Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ely, Cambridgeshire and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Ely, Cambridgeshire: $2,350 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $19,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Ely, Cambridgeshire
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Ely, Cambridgeshire Living Index
194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Ely, Cambridgeshire

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,350

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,350 per month in Ely, Cambridgeshire vs $3,986 in London, rent included.

Ely, Cambridgeshire $2,350
London $3,986

A couple spends around $3,545 per month in Ely, Cambridgeshire vs $5,791 in London, rent included.

Ely, Cambridgeshire $3,545
London $5,791

A family of three spends $4,740 per month in Ely, Cambridgeshire vs $7,595 in London, rent included.

Ely, Cambridgeshire $4,740
London $7,595

Ely, Cambridgeshire is about 41% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Ely, Cambridgeshire and London sit above the global median – Ely, Cambridgeshire by 74%, London by 195%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.60 £17.70

$25.93 £19.45

-8.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.9 £70.5

$107 £79.9

-11.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.23 £9.93

$10.71 £8.03

23.53%

Cappuccino

$5.04 £3.78

$5.47 £4.11

-7.86%

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

$2.45 £1.84

$2.97 £2.23

-17.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 £1.32

$2.20 £1.65

-20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.14 £3.86

$9.13 £6.85

-43.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 £2.48

$7.94 £5.96

-58.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 £0.93

$1.86 £1.40

-33.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 £1.23

$2.07 £1.55

-20.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 £1.99

$2.42 £1.81

9.92%

Eggs

$3.51 £2.64

$5.09 £3.82

-31.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.60 £7.95

$12.87 £9.66

-17.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.14 £8.35

$10.43 £7.82

6.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 £12.73

$16.87 £12.66

0.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 £2.99

$3.11 £2.33

28.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 £0.98

$1.40 £1.05

-6.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 £1.93

$3.08 £2.31

-16.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.23 £3.17

$3.27 £2.45

29.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 £1.21

$1.58 £1.19

1.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 £1.22

$1.74 £1.31

-6.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 £0.86

$1.40 £1.05

-18.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 £1.11

$1.80 £1.35

-17.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.82 £15.62

$23.28 £17.46

-10.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.68 £8.01

$13.03 £9.77

-18.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 £1.63

$3.17 £2.38

-31.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 £2.07

$4.42 £3.32

-37.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.70 £4.27

$4.07 £3.05

40.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.3 £42.25

$247 £185

-77.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.19 £3.14

$5.58 £4.18

-24.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.37 £1.78

$3.36 £2.52

-29.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.60

$2.13 £1.60

0.47%

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

$40.3K £30.2K

$38.2K £28.6K

5.58%

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

$41.7K £31.3K

$40.9K £30.7K

1.91%

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

$274 £205

$372 £279

-26.44%

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

$16.82 £12.62

$17.82 £13.37

-5.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.97 £24.73

$40.37 £30.29

-18.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.38 £32.54

$60.0 £44.99

-27.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.58 £11.69

$21.29 £15.97

-26.82%

Cinema Ticket

$15.96 £11.97

$17.74 £13.31

-10.03%

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

$1,716 £1,288

$2,864 £2,149

-40.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K £11.0K

$35.3K £26.5K

-58.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.5 £71.7

$114 £85.5

-16.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 £41.57

$54.3 £40.71

2.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 £92.6

$124 £93.2

-0.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 £78.0

$163 £122

-36.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 £848

$2,869 £2,152

-60.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,029 £772

$2,233 £1,675

-53.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,860 £1,396

$5,266 £3,951

-64.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,753 £1,315

$3,778 £2,835

-53.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,848 £4,387

$18.3K £13.8K

-68.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,049 £3,788

$8,024 £6,020

-37.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,284 £2,464

$5,037 £3,779

-34.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.62

4.74

-2.53%

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

Last update for Ely, Cambridgeshire: October 10, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ely, Cambridgeshire

$1K 43.8%

London

$2.2K 56% 117% $1.2K

Eating Out

Ely, Cambridgeshire

$338 14.4%

London

$388 9.7% 14.6% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ely, Cambridgeshire

$324 13.8%

London

$430 10.8% 33% $107

Groceries & Markets

Ely, Cambridgeshire

$319 13.6%

London

$349 8.8% 9.5% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Ely, Cambridgeshire

$170 7.2%

London

$205 5.1% 20.5% $35

Getting Around

Ely, Cambridgeshire

$95 4.1%

London

$285 7.2% 200% $190

Sport & Entertainment

Ely, Cambridgeshire

$75 3.2%

London

$95 2.4% 26.8% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,130 in Ely, Cambridgeshire 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 53% 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 $94.0 in Ely, Cambridgeshire versus $107 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $319 vs $349 – making Ely, Cambridgeshire the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Ely, Cambridgeshire

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

22:08 10:08 PM

Same time as Ely, Cambridgeshire

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,574

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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Ely, Cambridgeshire London 100 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

Ely, Cambridgeshire vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – London is pricier by about 70%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,525 per month in Ely, Cambridgeshire 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 Ely, Cambridgeshire, 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 $2,350 in Ely, Cambridgeshire and $3,986 in London. That's a gap of about 70%.

Public transport costs about 338% less in Ely, Cambridgeshire. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Ely, Cambridgeshire, where all-in costs run around $2,350, than in London at $3,986. In Ely, Cambridgeshire it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ely, Cambridgeshire – 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 Ely, Cambridgeshire. 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.