Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Gambia and the United Kingdom

For one person, living is cheaper in the Gambia: $703 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $21,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Gambia
United Kingdom
🇬🇲 Gambia
$703
/mo nomad
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,462
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the Gambia 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 the Gambia and in the United Kingdom actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $703 in the Gambia versus $2,462 in the United Kingdom.

  • Gambia $703
  • United Kingdom $2,462

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,215 in the Gambia versus $3,600 in the United Kingdom.

  • Gambia $1,215
  • United Kingdom $3,600

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,726 in the Gambia versus $4,738 in the United Kingdom.

  • Gambia $1,726
  • United Kingdom $4,738

Internal cost variation is higher in the United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,126 to $4,646, compared to $56–$677 in the Gambia. City choice carries more weight in the United Kingdom.

Living in the Gambia costs about 71% less than in the United Kingdom on average.

The Gambia (48% below) and the United Kingdom (81% above) straddle the global median.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Gambia
United Kingdom
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.81 GMD 505
$21.48 £16.15
-68.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$74.8 GMD 5,542
$85.7 £64.4
-12.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.59 GMD 562
$10.61 £7.98
-28.46%
Cappuccino
$3.51 GMD 260
$4.91 £3.69
-28.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.19 GMD 163
$2.66 £2.00
-17.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 GMD 96.9
$1.87 £1.40
-29.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.73 GMD 424
$6.63 £4.98
-13.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.52 GMD 335
$6.84 £5.14
-33.92%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Gambia
United Kingdom
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 GMD 102
$1.68 £1.26
-17.86%
White Bread (500g)
$0.72 GMD 53.4
$1.72 £1.29
-58.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.19 GMD 88.2
$2.17 £1.63
-45.16%
Eggs
$2.07 GMD 154
$4.00 £3.01
-48.25%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.92 GMD 439
$9.42 £7.08
-37.15%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.57 GMD 635
$9.19 £6.90
-6.75%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.55 GMD 411
$14.77 £11.10
-62.42%
Apples (1kg)
$2.01 GMD 149
$2.97 £2.23
-32.32%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 GMD 114
$1.62 £1.22
-5.56%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.08 GMD 154
$2.85 £2.15
-27.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.76 GMD 131
$3.52 £2.65
-50.00%
Potato (1kg)
$0.98 GMD 72.6
$1.83 £1.38
-46.45%
Onion (1kg)
$0.91 GMD 67.3
$1.61 £1.21
-43.48%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.28 GMD 20.95
$1.25 £0.94
-77.60%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.39 GMD 28.75
$1.66 £1.25
-76.51%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.66 GMD 123
$23.65 £17.77
-92.98%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.83 GMD 506
$10.50 £7.89
-34.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.51 GMD 112
$2.98 £2.24
-49.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.57 GMD 117
$3.51 £2.64
-55.27%
🚌 Getting Around
Gambia
United Kingdom
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.33 GMD 24.09
$3.98 £2.99
-91.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$6.63 GMD 491
$107 £80.7
-93.83%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
-
$5.18 £3.89
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.65 GMD 48.22
$2.35 £1.76
-72.34%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.03 GMD 299
$26.84 £20.17
-84.99%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.03 GMD 76.6
$1.99 £1.49
-48.24%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$2,672 GMD 198.0K
$39.4K £29.6K
-93.23%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$3,254 GMD 241.1K
$40.5K £30.4K
-91.96%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Gambia
United Kingdom
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$30.48 GMD 2,258
$327 £246
-90.68%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.20 GMD 1,052
$18.21 £13.69
-22.02%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$51.7 GMD 3,830
$43.60 £32.77
18.56%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Gambia
United Kingdom
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$23.45 GMD 1,738
$42.36 £31.83
-44.64%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.63 GMD 1,010
$18.22 £13.69
-25.19%
Cinema Ticket
$3.33 GMD 247
$13.85 £10.41
-75.96%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Gambia
United Kingdom
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$6.61 GMD 490
$1,868 £1,404
-99.65%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$138 GMD 10.2K
$22.6K £17.0K
-99.39%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Gambia
United Kingdom
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.8 GMD 4,212
$92.9 £69.8
-38.84%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.94 GMD 3,330
$45.92 £34.51
-2.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$97.8 GMD 7,247
$102 £76.4
-3.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 GMD 6,490
$102 £76.8
-14.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Gambia
United Kingdom
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$102 GMD 7,587
$1,342 £1,009
-92.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$82.4 GMD 6,107
$1,073 £807
-92.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$219 GMD 16.2K
$2,231 £1,677
-90.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$104 GMD 7,684
$1,742 £1,309
-94.05%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,467 GMD 108.7K
$5,601 £4,210
-73.81%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,144 GMD 84.8K
$4,265 £3,205
-73.18%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Gambia
United Kingdom
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$60.4 GMD 4,477
$3,349 £2,517
-98.20%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
15
5.32
181.95%

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

Last update for the Gambia: October 26, 2026

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Gambia
$183
United Kingdom
$307 68.3% $125
Eating Out
Gambia
$171
United Kingdom
$328 91.5% $157
Clothing & Footwear
Gambia
$129
United Kingdom
$154 19.4% $25
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Gambia
$96
United Kingdom
$389 304% $293
Accommodation & Living
Gambia
$82
United Kingdom
$1.1K 1202% $991
Sport & Entertainment
Gambia
$30
United Kingdom
$70 133% $40
Getting Around
Gambia
$11 *
United Kingdom
$140 1155% $129

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

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $105 in the Gambia, $1,287 in the United Kingdom. Capital cities: $105 in Banjul vs $2,811 in London.

National salary averages: $62 in the Gambia, $3,251 in the United Kingdom. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 1126% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 28% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 1343% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are about 52 times higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know
🇬🇲 Gambia
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
🕒 Local time
02:03 2:03 AM
02:03 2:03 AM
Same time as the Gambia
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,639,916
67,326,569
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to GMD – Gambian Dalasi Converter

Gambian Dalasi exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 74.1 GMD (100 GMD = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 82.61 GMD (100 GMD = 1.21 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.752 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.838 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Gambia United Kingdom 4,480 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Gambia
  • 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
Gambia vs United Kingdom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost difference between the Gambia and the United Kingdom?
At $703 per month in the Gambia and $2,462 in the United Kingdom, there’s a 250% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
Which country is cheaper for everyday spending?
Day-to-day life is cheaper in the Gambia: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.
Which country has higher housing costs?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 in the United Kingdom and $105 in the Gambia. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
Should I move to the Gambia or to the United Kingdom?
It depends on what you’re after: the Gambia wins on affordability; the United Kingdom may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.

Gambia vs other spots: cost of living compared

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