Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Aktau

For one person, living is cheaper in Aktau: $793 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $38,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Aktau
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Aktau Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Aktau

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$793

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Aktau

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

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $793 in Aktau, rent included.

London $3,986
Aktau $793

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $1,317 in Aktau, rent included.

London $5,791
Aktau $1,317

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $1,842 in Aktau, rent included.

London $7,595
Aktau $1,842

London costs about 403% more than Aktau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

London sits 195% above the global median, while Aktau is 41% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$11.07 ₸5,005

134.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$43.55 ₸19.7K

144.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$10.17 ₸4,596

5.31%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$2.49 ₸1,128

119.68%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$0.74 ₸333

301.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$0.48 ₸219

358.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$1.30 ₸586

602.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$1.53 ₸690

418.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.41 ₸638

31.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$0.47 ₸211

340.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$1.91 ₸864

26.70%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$1.73 ₸783

194.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$9.87 ₸4,463

30.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$4.24 ₸1,915

145.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$8.95 ₸4,044

88.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$1.53 ₸689

103.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$2.24 ₸1,013

-37.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$2.35 ₸1,064

31.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$2.80 ₸1,264

16.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$0.65 ₸295

143.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$0.56 ₸254

210.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.55 ₸700

-9.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.94 ₸424

91.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$2.59 ₸1,172

798.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$9.54 ₸4,313

36.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$0.72 ₸326

340.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$0.87 ₸393

408.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$0.18 ₸82.6

2161.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$1.13 ₸512

393.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$0.64 ₸290

425.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$0.63 ₸283

238.10%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$31.4K ₸14.2M

30.14%

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

$372 £279

$45.69 ₸20.7K

714.53%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$7.94 ₸3,587

124.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$11.01 ₸4,979

266.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$35.98 ₸16.3K

66.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$3.18 ₸1,437

457.86%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$143 ₸64.8K

1897.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$2,621 ₸1.2M

1248.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$66.8 ₸30.2K

70.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$40.67 ₸18.4K

33.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$71.7 ₸32.4K

73.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$89.6 ₸40.5K

81.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$330 ₸149.2K

769.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$196 ₸88.6K

1039.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,951

$551 ₸249.0K

855.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,835

$393 ₸177.8K

860.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

$813 ₸367.6K

2154.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,020

$659 ₸297.7K

1118.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,779

$564 ₸254.8K

793.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

-66.14%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Aktau: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Aktau

$196 24.7% 91.2% $2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Aktau

$65 8.2% 85% $366

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Aktau

$163 20.6% 57.8% $224

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Aktau

$200 25.3% 42.6% $149

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Aktau

$5.1 * 0.6% 98.2% $280

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Aktau

$121 15.3% 41% $84

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Aktau

$42 5.3% 55.6% $53

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,869 in London versus $330 in Aktau. 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 793% 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 $107 in London versus $44.00 in Aktau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $200 – making Aktau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇰🇿 Aktau

🕒 Local time

13:32 1:32 PM

17:32 5:32 PM

4 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

273,830

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

London Aktau 3,860 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

London
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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 Aktau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

London costs about 403% more than Aktau, 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 $5,979 per month in London and $1,189 in Aktau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London and $44.00 in Aktau. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 74% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Aktau, where all-in costs run around $793, than in London at $3,986. In Aktau it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Aktau costs $793 versus $3,986 in London. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Aktau. 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.