Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lija and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Lija: $1,972 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $24,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Lija
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Lija Living Index
194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Lija

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,972

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,972 per month in Lija vs $3,986 in London, rent included.

Lija $1,972
London $3,986

A couple spends around $3,209 per month in Lija vs $5,791 in London, rent included.

Lija $3,209
London $5,791

A family of three spends $4,446 per month in Lija vs $7,595 in London, rent included.

Lija $4,446
London $7,595

Lija is about 51% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Lija and London sit above the global median – Lija by 46%, London by 195%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.27 €19.81

$25.93 £19.45

-14.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.0 €81.0

$107 £79.9

-14.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.14 €11.69

$10.71 £8.03

22.69%

Cappuccino

$3.13 €2.79

$5.47 £4.11

-42.78%

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

$2.42 €2.15

$2.97 £2.23

-18.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.20 £1.65

-10.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 €4.85

$9.13 £6.85

-40.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.71 €5.96

$7.94 £5.96

-15.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.86 £1.40

-28.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.25

$2.07 £1.55

-31.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.46 €3.08

$2.42 £1.81

42.98%

Eggs

$4.22 €3.76

$5.09 £3.82

-17.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.49 €9.33

$12.87 £9.66

-18.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.19 €10.84

$10.43 £7.82

16.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.21 €16.20

$16.87 £12.66

7.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.86 €3.44

$3.11 £2.33

24.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 €2.44

$1.40 £1.05

95.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 €3.40

$3.08 £2.31

24.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.69 €3.28

$3.27 £2.45

12.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.58 £1.19

21.52%

Onion (1kg)

$3.42 €3.04

$1.74 £1.31

96.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 €1.94

$1.40 £1.05

56.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.80 £1.35

-14.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.36 €5.66

$23.28 £17.46

-72.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.11 €5.44

$13.03 £9.77

-53.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.11

$3.17 £2.38

-25.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$4.42 £3.32

-48.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.37 €2.11

$4.07 £3.05

-41.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.52

$5.58 £4.18

-29.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 €1.58

$3.36 £2.52

-47.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.04 €28.50

$56.8 £42.57

-43.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 €1.35

$2.13 £1.60

-28.64%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$38.2K £28.6K

-27.16%

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

$39.1K €34.8K

$40.9K £30.7K

-4.40%

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

$156 €138

$372 £279

-58.19%

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

$31.66 €28.16

$17.82 £13.37

77.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.94 €25.74

$40.37 £30.29

-28.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.5 €62.7

$60.0 £44.99

17.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

Cinema Ticket

$11.36 €10.11

$17.74 £13.31

-35.96%

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

$279 €248

$2,864 £2,149

-90.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K €10.9K

$35.3K £26.5K

-65.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 €51.4

$114 £85.5

-49.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.0 €60.5

$54.3 £40.71

25.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €98.8

$124 £93.2

-10.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €116

$163 £122

-20.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 €984

$2,869 £2,152

-61.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$819 €728

$2,233 £1,675

-63.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,794 €1,595

$5,266 £3,950

-65.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 €1,505

$3,778 £2,834

-55.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,111 €3,657

$18.3K £13.8K

-77.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,697 €2,399

$8,024 £6,019

-66.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,778

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

4.74

-14.56%

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

Last update for Lija: October 11, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lija

$819 41.5%

London

$2.2K 56% 173% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Lija

$343 17.4%

London

$349 8.8% 1.9% $6.4

Eating Out

Lija

$313 15.9%

London

$388 9.7% 23.6% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lija

$216 11%

London

$430 10.8% 99% $214

Clothing & Footwear

Lija

$165 8.4%

London

$205 5.1% 24.1% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Lija

$93 4.7%

London

$95 2.4% 2.4% $2.3

Getting Around

Lija

$22 * 1.1%

London

$285 7.2% 1179% $263

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,106 in Lija 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Lija versus $107 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $343 vs $349 – making Lija the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Lija

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

19:57 7:57 PM

18:57 6:57 PM

1 h behind Lija

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,200

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lija London 2,090 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Lija
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

Lija vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,972 in Lija, $3,986 in London – roughly 102% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,958 per month in Lija 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 Lija, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,972 in Lija and $3,986 in London. That's a gap of about 102%.

Kindergarten costs $279 per month in Lija and $2,864 in London. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lija, where all-in costs run around $1,972, than in London at $3,986. In Lija it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,972 in Lija to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Lija. 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.