Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cambridge and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Cambridge: $3,192 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

154

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
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Cambridge Living Index
195

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Cambridge

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,192

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,192 per month in Cambridge vs $4,086 in London, rent included.

Cambridge $3,192
London $4,086

A couple spends around $4,469 per month in Cambridge vs $5,891 in London, rent included.

Cambridge $4,469
London $5,891

A family of three spends $5,746 per month in Cambridge vs $7,696 in London, rent included.

Cambridge $5,746
London $7,696

Cambridge is about 22% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Cambridge and London sit above the global median – Cambridge by 135%, London by 200%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.53 £16.07

$26.55 £19.82

-18.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.6 £66.9

$107 £79.9

-16.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.52 £7.86

$10.78 £8.05

-2.41%

Cappuccino

$4.70 £3.51

$5.71 £4.27

-17.69%

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

$2.68 £2.00

$3.01 £2.25

-10.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 £1.38

$2.29 £1.71

-19.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.93 £5.92

$9.08 £6.78

-12.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.77 £5.05

$8.07 £6.02

-16.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 £1.19

$1.90 £1.42

-15.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 £1.30

$2.03 £1.51

-14.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 £1.87

$2.45 £1.83

2.45%

Eggs

$4.57 £3.41

$5.07 £3.79

-9.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.87 £7.37

$12.71 £9.49

-22.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.79 £7.31

$10.61 £7.92

-7.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.03 £11.97

$17.68 £13.20

-9.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 £2.27

$3.17 £2.37

-4.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 £1.27

$1.45 £1.08

17.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.66 £2.73

$3.13 £2.34

16.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.58 £2.67

$3.41 £2.55

4.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 £1.36

$1.67 £1.25

8.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 £1.41

$1.77 £1.32

6.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.93

$1.43 £1.07

-13.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 £1.51

$1.87 £1.39

8.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.71 £16.96

$23.91 £17.85

-5.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.91 £8.15

$13.48 £10.06

-19.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.40

$3.08 £2.30

4.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 £3.06

$4.39 £3.28

-6.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.89 £2.90

$4.08 £3.04

-4.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$122 £91.2

$252 £188

-51.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.19 £6.11

$5.74 £4.29

42.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.64 £1.97

$3.35 £2.50

-21.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$51.3 £38.34

$57.2 £42.73

-10.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 £1.55

$2.08 £1.56

-0.48%

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

$38.8K £29.0K

$38.0K £28.4K

2.12%

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

$40.3K £30.1K

$40.4K £30.2K

-0.17%

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

$338 £253

$387 £289

-12.57%

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

$18.64 £13.92

$18.57 £13.87

0.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.43 £32.43

$40.69 £30.38

6.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.6 £43.75

$57.6 £42.99

1.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.89 £15.60

$19.75 £14.75

5.77%

Cinema Ticket

$17.04 £12.73

$18.33 £13.68

-7.04%

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

$2,515 £1,878

$2,957 £2,208

-14.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.5K £27.2K

$35.9K £26.8K

1.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.3 £67.4

$119 £88.7

-23.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.31 £36.07

$56.3 £42.01

-14.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.3 £69.7

$131 £97.7

-28.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 £95.6

$165 £123

-22.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 £1,569

$2,811 £2,099

-25.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,715 £1,281

$2,291 £1,711

-25.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,163 £2,362

$5,185 £3,871

-39.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 £1,909

$3,805 £2,841

-32.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,228 £6,890

$17.7K £13.2K

-47.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,031 £4,503

$8,405 £6,275

-28.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,537 £3,387

$5,070 £3,786

-10.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.04

4.79

5.22%

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

Last update for Cambridge: October 25, 2026

Last update for London: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cambridge

$1.7K 53.7%

London

$2.3K 56.1% 33.6% $576

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cambridge

$400 12.6%

London

$446 10.9% 11.4% $46

Eating Out

Cambridge

$332 10.4%

London

$396 9.7% 19.5% $65

Groceries & Markets

Cambridge

$331 10.4%

London

$356 8.7% 7.4% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Cambridge

$162 5.1%

London

$212 5.2% 30.8% $50

Getting Around

Cambridge

$159 5%

London

$291 7.1% 83% $132

Sport & Entertainment

Cambridge

$93 2.9%

London

$94 2.3% 1.7% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,102 in Cambridge versus $2,811 in London. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 12% higher in London, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Cambridge versus $107 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $331 vs $356 – making Cambridge the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Cambridge

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

22:17 10:17 PM

Same time as Cambridge

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

145,818

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cambridge London 79 km

From you

Cambridge
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

Cambridge vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – London is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,788 per month in Cambridge and $6,129 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cambridge, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $2,102 there versus $2,811 in London.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Cambridge and $107 in London. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,192 in Cambridge and $4,086 in London. That makes Cambridge about 22% cheaper.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,192 in Cambridge and $4,086 in London. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Cambridge – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Cambridge. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.