Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leeds and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Leeds: $2,248 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $20,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Leeds
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Leeds Living Index
194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Leeds

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,248

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,248 in Leeds versus $3,986 in London.

Leeds $2,248
London $3,986

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,372 in Leeds versus $5,791 in London.

Leeds $3,372
London $5,791

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,497 in Leeds versus $7,595 in London.

Leeds $4,497
London $7,595

Living in Leeds costs roughly 44% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Leeds 66% above, London 195% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.65 £15.49

$25.93 £19.45

-20.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.2 £58.0

$107 £79.9

-27.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.36 £7.02

$10.71 £8.03

-12.61%

Cappuccino

$5.09 £3.82

$5.47 £4.11

-6.95%

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

$3.68 £2.76

$2.97 £2.23

23.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 £1.99

$2.20 £1.65

20.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.43 £5.58

$9.13 £6.85

-18.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.14 £6.10

$7.94 £5.96

2.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 £1.20

$1.86 £1.40

-13.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 £1.09

$2.07 £1.55

-29.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 £2.10

$2.42 £1.81

15.70%

Eggs

$4.22 £3.17

$5.09 £3.82

-17.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 £8.23

$12.87 £9.66

-14.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.74 £6.56

$10.43 £7.82

-16.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.50 £11.63

$16.87 £12.66

-8.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 £2.28

$3.11 £2.33

-2.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 £1.43

$1.40 £1.05

36.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.71 £2.03

$3.08 £2.31

-12.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.48 £2.61

$3.27 £2.45

6.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.25

$1.58 £1.19

5.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 £1.29

$1.74 £1.31

-1.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 £1.02

$1.40 £1.05

-2.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 £1.19

$1.80 £1.35

-11.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.09 £15.07

$23.28 £17.46

-13.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.40 £7.80

$13.03 £9.77

-20.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 £2.16

$3.17 £2.38

-9.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 £2.30

$4.42 £3.32

-30.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.32 £2.49

$4.07 £3.05

-18.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$122 £91.5

$247 £185

-50.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 £2.40

$5.58 £4.18

-42.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 £1.50

$3.36 £2.52

-40.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.71 £13.29

$56.8 £42.58

-68.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 £1.54

$2.13 £1.60

-3.76%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

-0.03%

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

$40.1K £30.1K

$40.9K £30.7K

-1.91%

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

$248 £186

$372 £279

-33.45%

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

$16.82 £12.62

$17.82 £13.37

-5.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.74 £30.56

$40.37 £30.29

0.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.53 £31.16

$60.0 £44.99

-30.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.58 £17.69

$21.29 £15.97

10.76%

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 £10.09

$17.74 £13.31

-24.24%

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

$1,847 £1,386

$2,864 £2,149

-35.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.8K £16.4K

$35.3K £26.5K

-38.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.0 £66.8

$114 £85.5

-21.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.94 £35.22

$54.3 £40.71

-13.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.3 £67.0

$124 £93.2

-28.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.4 £64.1

$163 £122

-47.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 £911

$2,869 £2,152

-57.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$942 £706

$2,233 £1,675

-57.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,317 £1,738

$5,266 £3,951

-56.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,627 £1,221

$3,778 £2,835

-56.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,729 £2,798

$18.3K £13.8K

-79.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,540 £2,656

$8,024 £6,020

-55.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,316 £2,488

$5,037 £3,779

-34.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.99

4.74

5.27%

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

Last update for Leeds: 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

Leeds

$942 41.9%

London

$2.2K 56% 137% $1.3K

Eating Out

Leeds

$333 14.8%

London

$388 9.7% 16.3% $54

Groceries & Markets

Leeds

$311 13.8%

London

$349 8.8% 12.4% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leeds

$305 13.6%

London

$430 10.8% 41% $125

Getting Around

Leeds

$148 6.6%

London

$285 7.2% 92.4% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Leeds

$140 6.2%

London

$205 5.1% 46.6% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Leeds

$68 3%

London

$95 2.4% 39.5% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,215 in Leeds and $2,869 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 52% 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: $77.0 in Leeds vs $107 in London for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $311 vs $349 per month, with Leeds cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Leeds

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

16:53 4:53 PM

Same time as Leeds

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

766,399

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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Leeds London 270 km

From you

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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

Leeds vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Leeds wins on cost – living expenses run 77% lower than in London. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Leeds the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 52% 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: $1,215 in Leeds versus $2,869 in London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,248 per month in Leeds versus $3,986 in London – a 77% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Leeds runs roughly 102% less than in London. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,248 in Leeds versus $3,986 in London, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Leeds but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Leeds the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Leeds delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,248 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Leeds hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Leeds gentler on the wallet – expenses run 77% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.