Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston upon Thames and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Kingston upon Thames: $3,276 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

161

Cost of Living Index in Kingston upon Thames
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Kingston upon Thames Living Index
194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Kingston upon Thames

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,276

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,276 in Kingston upon Thames versus $3,986 in London.

Kingston upon Thames $3,276
London $3,986

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,746 in Kingston upon Thames versus $5,791 in London.

Kingston upon Thames $4,746
London $5,791

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,216 in Kingston upon Thames versus $7,595 in London.

Kingston upon Thames $6,216
London $7,595

Living in Kingston upon Thames costs roughly 18% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kingston upon Thames 143% above, London 195% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.10 £16.58

$25.93 £19.45

-14.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.6 £65.0

$107 £79.9

-18.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.42 £7.82

$10.71 £8.03

-2.71%

Cappuccino

$5.46 £4.09

$5.47 £4.11

-0.18%

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

$3.00 £2.25

$2.97 £2.23

1.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$2.20 £1.65

-18.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.20 £6.91

$9.13 £6.85

0.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 £5.93

$7.94 £5.96

-0.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.86 £1.40

-9.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 £1.30

$2.07 £1.55

-16.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 £1.84

$2.42 £1.81

1.24%

Eggs

$4.91 £3.68

$5.09 £3.82

-3.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.46 £6.35

$12.87 £9.66

-34.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.72 £6.54

$10.43 £7.82

-16.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 £9.74

$16.87 £12.66

-23.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 £2.35

$3.11 £2.33

0.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 £1.01

$1.40 £1.05

-3.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 £1.96

$3.08 £2.31

-15.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.90 £2.18

$3.27 £2.45

-11.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.25

$1.58 £1.19

5.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 £1.28

$1.74 £1.31

-1.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.93

$1.40 £1.05

-11.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

Wine (Bottle)

$9.31 £6.99

$13.03 £9.77

-28.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 £2.32

$3.17 £2.38

-2.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 £3.34

$4.42 £3.32

0.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.37 £1.78

$4.07 £3.05

-41.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.49 £31.88

$247 £185

-82.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 £3.69

$5.58 £4.18

-12.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 £1.07

$3.36 £2.52

-57.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.70 £17.78

$56.8 £42.58

-58.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 £1.49

$2.13 £1.60

-7.04%

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

$37.7K £28.3K

$38.2K £28.6K

-1.31%

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

$39.8K £29.9K

$40.9K £30.7K

-2.64%

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

$371 £278

$372 £279

-0.43%

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

$15.63 £11.73

$17.82 £13.37

-12.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.78 £30.60

$40.37 £30.29

1.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$102 £76.8

$60.0 £44.99

70.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.49 £7.87

$21.29 £15.97

-50.73%

Cinema Ticket

$19.46 £14.60

$17.74 £13.31

9.70%

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

$2,594 £1,946

$2,864 £2,149

-9.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.2K £16.6K

$35.3K £26.5K

-37.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.7

$114 £85.5

0.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.6 £40.19

$54.3 £40.71

-1.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.1 £58.6

$124 £93.2

-37.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.7

$163 £122

-34.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,035 £1,527

$2,869 £2,152

-29.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,832 £1,374

$2,233 £1,675

-17.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,567 £2,676

$5,266 £3,951

-32.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,164 £2,374

$3,778 £2,835

-16.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,020

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,303 £3,978

$5,037 £3,779

5.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

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

Last update for Kingston upon Thames: October 13, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kingston upon Thames

$1.8K 55.9%

London

$2.2K 56% 21.9% $401

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston upon Thames

$427 13%

London

$430 10.8% 0.8% $3.4

Eating Out

Kingston upon Thames

$355 10.8%

London

$388 9.7% 9.3% $33

Groceries & Markets

Kingston upon Thames

$298 9.1%

London

$349 8.8% 17.2% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston upon Thames

$158 4.8%

London

$205 5.1% 29.4% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston upon Thames

$141 4.3%

London

$95 2.4% 32.5% $46

Getting Around

Kingston upon Thames

$64 2%

London

$285 7.2% 346% $221

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,035 in Kingston upon Thames and $2,869 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kingston upon Thames pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $87.0 in Kingston upon Thames vs $107 in London for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $349 per month, with Kingston upon Thames cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Kingston upon Thames

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

18:17 6:17 PM

Same time as Kingston upon Thames

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,013

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Kingston upon Thames London 16 km

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Kingston upon Thames
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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

Kingston upon Thames vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kingston upon Thames and London differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($3,276 vs $3,986 including rent). Kingston upon Thames is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 5% higher in Kingston upon Thames, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,035 in Kingston upon Thames versus $2,869 in London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kingston upon Thames runs roughly 481% less than in London. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,594 in Kingston upon Thames versus $2,864 in London. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Kingston upon Thames is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Safety-wise, Kingston upon Thames and London are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Kingston upon Thames gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.