Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between France and the United Kingdom

Name: United Kingdom
Address: GB

For one person, living is cheaper in France: $1,948 a month against $2,453 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in France
Learn more

France Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
Learn more

United Kingdom Living Index

Jump to prices

🇫🇷 France

$1,948

/mo nomad

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in France and in the United Kingdom

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in France and in the United Kingdom actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,948 in France versus $2,453 in the United Kingdom.

France $1,948
United Kingdom $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,964 in France versus $3,548 in the United Kingdom.

France $2,964
United Kingdom $3,548

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,980 in France versus $4,643 in the United Kingdom.

France $3,980
United Kingdom $4,643

Internal cost variation is higher in the United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,131 to $3,986, compared to $1,127–$2,673 in France. City choice carries more weight in the United Kingdom.

Living in France costs about 21% less than in the United Kingdom on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: France 44% above, the United Kingdom 82% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.62 €14.78

$20.82 £15.62

-20.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.6

$86.3 £64.7

-21.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$10.76 £8.07

23.42%

Cappuccino

$3.93 €3.50

$4.87 £3.65

-19.30%

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

$3.40 €3.03

$2.55 £1.91

33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.85 £1.39

15.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.60 €5.87

$6.75 £5.06

-2.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.52 €4.91

$6.49 £4.87

-14.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.64 £1.23

-17.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.66 £1.24

22.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$2.17 £1.63

21.66%

Eggs

$4.13 €3.67

$4.02 £3.01

2.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.61 €17.44

$9.40 £7.05

108.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.49 €12.00

$8.99 £6.74

50.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.83 €19.42

$14.55 £10.92

50.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 €2.70

$2.90 £2.17

4.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.60 £1.20

41.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$2.78 £2.08

8.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.71 €3.30

$3.39 £2.54

9.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.78 £1.34

26.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 €2.21

$1.62 £1.21

53.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.23 £0.92

23.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.74

$1.66 £1.24

-49.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.81 €12.28

$23.67 £17.76

-41.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.94 €7.06

$10.67 £8.00

-25.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$3.06 £2.30

-12.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 €2.73

$3.33 £2.50

-7.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 €1.83

$3.34 £2.51

-38.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.9 €50.6

$103 £77.1

-44.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.94 €4.39

$5.44 £4.08

-9.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.36 £1.77

-11.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.08 €33.87

$26.17 £19.63

45.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.84

$1.95 £1.46

5.64%

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

$34.2K €30.4K

$38.0K £28.5K

-9.84%

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

$34.8K €30.9K

$40.6K £30.5K

-14.36%

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

$216 €192

$315 £236

-31.42%

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

$19.73 €17.55

$17.88 £13.41

10.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.44 €30.63

$42.77 £32.09

-19.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.80 €31.84

$44.93 £33.70

-20.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.92 €18.60

$17.98 £13.49

16.35%

Cinema Ticket

$13.36 €11.89

$13.06 £9.80

2.30%

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

$860 €765

$1,753 £1,315

-50.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K €10.6K

$22.5K £16.9K

-46.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.1

$90.4 £67.8

13.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.11 €40.12

$45.49 £34.13

-0.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.7

$101 £75.9

2.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 €121

$102 £76.4

33.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$853 €759

$1,339 £1,005

-36.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$699 €622

$1,096 £822

-36.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,535 €1,366

$2,152 £1,615

-28.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$1,699 £1,275

-29.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,449 €4,846

$5,551 £4,165

-1.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,591 €3,194

$4,374 £3,282

-17.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,688 €2,391

$3,324 £2,493

-19.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.78

5.32

-28.95%

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

Last update for France: October 13, 2026

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

France

$699 35.9%

United Kingdom

$1.1K 44.7% 56.8% $397

Groceries & Markets

France

$376 19.3%

United Kingdom

$303 12.4% 19.3% $72

Eating Out

France

$286 14.7%

United Kingdom

$322 13.1% 12.4% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

France

$270 13.9%

United Kingdom

$375 15.3% 39% $105

Clothing & Footwear

France

$174 9%

United Kingdom

$153 6.2% 12.6% $22

Getting Around

France

$81 4.1%

United Kingdom

$133 5.4% 65.6% $53

Sport & Entertainment

France

$63 3.2%

United Kingdom

$71 2.9% 13.6% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $779 in France, $1,252 in the United Kingdom. Capital cities: $1,580 in Paris vs $2,869 in London.

National salary averages: $2,713 in France, $3,228 in the United Kingdom. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 61% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 30% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 78% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are 19% higher in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇫🇷 France

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🕒 Local time

12:24 12:24 PM

11:24 11:24 AM

1 h behind France

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

68,373,433

67,326,569

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

France United Kingdom 340 km

From you

France
United Kingdom

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

France vs United Kingdom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,948 per month in France and $2,453 in the United Kingdom, there's a 26% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,252 in the United Kingdom and $779 in France. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In France, $3,000 covers most cities easily; in the United Kingdom it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: France wins on affordability; the United Kingdom may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.