Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Sunderland

For one person, living is cheaper in Sunderland: $1,845 a month against $2,359 in London, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Sunderland
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Sunderland Living Index

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London

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,359

/mo nomad

Sunderland

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,845

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Sunderland

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in London and in Sunderland actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,359 in London versus $1,845 in Sunderland.

London $2,359
Sunderland $1,845

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,355 in London versus $2,755 in Sunderland.

London $3,355
Sunderland $2,755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,351 in London versus $3,665 in Sunderland.

London $4,351
Sunderland $3,665

Living in London is roughly 28% more expensive than in Sunderland, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 74% above, Sunderland 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.18 CA$29.94

$18.54 £13.91

14.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.1 CA$89.2

$70.2 £52.7

-10.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.23 CA$17.29

$8.87 £6.66

37.88%

Cappuccino

$3.67 CA$5.19

$5.02 £3.77

-26.89%

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

$2.18 CA$3.08

$2.32 £1.74

-6.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 CA$3.08

$1.96 £1.47

11.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.55 CA$9.27

$4.63 £3.48

41.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.28 CA$8.88

$4.30 £3.23

46.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 CA$2.79

$1.44 £1.08

37.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.69 CA$3.80

$1.37 £1.03

96.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.91 CA$5.53

$2.40 £1.80

62.92%

Eggs

$3.67 CA$5.19

$3.52 £2.64

4.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.16 CA$14.37

$9.72 £7.29

4.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.60 CA$16.40

$8.99 £6.74

29.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.91 CA$21.08

$14.35 £10.76

3.90%

Apples (1kg)

$4.35 CA$6.15

$3.26 £2.44

33.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 CA$1.76

$1.85 £1.39

-32.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.75 CA$5.30

$2.92 £2.19

28.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 CA$5.69

$3.79 £2.84

6.07%

Potato (1kg)

$3.05 CA$4.31

$1.79 £1.34

70.39%

Onion (1kg)

$3.04 CA$4.29

$1.48 £1.11

105.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 CA$3.61

$1.20 £0.90

112.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.15

$1.50 £1.13

1.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.81 CA$16.70

$22.99 £17.25

-48.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.91 CA$18.25

$10.19 £7.65

26.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CA$3.46

$3.57 £2.68

-31.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$3.49 £2.62

-18.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$2.08 £1.56

9.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.4 CA$112

$119 £89.6

-33.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 CA$3.57

$4.40 £3.30

-42.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 CA$2.42

$1.55 £1.16

10.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.96 CA$31.05

$28.14 £21.11

-21.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 CA$1.76

$2.09 £1.57

-40.67%

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

$27.0K CA$38.2K

$38.3K £28.8K

-29.59%

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

$22.8K CA$32.2K

$40.5K £30.4K

-43.78%

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

$139 CA$197

$248 £186

-43.94%

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

$39.70 CA$56.1

$16.93 £12.70

134.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 CA$80.5

$42.31 £31.74

34.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.60 CA$53.2

$40.70 £30.53

-7.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.03 CA$41.04

$12.01 £9.01

141.72%

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 CA$14.82

$10.66 £8.00

-1.69%

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

$410 CA$580

$819 £614

-49.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.3K CA$28.6K

$17.6K £13.2K

15.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.0 CA$75.0

$91.1 £68.4

-41.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.23 CA$55.5

$47.14 £35.37

-16.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.1 CA$115

$109 £81.4

-25.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.7 CA$127

$94.7 £71.1

-5.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,297 CA$1,834

$792 £594

63.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,172 CA$1,656

$595 £446

96.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,066 CA$2,920

$1,356 £1,017

52.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,682 CA$2,378

$957 £718

75.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,510 CA$4,962

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,683 CA$5,207

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,092 CA$4,371

$3,663 £2,748

-15.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.72

5.15

-8.35%

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

Last update for London: October 20, 2026

Last update for Sunderland: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$1.2K 49.7%

Sunderland

$595 32.2% 49.2% $577

Groceries & Markets

London

$362 15.3%

Sunderland

$303 16.4% 16.2% $59

Eating Out

London

$313 13.3%

Sunderland

$284 15.4% 9.2% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$236 10%

Sunderland

$307 16.7% 30.4% $72

Clothing & Footwear

London

$118 5%

Sunderland

$154 8.3% 29.8% $35

Getting Around

London

$100 4.2%

Sunderland

$140 7.6% 40.6% $40

Sport & Entertainment

London

$59 2.5%

Sunderland

$62 3.4% 5.9% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,297 in London and $792 in Sunderland. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sunderland pays 18% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $63.0 in London vs $70.0 in Sunderland. Groceries flip the comparison at $362 vs $303, with Sunderland cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 London

🇬🇧 Sunderland

🕒 Local time

02:01 2:01 AM

07:01 7:01 AM

5 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

383,822

275,300

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

London Sunderland 5,650 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

London vs Sunderland: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sunderland is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 28% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 18% lower in Sunderland. 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: $1,297 in London versus $792 in Sunderland. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,359 per month in London versus $1,845 in Sunderland – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sunderland runs roughly 50% less than in London. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,845 in Sunderland versus $2,359 in London, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Sunderland but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Sunderland the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sunderland is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in London, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, London and Sunderland 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 Sunderland gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.