Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karaganda and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Karaganda: $926 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $36,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Karaganda
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
$926
/mo nomad
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,986
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $926 per month in Karaganda vs $3,986 in London, rent included.

  • Karaganda $926
  • London $3,986

A couple spends around $1,492 per month in Karaganda vs $5,791 in London, rent included.

  • Karaganda $1,492
  • London $5,791

A family of three spends $2,058 per month in Karaganda vs $7,595 in London, rent included.

  • Karaganda $2,058
  • London $7,595

Karaganda is about 77% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Karaganda sits 31% below the global median, while London is 195% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Karaganda
London
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.85 ₸4,452
$25.93 £19.45
-62.01%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.09 ₸15.9K
$107 £79.9
-67.05%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.43 ₸2,453
$10.71 £8.03
-49.30%
Cappuccino
$1.92 ₸869
$5.47 £4.11
-64.90%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.91 ₸413
$2.97 £2.23
-69.36%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ₸290
$2.20 £1.65
-70.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.36 ₸617
$9.13 £6.85
-85.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.80 ₸1,267
$7.94 £5.96
-64.74%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Karaganda
London
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.34 ₸605
$1.86 £1.40
-27.96%
White Bread (500g)
$0.49 ₸222
$2.07 £1.55
-76.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.32 ₸597
$2.42 £1.81
-45.45%
Eggs
$1.79 ₸808
$5.09 £3.82
-64.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.12 ₸5,929
$12.87 £9.66
1.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.40 ₸2,442
$10.43 £7.82
-48.23%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.19 ₸5,060
$16.87 £12.66
-33.67%
Apples (1kg)
$1.49 ₸673
$3.11 £2.33
-52.09%
Banana (1kg)
$1.89 ₸856
$1.40 £1.05
35.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.87 ₸1,299
$3.08 £2.31
-6.82%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 ₸979
$3.27 £2.45
-33.64%
Potato (1kg)
$0.67 ₸301
$1.58 £1.19
-57.59%
Onion (1kg)
$0.59 ₸267
$1.74 £1.31
-66.09%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.03 ₸467
$1.40 £1.05
-26.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.69 ₸310
$1.80 £1.35
-61.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.25 ₸1,016
$23.28 £17.46
-90.34%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.43 ₸3,813
$13.03 £9.77
-35.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.35 ₸610
$3.17 £2.38
-57.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 ₸957
$4.42 £3.32
-52.04%
🚌 Getting Around
Karaganda
London
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.21 ₸94.9
$4.07 £3.05
-94.84%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.75 ₸7,119
$247 £185
-93.62%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.26 ₸568
$5.58 £4.18
-77.42%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.20 ₸541
$3.36 £2.52
-64.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.31 ₸1,496
$56.8 £42.58
-94.17%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.56 ₸254
$2.13 £1.60
-73.71%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.0K ₸10.0M
$38.2K £28.6K
-42.26%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.9K ₸14.4M
$40.9K £30.7K
-21.89%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Karaganda
London
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$72.2 ₸32.7K
$372 £279
-80.59%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.01 ₸4,523
$17.82 £13.37
-43.83%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.86 ₸5,360
$40.37 £30.29
-70.62%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Karaganda
London
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.00 ₸20.8K
$60.0 £44.99
-23.29%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.82 ₸8,505
$21.29 £15.97
-11.60%
Cinema Ticket
$5.34 ₸2,416
$17.74 £13.31
-69.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Karaganda
London
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$135 ₸60.8K
$2,864 £2,149
-95.30%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$35.3K £26.5K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Karaganda
London
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.9 ₸26.6K
$114 £85.5
-48.36%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.8 ₸26.1K
$54.3 £40.71
6.47%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.1 ₸35.8K
$124 £93.2
-36.35%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.6 ₸38.7K
$163 £122
-47.49%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Karaganda
London
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$394 ₸178.2K
$2,869 £2,152
-86.26%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$273 ₸123.2K
$2,233 £1,675
-87.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$738 ₸333.5K
$5,266 £3,951
-85.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$536 ₸242.3K
$3,778 £2,835
-85.82%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,053 ₸476.1K
$18.3K £13.8K
-94.25%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$711 ₸321.5K
$8,024 £6,020
-91.14%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Karaganda
London
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$569 ₸257.3K
$5,037 £3,779
-88.70%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
19.25
4.74
306.12%

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

Last update for Karaganda: October 11, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Karaganda
$273
London
$2.2K 719% $2K
Groceries & Markets
Karaganda
$215
London
$349 62.4% $134
Eating Out
Karaganda
$137
London
$388 183% $251
Clothing & Footwear
Karaganda
$127
London
$205 61.9% $78
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Karaganda
$94
London
$430 357% $336
Sport & Entertainment
Karaganda
$57
London
$95 68.4% $39
Getting Around
Karaganda
$24
London
$285 1098% $262

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $394 in Karaganda versus $2,869 in London. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 785% higher in London, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Karaganda versus $107 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $349 – making Karaganda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇰🇿 Karaganda
🇬🇧 London
🕒 Local time
11:05 11:05 AM
06:05 6:05 AM
5 h behind Karaganda
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
520,486
8,908,083 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Karaganda London 4,940 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Karaganda
  • London

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
Karaganda vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Karaganda and in London compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $926 in Karaganda, $3,986 in London – roughly 331% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in Karaganda compared to London?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,389 per month in Karaganda and $5,979 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Karaganda and London?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Karaganda, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do commuting costs compare in Karaganda and in London?
Public transport costs about 1467% less in Karaganda. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Karaganda and London?
Kindergarten costs $135 per month in Karaganda and $2,864 in London. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Karaganda, where all-in costs run around $926, than in London at $3,986. In Karaganda it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Karaganda and London?
It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $926 in Karaganda to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How do I decide between Karaganda and London?
If budget matters most, go with Karaganda. 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.

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