Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leicester and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Leicester: $2,172 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $21,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Leicester
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Leicester Living Index
194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Leicester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,172

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,172 per month in Leicester vs $3,986 in London, rent included.

Leicester $2,172
London $3,986

A couple spends around $3,104 per month in Leicester vs $5,791 in London, rent included.

Leicester $3,104
London $5,791

A family of three spends $4,036 per month in Leicester vs $7,595 in London, rent included.

Leicester $4,036
London $7,595

Leicester is about 46% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Leicester and London sit above the global median – Leicester by 61%, London by 195%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.12 £16.60

$25.93 £19.45

-14.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.9 £49.46

$107 £79.9

-38.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.19 £6.89

$10.71 £8.03

-14.19%

Cappuccino

$4.65 £3.49

$5.47 £4.11

-14.99%

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

$2.30 £1.72

$2.97 £2.23

-22.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 £0.97

$2.20 £1.65

-41.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.79 £5.09

$9.13 £6.85

-25.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.35 £4.01

$7.94 £5.96

-32.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 £1.24

$1.86 £1.40

-11.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 £1.19

$2.07 £1.55

-23.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.63

$2.42 £1.81

-10.33%

Eggs

$4.03 £3.02

$5.09 £3.82

-20.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.80 £7.35

$12.87 £9.66

-23.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.43 £6.33

$10.43 £7.82

-19.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.36 £10.77

$16.87 £12.66

-14.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 £2.19

$3.11 £2.33

-6.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 £1.10

$1.40 £1.05

5.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.69 £2.02

$3.08 £2.31

-12.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.64 £2.73

$3.27 £2.45

11.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 £1.12

$1.58 £1.19

-5.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 £1.14

$1.74 £1.31

-12.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 £0.90

$1.40 £1.05

-14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 £1.12

$1.80 £1.35

-17.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.97 £15.73

$23.28 £17.46

-9.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.08 £8.31

$13.03 £9.77

-14.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 £1.89

$3.17 £2.38

-20.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 £2.34

$4.42 £3.32

-29.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.00 £3.00

$4.07 £3.05

-1.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.2 £74.4

$247 £185

-59.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 £3.67

$5.58 £4.18

-12.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.98 £2.98

$3.36 £2.52

18.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$2.13 £1.60

-2.35%

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

$38.4K £28.8K

$38.2K £28.6K

0.65%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

0.04%

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

$311 £234

$372 £279

-16.35%

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

$16.29 £12.22

$17.82 £13.37

-8.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.51 £32.64

$40.37 £30.29

7.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.27 £24.21

$60.0 £44.99

-46.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.79 £19.35

$21.29 £15.97

21.14%

Cinema Ticket

$11.96 £8.98

$17.74 £13.31

-32.58%

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

$1,256 £942

$2,864 £2,149

-56.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.5K £19.9K

$35.3K £26.5K

-25.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.8 £61.4

$114 £85.5

-28.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.77 £31.34

$54.3 £40.71

-23.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £79.7

$124 £93.2

-14.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 £81.0

$163 £122

-33.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 £747

$2,869 £2,152

-65.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$838 £629

$2,233 £1,675

-62.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,716 £1,288

$5,266 £3,951

-67.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 £917

$3,778 £2,835

-67.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,031 £3,775

$18.3K £13.8K

-72.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,465 £2,599

$8,024 £6,020

-56.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,764 £2,074

$5,037 £3,779

-45.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

4.74

12.45%

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

Last update for Leicester: October 12, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Leicester

$838 38.6%

London

$2.2K 56% 167% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leicester

$371 17.1%

London

$430 10.8% 16% $59

Eating Out

Leicester

$319 14.7%

London

$388 9.7% 21.3% $68

Groceries & Markets

Leicester

$295 13.6%

London

$349 8.8% 18.3% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Leicester

$152 7%

London

$205 5.1% 34.9% $53

Getting Around

Leicester

$140 6.4%

London

$285 7.2% 104% $145

Sport & Entertainment

Leicester

$56 2.6%

London

$95 2.4% 69.8% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Leicester 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 82% 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 $66.0 in Leicester versus $107 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $349 – making Leicester the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Leicester

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

02:30 2:30 AM

Same time as Leicester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

305,700

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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Leicester London 140 km

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Leicester
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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

Leicester vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

London costs about 84% more than Leicester, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,258 per month in Leicester and $5,979 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Leicester, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% more in London, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Leicester and $107 in London. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Leicester, where all-in costs run around $2,172, than in London at $3,986. In Leicester it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Leicester costs $2,172 versus $3,986 in London. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Leicester. 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.