF 5,958
$1.79 £1.35
11.73%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
-
$23.22 £17.55
-
Wine (Bottle)
$11.13 BIF 33.2K
$12.99 £9.82
-14.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.20 BIF 6,563
$3.18 £2.40
-30.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.12 BIF 12.3K
$4.41 £3.33
-6.58%
🚌 Getting Around
Bujumbura
London
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.05 BIF 3,131
$3.87 £2.93
-72.87%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.29 BIF 90.3K
$250 £189
-87.89%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.04 BIF 15.0K
$5.71 £4.31
-11.73%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.41 BIF 10.2K
$3.33 £2.51
2.40%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.83 BIF 88.9K
$57.9 £43.76
-48.49%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 BIF 4,041
$2.04 £1.54
-33.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$37.5K £28.4K
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$40.9K £30.9K
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bujumbura
London
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
-
$376 £284
-
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.83 BIF 23.3K
$17.88 £13.51
-56.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$68.3 BIF 203.4K
$40.01 £30.24
70.63%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bujumbura
London
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$26.83 BIF 80.0K
$61.2 £46.22
-56.13%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$21.07 £15.93
-
Cinema Ticket
$1.66 BIF 4,947
$17.95 £13.57
-90.75%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bujumbura
London
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$102 BIF 303.3K
$2,865 £2,165
-96.45%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,953 BIF 29.7M
$35.3K £26.7K
-71.84%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bujumbura
London
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
-
$116 £87.7
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
-
$54.1 £40.87
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
-
$127 £95.7
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
-
$159 £120
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bujumbura
London
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$427 BIF 1.3M
$2,853 £2,156
-85.03%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$89.7 BIF 267.2K
$2,301 £1,739
-96.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,337 BIF 4.0M
$5,201 £3,931
-74.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$264 BIF 785.6K
$3,723 £2,813
-92.92%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,055 BIF 6.1M
$19.0K £14.4K
-89.19%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,616 BIF 4.8M
$7,881 £5,955
-79.50%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bujumbura
London
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$374 BIF 1.1M
$4,818 £3,641
-92.25%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
14.17
4.65
204.73%

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

Last update for Bujumbura: October 3, 2026

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Bujumbura
$280 *
London
$349 24.6% $69
Eating Out
Bujumbura
$116
London
$397 241% $280
Accommodation & Living
Bujumbura
$90
London
$2.3K 2467% $2.2K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bujumbura
$76 *
London
$434 470% $358
Getting Around
Bujumbura
$57
London
$288 409% $231
Sport & Entertainment
Bujumbura
$30
London
$97 222% $67
Clothing & Footwear
Bujumbura
- *
London
$205

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $427 in Bujumbura and $2,853 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 1190% 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: $65.0 in Bujumbura vs $108 in London for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $280 vs $349 per month, with Bujumbura cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇧🇮 Bujumbura
🇬🇧 London
🕒 Local time
14:54 2:54 PM
13:54 1:54 PM
1 h behind Bujumbura
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
658,859
8,908,083 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to BIF – Burundian Franc Converter

Burundian Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2,980 BIF (10,000 BIF = 3.36 USD). 1 EUR = 3,339 BIF (10,000 BIF = 2.99 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.847 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bujumbura London 6,710 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Bujumbura
  • London

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
Bujumbura vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Bujumbura or London?
Bujumbura wins on cost – living expenses run 520% lower than in London. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bujumbura the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Bujumbura or in London?
On paper, salaries run 1190% 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Bujumbura compared to London?
Rent for a central apartment: $427 in Bujumbura versus $2,853 in London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How much does it cost to live in Bujumbura compared to London?
All in, you'll spend $659 per month in Bujumbura versus $4,086 in London – a 520% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How expensive is transport in Bujumbura compared to London?
A monthly transit pass in Bujumbura runs roughly 726% less than in London. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Bujumbura or in London?
At $659 in Bujumbura versus $4,086 in London, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bujumbura but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Bujumbura the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Bujumbura or London?
Both work as nomad bases, but Bujumbura delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $659 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bujumbura hard to pass up.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Bujumbura gentler on the wallet – expenses run 520% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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