Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kirkwall and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Kirkwall: $2,121 a month against $4,049 in London, rent and utilities included – about $23,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Kirkwall
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Kirkwall Living Index
195

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Kirkwall

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,121

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,049

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,121 in Kirkwall versus $4,049 in London.

Kirkwall $2,121
London $4,049

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,026 in Kirkwall versus $5,827 in London.

Kirkwall $3,026
London $5,827

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Kirkwall versus $7,605 in London.

Kirkwall $3,931
London $7,605

Living in Kirkwall costs roughly 48% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kirkwall 57% above, London 199% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.63 £17.73

$27.09 £20.33

-12.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.8 £71.1

$104 £78.3

-9.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.57 £7.93

$10.86 £8.15

-2.67%

Cappuccino

$3.92 £2.94

$5.60 £4.20

-30.00%

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

$3.26 £2.44

$3.05 £2.29

6.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 £0.98

$2.28 £1.71

-42.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.20 £4.65

$9.23 £6.92

-32.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.47 £6.36

$7.95 £5.96

6.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 £0.59

$1.83 £1.37

-56.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 £1.19

$2.05 £1.54

-22.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 £1.54

$2.47 £1.86

-17.00%

Eggs

$3.22 £2.42

$5.12 £3.84

-37.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.59 £4.95

$12.89 £9.67

-48.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 £6.73

$10.84 £8.14

-17.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.90 £11.92

$17.03 £12.78

-6.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 £1.65

$3.07 £2.30

-28.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 £1.48

$1.38 £1.03

42.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 £1.18

$2.99 £2.24

-47.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 £0.99

$3.39 £2.54

-61.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 £0.83

$1.60 £1.20

-30.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 £0.82

$1.80 £1.35

-39.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 £0.58

$1.41 £1.06

-45.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 £0.81

$1.81 £1.36

-40.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.10 £15.08

$23.92 £17.94

-15.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.18 £6.89

$13.54 £10.16

-32.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 £2.03

$3.23 £2.42

-16.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 £2.16

$4.39 £3.29

-34.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$10.51 £7.89

$3.92 £2.94

168.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.4

$243 £182

-55.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.19 £3.90

$5.58 £4.18

-6.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.58 £1.93

$3.27 £2.46

-21.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.06 £20.30

$58.4 £43.81

-53.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 £1.54

$2.08 £1.56

-1.44%

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

$37.8K £28.4K

$38.8K £29.1K

-2.54%

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

$41.2K £30.9K

$40.6K £30.5K

1.34%

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

$282 £212

$380 £285

-25.67%

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

$30.12 £22.60

$18.62 £13.97

61.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.04 £24.79

$40.45 £30.35

-18.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.73 £31.31

$61.3 £45.95

-31.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.41 £16.07

Cinema Ticket

$11.46 £8.60

$18.09 £13.57

-36.65%

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

$1,237 £928

$2,905 £2,180

-57.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.5K £26.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.5 £68.7

$116 £87.3

-21.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.72 £32.80

$54.5 £40.89

-19.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.0 £71.3

$128 £95.8

-25.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 £103

$167 £125

-17.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$935 £701

$2,852 £2,140

-67.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$792 £594

$2,269 £1,702

-65.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,182 £887

$5,250 £3,939

-77.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$966 £725

$3,752 £2,815

-74.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.5K £13.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,100 £6,077

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,914 £1,436

$5,109 £3,833

-62.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.07

4.74

6.96%

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

Last update for Kirkwall: October 19, 2026

Last update for London: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kirkwall

$792 37.3%

London

$2.3K 56% 187% $1.5K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kirkwall

$346 16.3%

London

$439 10.9% 27% $93

Eating Out

Kirkwall

$334 15.8%

London

$400 9.9% 19.7% $66

Groceries & Markets

Kirkwall

$252 11.9%

London

$353 8.7% 40.2% $101

Getting Around

Kirkwall

$167 7.9%

London

$280 6.9% 67.6% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Kirkwall

$165 7.8%

London

$209 5.2% 26.5% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Kirkwall

$65 3.1%

London

$97 2.4% 50.7% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $935 in Kirkwall and $2,852 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 167% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $95.0 in Kirkwall vs $104 in London for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $252 vs $353 per month, with Kirkwall cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Kirkwall

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

08:32 8:32 AM

Same time as Kirkwall

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,500

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

On the map

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Between locations

Kirkwall London 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Kirkwall
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

Kirkwall vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kirkwall and London differ by about 91% in total monthly costs ($2,121 vs $4,049 including rent). Kirkwall is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 167% lower in London. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $935 in Kirkwall versus $2,852 in London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kirkwall – a meal for two runs $95.0 versus $104 in London. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,121 per month in Kirkwall versus $4,049 in London – a 91% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,121 in Kirkwall versus $4,049 in London, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Kirkwall but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Kirkwall the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Kirkwall 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 Kirkwall gentler on the wallet – expenses run 91% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.