Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iran and the United Kingdom

Name: United Kingdom
Address: GB

For one person, living is cheaper in Iran: $497 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $23,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Iran
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Iran Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index

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🇮🇷 Iran

$497

/mo nomad

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $497 per month in Iran vs $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

Iran $497
United Kingdom $2,462

A couple spends around $809 per month in Iran vs $3,600 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

Iran $809
United Kingdom $3,600

A family of three spends $1,121 per month in Iran vs $4,738 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

Iran $1,121
United Kingdom $4,738

The regional cost range is wider in the United Kingdom ($1,126–$4,646) than in Iran ($361–$874), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Iran is roughly 80% lower than in the United Kingdom on average.

Iran sits 63% below the global median, while the United Kingdom is 81% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.41 $3.41

$21.48 £16.17

-84.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.99 $15.99

$85.7 £64.5

-81.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.95 $3.95

$10.61 £7.99

-62.77%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.85 $0.85

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 $1.11

Cappuccino

$1.18 $1.18

$4.91 £3.70

-75.97%

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

$0.53 $0.53

$2.66 £2.00

-80.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.87 £1.41

-54.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.99

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.15

Milk (1 liter)

$0.62 $0.62

$1.68 £1.26

-63.10%

White Bread (500g)

$0.48 $0.48

$1.72 £1.29

-72.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.17 £1.63

8.29%

Eggs

$1.11 $1.11

$4.00 £3.01

-72.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.74 $3.74

$9.42 £7.09

-60.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.00 $3.00

$9.19 £6.91

-67.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.85 $9.85

$14.77 £11.11

-33.31%

Apples (1kg)

$0.97 $0.97

$2.97 £2.23

-67.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.62 £1.22

-9.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.89 $0.89

$2.85 £2.15

-68.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.58 $0.58

$3.52 £2.65

-83.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.51 $0.51

$1.83 £1.38

-72.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 $0.46

$1.61 £1.21

-71.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.51 $0.51

$1.25 £0.94

-59.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.23 $0.23

$1.66 £1.25

-86.14%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.01 $1.01

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 $0.53

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 $1.44

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.21 $2.21

$23.65 £17.80

-90.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.90

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.25

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.64

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 $0.15

$3.98 £2.99

-96.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.20 $10.20

$107 £80.9

-90.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.52 $0.52

$5.18 £3.90

-89.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 $0.31

$2.35 £1.77

-86.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 $2.43

$26.84 £20.20

-90.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.28 $0.28

$1.99 £1.50

-85.93%

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

$59.2K $59.2K

$39.4K £29.7K

50.01%

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

$52.7K $52.7K

$40.5K £30.5K

30.20%

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

$13.72 $13.72

$327 £246

-95.81%

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

$2.30 $2.30

$18.21 £13.71

-87.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.70 $6.70

$43.60 £32.81

-84.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.70 $16.70

$42.36 £31.88

-60.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.24 $12.24

$18.22 £13.71

-32.82%

Cinema Ticket

$1.54 $1.54

$13.85 £10.42

-88.88%

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

$81.3 $81.3

$1,868 £1,406

-95.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,146 $1,146

$22.6K £17.0K

-94.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.85 $22.85

$92.9 £69.9

-75.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.56 $26.56

$45.92 £34.56

-42.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 $100

$102 £76.5

-1.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.5 $62.5

$102 £77.0

-38.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$252 $252

$1,342 £1,010

-81.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$180 $180

$1,073 £808

-83.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$556 $556

$2,231 £1,679

-75.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$345 $345

$1,742 £1,311

-80.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$994 $994

$5,601 £4,216

-82.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$585 $585

$4,265 £3,210

-86.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$243 $243

$3,349 £2,521

-92.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

23.39

5.32

339.66%

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

Last update for Iran: October 25, 2026

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iran

$180 36.1%

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6% 497% $894

Groceries & Markets

Iran

$108 21.7%

United Kingdom

$307 12.5% 185% $199

Clothing & Footwear

Iran

$96 19.2%

United Kingdom

$154 6.3% 61.5% $59

Eating Out

Iran

$59 11.8%

United Kingdom

$328 13.3% 457% $269

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iran

$23 4.6%

United Kingdom

$389 15.8% 1612% $366

Sport & Entertainment

Iran

$20 4%

United Kingdom

$70 2.9% 254% $50

Getting Around

Iran

$13 2.6%

United Kingdom

$140 5.7% 990% $127

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $295 in Iran vs $1,287 in the United Kingdom. For reference, capital cities sit at $430 in Tehran and $2,811 in London.

Average salary: $268 in Iran vs $3,251 in the United Kingdom. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 336% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 419% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 910% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are about 12 times higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Iran

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🕒 Local time

01:21 1:21 AM

21:51 9:51 PM

3 h 30 min behind Iran

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

86,758,304

67,326,569

💱 Currency

USD USD

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, EUR to USD – USD Converter

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

USD exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

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).

GBP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Iran United Kingdom 4,400 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Iran
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

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

Iran is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 80% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United Kingdom: a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 versus $295 in Iran.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Iran – part of why living there is about 80% cheaper overall.

Iran is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.