Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dartford and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Dartford: $3,010 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Dartford
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Dartford Living Index
194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Dartford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,010

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,010 per month in Dartford vs $3,986 in London, rent included.

Dartford $3,010
London $3,986

A couple spends around $4,317 per month in Dartford vs $5,791 in London, rent included.

Dartford $4,317
London $5,791

A family of three spends $5,625 per month in Dartford vs $7,595 in London, rent included.

Dartford $5,625
London $7,595

Dartford is about 24% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Dartford and London sit above the global median – Dartford by 123%, London by 195%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.15 £18.87

$25.93 £19.45

-3.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £80.6

$107 £79.9

0.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.45 £7.84

$10.71 £8.03

-2.43%

Cappuccino

$5.00 £3.75

$5.47 £4.11

-8.59%

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

$3.00 £2.25

$2.97 £2.23

1.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 £1.60

$2.20 £1.65

-3.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.58 £6.44

$9.13 £6.85

-6.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.30 £6.22

$7.94 £5.96

4.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 £1.37

$1.86 £1.40

-2.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 £1.49

$2.07 £1.55

-4.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

Eggs

$4.41 £3.31

$5.09 £3.82

-13.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 £8.82

$12.87 £9.66

-8.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.51 £7.14

$10.43 £7.82

-8.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.57 £11.68

$16.87 £12.66

-7.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.29

$3.11 £2.33

-1.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 £1.48

$1.40 £1.05

41.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 £2.22

$3.08 £2.31

-3.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.54

$3.27 £2.45

3.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 £1.24

$1.58 £1.19

4.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 £1.33

$1.74 £1.31

1.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 £0.86

$1.40 £1.05

-17.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.25

$1.80 £1.35

-7.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.41 £17.56

$23.28 £17.46

0.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.13 £8.35

$13.03 £9.77

-14.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.00 £2.25

$3.17 £2.38

-5.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 £2.43

$4.42 £3.32

-26.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.77 £2.08

$4.07 £3.05

-31.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.15 £3.87

$5.58 £4.18

-7.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.62 £1.96

$3.36 £2.52

-22.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.34 £30.26

$56.8 £42.57

-28.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 £1.55

$2.13 £1.60

-2.82%

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

$38.7K £29.1K

$38.2K £28.6K

1.41%

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

$40.5K £30.4K

$40.9K £30.7K

-0.90%

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

$289 £217

$372 £279

-22.40%

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

$16.69 £12.52

$17.82 £13.37

-6.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.94 £29.97

$40.37 £30.29

-1.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.01 £33.02

$60.0 £44.99

-26.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

Cinema Ticket

$17.99 £13.50

$17.74 £13.31

1.41%

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

$2,089 £1,567

$2,864 £2,149

-27.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K £22.9K

$35.3K £26.5K

-13.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.0 £67.5

$114 £85.5

-21.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.32 £34.00

$54.3 £40.71

-16.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 £77.2

$124 £93.2

-17.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.9 £66.7

$163 £122

-45.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,192 £1,644

$2,869 £2,152

-23.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 £1,281

$2,233 £1,675

-23.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,922 £2,192

$5,266 £3,950

-44.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,662 £1,997

$3,778 £2,834

-29.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,308 £3,982

$18.3K £13.8K

-71.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,331 £3,249

$8,024 £6,019

-46.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,370 £3,279

$5,037 £3,778

-13.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

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

Last update for Dartford: October 12, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dartford

$1.7K 56.7%

London

$2.2K 56% 30.8% $525

Eating Out

Dartford

$373 12.4%

London

$388 9.7% 4% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dartford

$345 11.5%

London

$430 10.8% 24.6% $85

Groceries & Markets

Dartford

$328 10.9%

London

$349 8.8% 6.7% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Dartford

$147 4.9%

London

$205 5.1% 39.3% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Dartford

$80 2.7%

London

$95 2.4% 19.3% $15

Getting Around

Dartford

$29 * 1%

London

$285 7.2% 873% $256

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,192 in Dartford versus $2,869 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 $107 in Dartford versus $107 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $328 vs $349 – making Dartford the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Dartford

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

16:54 4:54 PM

Same time as Dartford

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,240

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

Dartford London 25 km

From you

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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

Dartford vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – London is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,515 per month in Dartford and $5,979 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

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

Groceries cost about 7% more in London, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,010 in Dartford and $3,986 in London. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Dartford. 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.