Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Aberdeen

For one person, living is cheaper in Aberdeen: $2,292 a month against $4,048 in London, rent and utilities included – about $21,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Aberdeen
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Aberdeen Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,048

/mo nomad

Aberdeen

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,292

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Aberdeen

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 Aberdeen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $4,048 per month in London vs $2,292 in Aberdeen, rent included.

London $4,048
Aberdeen $2,292

A couple spends around $5,903 per month in London vs $3,567 in Aberdeen, rent included.

London $5,903
Aberdeen $3,567

A family of three spends $7,758 per month in London vs $4,841 in Aberdeen, rent included.

London $7,758
Aberdeen $4,841

London costs about 77% more than Aberdeen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Aberdeen sit above the global median – London by 199%, Aberdeen by 70%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.36 £19.62

$20.00 £14.89

31.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$109 £80.8

$102 £76.0

6.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £7.97

$10.69 £7.96

0.19%

Cappuccino

$5.59 £4.16

$4.75 £3.54

17.68%

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

$3.00 £2.24

$2.86 £2.13

4.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 £1.65

$2.20 £1.63

0.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.65 £7.18

$7.20 £5.36

34.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.26 £6.15

$7.90 £5.88

4.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 £1.46

$1.55 £1.15

27.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 £1.55

$1.80 £1.34

16.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 £1.93

$2.04 £1.52

26.96%

Eggs

$5.37 £4.00

$4.46 £3.32

20.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.12 £9.77

$8.63 £6.43

52.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.03 £8.21

$12.31 £9.17

-10.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.73 £13.20

$16.59 £12.35

6.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 £2.36

$2.90 £2.16

9.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.36 £1.01

1.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 £2.10

$2.89 £2.15

-2.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 £2.50

$3.79 £2.82

-11.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 £1.26

$1.80 £1.34

-5.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 £1.32

$1.45 £1.08

22.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 £1.11

$1.26 £0.94

18.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 £1.36

$1.65 £1.23

10.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.85 £17.75

$22.68 £16.88

5.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.44 £10.00

$11.06 £8.23

21.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 £2.31

$2.68 £2.00

16.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 £3.34

$3.01 £2.24

49.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.13 £3.08

$4.11 £3.06

0.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$266 £198

$120 £89.5

121.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.98 £4.45

$4.03 £3.00

48.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.39 £2.52

$2.42 £1.80

40.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.6 £42.10

$24.49 £18.23

130.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 £1.64

$2.17 £1.61

1.84%

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

$38.3K £28.5K

$38.1K £28.4K

0.41%

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

$41.0K £30.5K

$40.7K £30.3K

0.91%

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

$372 £277

$402 £299

-7.26%

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

$18.66 £13.89

$28.26 £21.04

-33.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.53 £30.17

$42.43 £31.59

-4.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.0 £41.70

$48.03 £35.75

16.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.10 £12.73

$22.14 £16.48

-22.76%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.37

$11.47 £8.54

56.50%

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

$2,946 £2,193

$1,839 £1,369

60.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$47.6K £35.4K

$23.7K £17.6K

101.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £86.5

$97.4 £72.5

19.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.9 £42.35

$48.27 £35.93

17.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 £95.2

$103 £76.7

24.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 £115

$114 £85.0

34.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,935 £2,185

$852 £635

244.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,258 £1,681

$788 £586

186.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,250 £3,908

$1,649 £1,227

218.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,859 £2,873

$1,593 £1,186

142.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.2K £12.8K

$2,635 £1,961

552.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,278 £6,162

$3,197 £2,380

158.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,621 £4,184

$4,053 £3,017

38.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.78

5.11

-6.46%

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

Last update for London: November 1, 2026

Last update for Aberdeen: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 55.8%

Aberdeen

$788 34.3% 65.1% $1.5K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$432 10.7%

Aberdeen

$472 20.6% 9.4% $41

Eating Out

London

$396 9.8%

Aberdeen

$321 14% 18.9% $75

Groceries & Markets

London

$360 8.9%

Aberdeen

$325 14.2% 9.9% $36

Getting Around

London

$305 7.6%

Aberdeen

$153 6.7% 50% $153

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Aberdeen

$163 7.1% 20.2% $41

Sport & Entertainment

London

$92 2.3%

Aberdeen

$71 3.1% 22.8% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,935 in London versus $852 in Aberdeen. 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 39% 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 $109 in London versus $102 in Aberdeen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $360 vs $325 – making Aberdeen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇬🇧 Aberdeen

🕒 Local time

17:11 5:11 PM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

229,060

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Aberdeen 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

London
Aberdeen

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 Aberdeen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

London costs about 77% more than Aberdeen, 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 $6,072 per month in London and $3,439 in Aberdeen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aberdeen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $852 there versus $2,935 in London.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,048 in London and $2,292 in Aberdeen. That makes Aberdeen about 43% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 55% less in Aberdeen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,048 in London and $2,292 in Aberdeen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Aberdeen costs $2,292 versus $4,048 in London. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Aberdeen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.