Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Folkestone and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Folkestone: $1,977 a month against $4,049 in London, rent and utilities included – about $24,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Folkestone
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Folkestone Living Index
195

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Folkestone

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,977

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,049

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,977 per month in Folkestone vs $4,049 in London, rent included.

Folkestone $1,977
London $4,049

A couple spends around $3,052 per month in Folkestone vs $5,827 in London, rent included.

Folkestone $3,052
London $5,827

A family of three spends $4,128 per month in Folkestone vs $7,605 in London, rent included.

Folkestone $4,128
London $7,605

Folkestone is about 51% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Folkestone and London sit above the global median – Folkestone by 46%, London by 199%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.37 £13.03

$27.09 £20.33

-35.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 £50.1

$104 £78.3

-36.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 £7.90

$10.86 £8.15

-2.95%

Cappuccino

$4.74 £3.56

$5.60 £4.20

-15.36%

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

$2.72 £2.04

$3.05 £2.29

-10.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 £1.38

$2.28 £1.71

-19.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.75 £5.06

$9.23 £6.92

-26.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.45 £4.84

$7.95 £5.96

-18.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 £1.13

$1.83 £1.37

-18.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 £1.00

$2.05 £1.54

-35.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 £0.98

$2.47 £1.86

-47.37%

Eggs

$2.98 £2.23

$5.12 £3.84

-41.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.60 £7.20

$12.89 £9.67

-25.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.80 £5.85

$10.84 £8.14

-28.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.76 £11.07

$17.03 £12.78

-13.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.25 £2.44

$3.07 £2.30

5.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 £1.09

$1.38 £1.03

5.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 £2.09

$2.99 £2.24

-6.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 £2.44

$3.39 £2.54

-3.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.59 £1.20

$1.60 £1.20

-0.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 £1.06

$1.80 £1.35

-21.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.41 £1.06

19.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 £1.11

$1.81 £1.36

-18.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.97 £17.98

$23.92 £17.94

0.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.79 £8.09

$13.54 £10.16

-20.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 £2.09

$3.23 £2.42

-13.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 £2.75

$4.39 £3.29

-16.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 £2.03

$3.92 £2.94

-30.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.78 £24.59

$243 £182

-86.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 £0.99

$5.58 £4.18

-76.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 £1.26

$3.27 £2.46

-48.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.69 £16.28

$58.4 £43.81

-62.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 £1.48

$2.08 £1.56

-4.81%

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

$38.4K £28.8K

$38.8K £29.1K

-1.18%

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

$40.6K £30.5K

-0.05%

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

$253 £190

$380 £285

-33.50%

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

$24.53 £18.40

$18.62 £13.97

31.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.77 £30.58

$40.45 £30.35

0.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.1 £54.8

$61.3 £45.95

19.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.46 £7.10

$21.41 £16.07

-55.82%

Cinema Ticket

$21.11 £15.84

$18.09 £13.57

16.69%

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

$1,046 £785

$2,905 £2,180

-63.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.3K £15.2K

$35.5K £26.6K

-42.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.4 £52.1

$116 £87.3

-40.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.93 £23.95

$54.5 £40.89

-41.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.6 £58.2

$128 £95.8

-39.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.1 £38.30

$167 £125

-69.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 £848

$2,852 £2,140

-60.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$810 £607

$2,269 £1,702

-64.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,479 £1,109

$5,250 £3,939

-71.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 £1,224

$3,752 £2,815

-56.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,465 £2,600

$18.5K £13.9K

-81.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,474 £2,606

$8,100 £6,077

-57.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,109 £3,833

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.91

4.74

3.59%

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

Last update for Folkestone: October 20, 2026

Last update for London: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Folkestone

$810 41%

London

$2.3K 56% 180% $1.5K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Folkestone

$318 16.1%

London

$439 10.9% 38.1% $121

Eating Out

Folkestone

$292 14.8%

London

$400 9.9% 36.8% $108

Groceries & Markets

Folkestone

$285 14.4%

London

$353 8.7% 24% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Folkestone

$115 5.8%

London

$97 2.4% 15.5% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Folkestone

$103 5.2%

London

$209 5.2% 102% $106

Getting Around

Folkestone

$53 2.7%

London

$280 6.9% 426% $227

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,130 in Folkestone 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Folkestone versus $104 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $285 vs $353 – making Folkestone the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Folkestone

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

17:23 5:23 PM

Same time as Folkestone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

45,273

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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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

Folkestone vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,977 in Folkestone, $4,049 in London – roughly 105% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,966 per month in Folkestone 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 Folkestone, 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 $67.0 in Folkestone and $104 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 $1,977 in Folkestone and $4,049 in London. That's a gap of about 105%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Folkestone, where all-in costs run around $1,977, than in London at $4,049. In Folkestone it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Folkestone has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,977 in Folkestone to $4,049 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Folkestone. 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.