Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Alba Iulia

For one person, living is cheaper in Alba Iulia: $898 a month against $4,048 in London, rent and utilities included – about $37,800 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Alba Iulia
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Alba Iulia Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,048

/mo nomad

Alba Iulia

🇷🇴 Romania

$898

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Alba Iulia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,048 in London versus $898 in Alba Iulia.

London $4,048
Alba Iulia $898

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,903 in London versus $1,374 in Alba Iulia.

London $5,903
Alba Iulia $1,374

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,758 in London versus $1,851 in Alba Iulia.

London $7,758
Alba Iulia $1,851

Living in London is roughly 351% more expensive than in Alba Iulia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: London is 199% above, Alba Iulia is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.36 £19.59

$8.35 RON 39.69

215.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$109 £80.7

$31.40 RON 149

245.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £7.96

$5.78 RON 27.46

85.29%

Cappuccino

$5.59 £4.15

$2.22 RON 10.56

151.80%

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

$3.00 £2.23

$1.73 RON 8.21

73.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 £1.65

$1.49 RON 7.06

48.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.65 £7.17

$2.03 RON 9.64

375.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.26 £6.14

$2.08 RON 9.87

297.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 £1.46

$1.28 RON 6.10

53.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 £1.55

$1.14 RON 5.44

83.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 £1.93

$1.51 RON 7.16

71.52%

Eggs

$5.37 £3.99

$2.81 RON 13.37

91.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.12 £9.75

$7.54 RON 35.83

74.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.03 £8.20

$5.90 RON 28.01

86.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.73 £13.17

$10.86 RON 51.6

63.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 £2.36

$0.88 RON 4.19

260.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.34 RON 6.37

2.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 £2.10

$1.27 RON 6.04

122.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 £2.50

$2.29 RON 10.87

46.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 £1.26

$0.74 RON 3.53

129.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 £1.32

$0.60 RON 2.83

196.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 £1.11

$0.80 RON 3.80

86.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 £1.35

$0.64 RON 3.04

184.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.85 £17.72

$5.21 RON 24.76

357.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.44 £9.98

$4.16 RON 19.76

223.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 £2.31

$1.11 RON 5.27

180.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 £3.34

$1.30 RON 6.17

245.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.13 £3.07

$0.69 RON 3.30

498.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$266 £198

$16.91 RON 80.4

1472.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.98 £4.44

$0.68 RON 3.22

779.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.39 £2.52

$0.68 RON 3.24

398.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.6 £42.03

$4.54 RON 21.58

1145.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 £1.64

$1.58 RON 7.53

39.87%

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

$38.3K £28.4K

$29.0K RON 137.9K

31.84%

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

$41.0K £30.5K

$24.4K RON 116.0K

68.00%

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

$372 £277

$123 RON 583

203.37%

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

$18.66 £13.87

$7.35 RON 34.91

153.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.53 £30.12

$8.88 RON 42.20

356.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.0 £41.63

$29.11 RON 138

92.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.10 £12.71

$31.62 RON 150

-45.92%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.34

$4.90 RON 23.29

266.33%

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

$2,946 £2,189

$452 RON 2,148

551.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$47.6K £35.4K

$7,571 RON 36.0K

529.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £86.4

$38.88 RON 185

198.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.9 £42.28

$24.10 RON 114

136.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 £95.1

$75.0 RON 356

70.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 £114

$62.1 RON 295

147.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,935 £2,182

$289 RON 1,375

914.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,258 £1,678

$282 RON 1,341

700.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,250 £3,901

$607 RON 2,882

765.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,859 £2,868

$474 RON 2,254

713.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.2K £12.8K

$1,629 RON 7,738

955.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,278 £6,152

$1,392 RON 6,614

494.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,621 £4,177

$894 RON 4,250

528.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.78

6.97

-31.42%

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

Last update for London: November 1, 2026

Last update for Alba Iulia: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 55.8%

Alba Iulia

$282 31.4% 87.5% $2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$432 10.7%

Alba Iulia

$139 15.5% 67.8% $293

Eating Out

London

$396 9.8%

Alba Iulia

$138 15.4% 65.1% $258

Groceries & Markets

London

$360 8.9%

Alba Iulia

$186 20.7% 48.4% $174

Getting Around

London

$305 7.6%

Alba Iulia

$24 2.7% 92.2% $282

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Alba Iulia

$90 10% 56% $115

Sport & Entertainment

London

$92 2.3%

Alba Iulia

$39 4.3% 57.7% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,935 in London and $289 in Alba Iulia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays about 6.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $109 in London vs $31 in Alba Iulia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $360 vs $186 per month, with Alba Iulia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇷🇴 Alba Iulia

🕒 Local time

08:21 8:21 AM

10:21 10:21 AM

2 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

63,536

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.743 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.835 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

London Alba Iulia 1,830 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

London
Alba Iulia

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 Alba Iulia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alba Iulia is about 78% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in London is about 6.3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,935 in London versus $289 in Alba Iulia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $4,048 per month in London versus $898 in Alba Iulia – Alba Iulia is about 78% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Alba Iulia runs roughly 94% less than in London. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $898 in Alba Iulia versus $4,048 in London, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Alba Iulia but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Alba Iulia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Alba Iulia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 78% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.