Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guildford and Bristol

For one person, living is cheaper in Bristol: $2,883 a month against $3,168 in Guildford, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Guildford, United Kingdom
Bristol, United Kingdom
Guildford
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,168
/mo nomad
Bristol
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,883
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Guildford and in Bristol

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,168 in Guildford versus $2,883 in Bristol.

  • Guildford $3,168
  • Bristol $2,883

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,474 in Guildford versus $4,161 in Bristol.

  • Guildford $4,474
  • Bristol $4,161

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,779 in Guildford versus $5,440 in Bristol.

  • Guildford $5,779
  • Bristol $5,440

Living in Guildford is roughly 10% more expensive than in Bristol, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Guildford 133% above, Bristol 112% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Guildford
Bristol
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$29.72 £22.37
$23.78 £17.90
24.98%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$93.3 £70.2
$114 £85.7
-18.06%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.23 £8.45
$10.82 £8.14
3.79%
Cappuccino
$5.04 £3.79
$5.14 £3.87
-1.95%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 £2.04
$2.69 £2.02
0.74%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.56 £1.17
$1.84 £1.39
-15.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.56 £6.44
$7.83 £5.89
9.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.84 £5.14
$6.74 £5.08
1.48%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Guildford
Bristol
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.55 £1.16
$1.52 £1.15
1.97%
White Bread (500g)
$1.33 £1.00
$1.71 £1.29
-22.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.97 £1.48
$2.10 £1.58
-6.19%
Eggs
$4.36 £3.28
$4.25 £3.20
2.59%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.56 £10.20
$8.15 £6.14
66.38%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.24 £7.71
$9.82 £7.39
4.28%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.16 £12.16
$12.88 £9.69
25.47%
Apples (1kg)
$3.54 £2.66
$3.22 £2.42
9.94%
Banana (1kg)
$2.12 £1.60
$1.76 £1.32
20.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.73 £2.81
$2.70 £2.03
38.15%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.43 £4.08
$4.13 £3.11
31.48%
Potato (1kg)
$1.93 £1.45
$2.07 £1.56
-6.76%
Onion (1kg)
$1.44 £1.08
$1.45 £1.09
-0.69%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 £0.86
$1.23 £0.92
-6.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.48 £1.12
$2.02 £1.52
-26.73%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$24.07 £18.12
$23.31 £17.54
3.26%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.95 £9.00
$10.57 £7.96
13.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.50 £1.88
$2.89 £2.17
-13.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.06 £2.30
$3.65 £2.75
-16.16%
🚌 Getting Around
Guildford
Bristol
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.13 £2.36
$3.40 £2.56
-7.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$94.2 £70.9
$125 £93.8
-24.48%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.60 £3.47
$3.50 £2.63
31.43%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.02 £1.52
$1.62 £1.22
24.69%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$40.80 £30.70
$26.41 £19.87
54.49%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.04 £1.53
$2.17 £1.63
-5.99%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.2K £29.5K
$38.0K £28.6K
3.18%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.1K £30.9K
$40.0K £30.1K
2.76%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Guildford
Bristol
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$398 £299
$326 £246
21.84%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.59 £15.50
$17.56 £13.21
17.26%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$46.34 £34.88
$38.06 £28.65
21.76%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Guildford
Bristol
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.7 £38.91
$41.92 £31.55
23.33%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.05 £17.35
$11.75 £8.84
96.17%
Cinema Ticket
$10.51 £7.91
$15.58 £11.73
-32.54%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Guildford
Bristol
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,390 £1,799
$2,366 £1,780
1.05%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.5K £18.4K
$25.2K £19.0K
-2.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Guildford
Bristol
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$111 £83.4
$100 £75.4
10.62%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$66.8 £50.3
$47.78 £35.96
39.79%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$118 £88.8
$108 £81.0
9.66%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$127 £95.7
$96.6 £72.7
31.72%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Guildford
Bristol
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,946 £1,465
$1,963 £1,477
-0.86%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,573 £1,184
$1,455 £1,095
8.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,908 £2,189
$3,048 £2,294
-4.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,363 £1,778
$2,225 £1,674
6.22%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,969 £5,998
$7,040 £5,298
13.20%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,803 £5,120
$5,142 £3,870
32.31%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Guildford
Bristol
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,678 £2,768
$3,801 £2,860
-3.22%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.13
4.87
5.34%

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

Last update for Guildford: October 27, 2026

Last update for Bristol: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Guildford
$1.6K
Bristol
$1.5K 7.5% $118
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Guildford
$465
Bristol
$382 17.8% $83
Eating Out
Guildford
$405
Bristol
$355 12.4% $50
Groceries & Markets
Guildford
$340
Bristol
$309 9.2% $31
Clothing & Footwear
Guildford
$190
Bristol
$158 16.7% $32
Getting Around
Guildford
$121
Bristol
$150 23.5% $29
Sport & Entertainment
Guildford
$73
Bristol
$73 0.5% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,946 in Guildford and $1,963 in Bristol. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bristol pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $93 in Guildford vs $114 in Bristol. Groceries flip the comparison at $340 vs $309, with Bristol cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Guildford
🇬🇧 Bristol
🕒 Local time
17:20 5:20 PM
17:20 5:20 PM
Same time as Guildford
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
66,773
463,400
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.753 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.838 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
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  • Guildford Bristol 140 km
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  • Guildford
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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
Guildford vs Bristol: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Guildford and in Bristol?
Guildford and Bristol differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($3,168 vs $2,883 including rent). Bristol is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Guildford. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Guildford and in Bristol?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,946 in Guildford versus $1,963 in Bristol. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Guildford. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Guildford – a meal for two runs $93 versus $114 in Bristol. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How does quality of life compare between Guildford and Bristol?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Is Guildford or Bristol safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Guildford and Bristol are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

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