Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kinshasa and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Kinshasa: $1,725 a month against $4,048 in London, rent and utilities included – about $27,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Kinshasa
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Kinshasa Living Index
196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Kinshasa

🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo

$1,725

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,048

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,725 per month in Kinshasa vs $4,048 in London, rent included.

Kinshasa $1,725
London $4,048

A couple spends around $3,030 per month in Kinshasa vs $5,903 in London, rent included.

Kinshasa $3,030
London $5,903

A family of three spends $4,335 per month in Kinshasa vs $7,758 in London, rent included.

Kinshasa $4,335
London $7,758

Kinshasa is about 57% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Kinshasa and London sit above the global median – Kinshasa by 28%, London by 199%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.17 CDF 41.1K

$26.36 £19.59

-31.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.5 CDF 189.0K

$109 £80.7

-23.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.70 CDF 33.3K

$10.71 £7.96

37.25%

Cappuccino

$6.66 CDF 15.1K

$5.59 £4.15

19.14%

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

$2.68 CDF 6,063

$3.00 £2.23

-10.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 CDF 4,651

$2.22 £1.65

-7.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.52 CDF 5,698

$9.65 £7.17

-73.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 CDF 10.2K

$8.26 £6.14

-45.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.33 CDF 7,544

$1.97 £1.46

69.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 CDF 4,830

$2.09 £1.55

1.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.10 CDF 7,022

$2.59 £1.93

19.69%

Eggs

$3.90 CDF 8,832

$5.37 £3.99

-27.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 CDF 21.3K

$13.12 £9.75

-28.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.86 CDF 38.2K

$11.03 £8.20

52.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.12 CDF 27.4K

$17.73 £13.17

-31.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.50 CDF 7,919

$3.17 £2.36

10.41%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 CDF 6,904

$1.38 £1.03

121.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.46 CDF 10.1K

$2.82 £2.10

58.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 CDF 9,144

$3.36 £2.50

20.24%

Potato (1kg)

$3.22 CDF 7,287

$1.70 £1.26

89.41%

Onion (1kg)

$3.14 CDF 7,105

$1.78 £1.32

76.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 CDF 4,549

$1.49 £1.11

34.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 CDF 3,305

$1.82 £1.35

-19.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 CDF 10.1K

$23.85 £17.72

-81.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.72 CDF 35.6K

$13.44 £9.98

16.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 CDF 4,490

$3.11 £2.31

-36.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 CDF 9,596

$4.49 £3.34

-5.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 CDF 1,157

$4.13 £3.07

-87.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.76 CDF 49.3K

$266 £198

-91.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 CDF 12.1K

$5.98 £4.44

-10.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 CDF 2,822

$3.39 £2.52

-63.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 CDF 11.6K

$56.6 £42.03

-90.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 CDF 4,010

$2.21 £1.64

-19.91%

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

$38.3K £28.4K

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

$41.0K £30.5K

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

$86.0 CDF 194.7K

$372 £277

-76.89%

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

$27.61 CDF 62.5K

$18.66 £13.87

47.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.8 CDF 160.2K

$40.53 £30.12

74.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.9 CDF 180.7K

$56.0 £41.63

42.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.65 CDF 49.0K

$17.10 £12.71

26.61%

Cinema Ticket

$14.90 CDF 33.7K

$17.95 £13.34

-16.99%

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

$564 CDF 1.3M

$2,946 £2,189

-80.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K CDF 37.9M

$47.6K £35.4K

-64.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.15 CDF 99.9K

$116 £86.4

-62.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.45 CDF 87.0K

$56.9 £42.28

-32.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 CDF 260.2K

$128 £95.1

-10.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 CDF 282.5K

$154 £114

-18.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,679 CDF 3.8M

$2,935 £2,182

-42.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$544 CDF 1.2M

$2,258 £1,678

-75.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,160 CDF 9.4M

$5,250 £3,901

-20.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,525 CDF 3.5M

$3,859 £2,868

-60.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,997 CDF 11.3M

$17.2K £12.8K

-70.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,237 CDF 2.8M

$8,278 £6,152

-85.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$350 CDF 792.7K

$5,621 £4,177

-93.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.78

192.89%

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

Last update for Kinshasa: November 1, 2026

Last update for London: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kinshasa

$544 31.5%

London

$2.3K 55.8% 315% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Kinshasa

$397 23%

London

$360 8.9% 9.2% $36

Eating Out

Kinshasa

$310 18%

London

$396 9.8% 27.7% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kinshasa

$184 10.7%

London

$432 10.7% 134% $247

Clothing & Footwear

Kinshasa

$145 8.4%

London

$205 5.1% 41.1% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Kinshasa

$110 6.4%

London

$92 2.3% 16.2% $18

Getting Around

Kinshasa

$35 2.1%

London

$305 7.6% 763% $270

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,679 in Kinshasa versus $2,935 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 in London are about 16 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83 in Kinshasa versus $109 in London. Groceries tell a different story – $397 in Kinshasa vs $360 in London – so London wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇩 Kinshasa

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

05:38 5:38 AM

04:38 4:38 AM

1 h behind Kinshasa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,032,322 Capital

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Congolese Franc CDF Fr

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CDF = 4.42 USD

10,000 CDF = 3.94 EUR

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to CDF – Congolese Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇩 Congolese Franc (Fr)

Congolese Franc exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 2,263 CDF (10,000 CDF = 4.42 USD). 1 EUR = 2,541 CDF (10,000 CDF = 3.94 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.743 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to CDF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kinshasa London 6,380 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Kinshasa
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

Kinshasa vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,725 in Kinshasa, $4,048 in London – Kinshasa comes out roughly 57% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,588 per month in Kinshasa and $6,072 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kinshasa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,679 there versus $2,935 in London.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83 in Kinshasa and $109 in London. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,725 in Kinshasa and $4,048 in London. That makes Kinshasa about 57% cheaper.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Kinshasa, where all-in costs run around $1,725, than in London at $4,048. In Kinshasa it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kinshasa – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Kinshasa. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.