Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Croydon and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Croydon: $2,940 a month against $4,049 in London, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

143

Cost of Living Index in Croydon
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Croydon Living Index
195

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Croydon

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,940

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,049

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,940 per month in Croydon vs $4,049 in London, rent included.

Croydon $2,940
London $4,049

A couple spends around $4,047 per month in Croydon vs $5,827 in London, rent included.

Croydon $4,047
London $5,827

A family of three spends $5,154 per month in Croydon vs $7,605 in London, rent included.

Croydon $5,154
London $7,605

Croydon is about 27% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Croydon and London sit above the global median – Croydon by 117%, London by 199%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.14 £15.11

$27.09 £20.33

-25.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.9 £54.7

$104 £78.3

-30.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.91 £7.43

$10.86 £8.15

-8.75%

Cappuccino

$5.09 £3.82

$5.60 £4.20

-9.11%

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

$2.86 £2.15

$3.05 £2.29

-6.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 £1.07

$2.28 £1.71

-37.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.13 £4.60

$9.23 £6.92

-33.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.92 £4.44

$7.95 £5.96

-25.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.83 £1.37

-11.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 £1.07

$2.05 £1.54

-30.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 £1.94

$2.47 £1.86

4.86%

Eggs

$4.14 £3.10

$5.12 £3.84

-19.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.36 £7.77

$12.89 £9.67

-19.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.12 £6.09

$10.84 £8.14

-25.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.50 £10.12

$17.03 £12.78

-20.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.43 £1.82

$3.07 £2.30

-20.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 £0.95

$1.38 £1.03

-7.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.28

$2.99 £2.24

2.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.11 £1.58

$3.39 £2.54

-37.76%

Potato (1kg)

$3.14 £2.36

$1.60 £1.20

96.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.80 £1.35

1.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.41 £1.06

7.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 £1.08

$1.81 £1.36

-20.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.22 £17.42

$23.92 £17.94

-2.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.51 £10.14

$13.54 £10.16

-0.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 £1.73

$3.23 £2.42

-28.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 £2.02

$4.39 £3.29

-38.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.24 £3.18

$3.92 £2.94

8.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$132 £99.1

$243 £182

-45.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.78 £5.09

$5.58 £4.18

21.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.27 £2.46

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$53.5 £40.11

$58.4 £43.81

-8.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 £1.50

$2.08 £1.56

-3.85%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$38.8K £29.1K

-1.67%

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

$40.4K £30.3K

$40.6K £30.5K

-0.56%

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

$305 £229

$380 £285

-19.73%

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

$18.57 £13.93

$18.62 £13.97

-0.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.78 £29.84

$40.45 £30.35

-1.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.24 £27.94

$61.3 £45.95

-39.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.91 £14.93

$21.41 £16.07

-7.01%

Cinema Ticket

$11.78 £8.83

$18.09 £13.57

-34.88%

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

$1,667 £1,251

$2,905 £2,180

-42.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.5K £26.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.4 £48.31

$116 £87.3

-44.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.96 £35.98

$54.5 £40.89

-12.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 £69.5

$128 £95.8

-27.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$153 £115

$167 £125

-8.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,872 £1,404

$2,852 £2,140

-34.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,595 £1,197

$2,269 £1,702

-29.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,592 £1,944

$5,250 £3,939

-50.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,289 £1,717

$3,752 £2,815

-39.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,686 £6,516

$18.5K £13.9K

-53.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,024 £5,269

$8,100 £6,077

-13.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,448 £3,337

$5,109 £3,833

-12.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.06

4.74

6.75%

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

Last update for Croydon: 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

Croydon

$1.6K 54.3%

London

$2.3K 56% 42.2% $674

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Croydon

$363 12.4%

London

$439 10.9% 20.8% $76

Eating Out

Croydon

$311 10.6%

London

$400 9.9% 28.4% $88

Groceries & Markets

Croydon

$292 9.9%

London

$353 8.7% 20.9% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Croydon

$161 5.5%

London

$209 5.2% 30% $48

Getting Around

Croydon

$156 * 5.3%

London

$280 6.9% 79.9% $125

Sport & Entertainment

Croydon

$61 2.1%

London

$97 2.4% 60.3% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,872 in Croydon versus $2,852 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 15% 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 $73.0 in Croydon versus $104 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $292 vs $353 – making Croydon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Croydon

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

11:49 11:49 AM

Same time as Croydon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

173,314

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

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Croydon London 15 km

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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

Croydon vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – London is pricier by about 38%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,410 per month in Croydon and $6,073 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Croydon, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,940 in Croydon and $4,049 in London. That's a gap of about 38%.

Public transport costs about 84% less in Croydon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,940 in Croydon and $4,049 in London. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Croydon – 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 Croydon. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.