Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Alexandria, Romania

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $862 a month against $4,048 in London, rent and utilities included – about $38,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

London, United Kingdom
Alexandria, Romania
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$4,048
/mo nomad
Alexandria
🇷🇴 Romania
$862
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Alexandria

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,048 in London versus $862 in Alexandria.

  • London $4,048
  • Alexandria $862

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,903 in London versus $1,324 in Alexandria.

  • London $5,903
  • Alexandria $1,324

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,758 in London versus $1,786 in Alexandria.

  • London $7,758
  • Alexandria $1,786

Living in London is roughly 369% more expensive than in Alexandria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: London is 199% above, Alexandria is 36% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
London
Alexandria
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.36 £19.68
$8.36 RON 39.98
215.31%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$109 £81.1
$30.49 RON 146
256.08%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.71 £8.00
$7.22 RON 34.53
48.34%
Cappuccino
$5.59 £4.17
$1.73 RON 8.26
223.12%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 £2.24
$1.83 RON 8.75
63.93%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 £1.66
$1.43 RON 6.85
55.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.65 £7.20
$2.08 RON 9.95
363.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.26 £6.16
$2.50 RON 11.96
230.40%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
Alexandria
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.97 £1.47
$1.43 RON 6.86
37.76%
White Bread (500g)
$2.09 £1.56
$0.80 RON 3.83
161.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.59 £1.94
$1.11 RON 5.29
133.33%
Eggs
$5.37 £4.01
$2.10 RON 10.03
155.71%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.12 £9.79
$5.12 RON 24.49
156.25%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.03 £8.23
$4.52 RON 21.60
144.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.73 £13.23
$7.77 RON 37.12
128.19%
Apples (1kg)
$3.17 £2.37
$0.88 RON 4.23
260.23%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 £1.03
$1.13 RON 5.41
22.12%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.82 £2.11
$0.90 RON 4.32
213.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.36 £2.51
$0.93 RON 4.43
261.29%
Potato (1kg)
$1.70 £1.27
$0.71 RON 3.38
139.44%
Onion (1kg)
$1.78 £1.33
$0.64 RON 3.08
178.13%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.49 £1.11
$0.72 RON 3.43
106.94%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 £1.36
$0.81 RON 3.87
124.69%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.85 £17.80
$5.41 RON 25.86
340.85%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.44 £10.03
$5.18 RON 24.75
159.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.11 £2.32
$0.90 RON 4.28
245.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.49 £3.35
$1.07 RON 5.10
319.63%
🚌 Getting Around
London
Alexandria
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.13 £3.08
$0.65 RON 3.12
535.38%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$266 £199
$41.50 RON 198
540.92%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.98 £4.46
$0.40 RON 1.93
1395.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.39 £2.53
$0.40 RON 1.92
747.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$56.6 £42.21
$5.53 RON 26.41
922.60%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.21 £1.65
$1.73 RON 8.26
27.75%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.3K £28.6K
$16.3K RON 77.8K
135.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.0K £30.6K
$23.0K RON 109.8K
78.51%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
Alexandria
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$372 £278
$114 RON 544
227.38%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.66 £13.93
$5.17 RON 24.73
260.93%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.53 £30.26
$7.66 RON 36.60
429.11%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
Alexandria
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.0 £41.82
$58.7 RON 280
-4.50%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.10 £12.76
$25.39 RON 121
-32.65%
Cinema Ticket
$17.95 £13.40
$6.17 RON 29.51
190.92%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
Alexandria
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,946 £2,199
$317 RON 1,516
828.87%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$47.6K £35.5K
$10.0K RON 47.9K
375.10%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
Alexandria
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$116 £86.8
$51.8 RON 248
124.40%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$56.9 £42.47
$22.22 RON 106
156.08%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$128 £95.5
$64.0 RON 306
99.97%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$154 £115
$64.0 RON 306
140.63%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
Alexandria
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,935 £2,191
$313 RON 1,497
837.04%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,258 £1,686
$241 RON 1,150
838.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,250 £3,919
$574 RON 2,746
813.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,859 £2,881
$418 RON 1,996
824.32%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$17.2K £12.8K
$1,281 RON 6,123
1241.41%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,278 £6,179
$786 RON 3,757
953.24%
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
Alexandria
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,621 £4,196
$840 RON 4,014
569.33%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.78
6.73
-28.97%

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

Last update for London: November 1, 2026

Last update for Alexandria: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
London
$2.3K
Alexandria
$241 89.3% $2K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
$432
Alexandria
$127 70.7% $305
Eating Out
London
$396
Alexandria
$138 65.2% $258
Groceries & Markets
London
$360
Alexandria
$149 58.7% $211
Getting Around
London
$305
Alexandria
$47 84.8% $259
Clothing & Footwear
London
$205
Alexandria
$91 55.6% $114
Sport & Entertainment
London
$92
Alexandria
$71 22.7% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,935 in London and $313 in Alexandria. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays about 6.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $109 in London vs $30 in Alexandria for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $360 vs $149 per month, with Alexandria cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇧 London
🇷🇴 Alexandria
🕒 Local time
20:24 8:24 PM
22:24 10:24 PM
2 h ahead of London
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,908,083 Capital
45,434
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • London Alexandria 2,070 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • London
  • Alexandria

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 Alexandria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, London or Alexandria?
Alexandria wins on cost – living expenses run 79% lower than in London. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Alexandria the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in London or in Alexandria?
Average pay in London is about 6.7 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in London compared to Alexandria?
Rent for a central apartment: $2,935 in London versus $313 in Alexandria. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How much does it cost to live in London compared to Alexandria?
All in, you’ll spend $4,048 per month in London versus $862 in Alexandria – Alexandria is about 79% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How expensive is transport in London compared to Alexandria?
A monthly transit pass in Alexandria runs roughly 84% less than in London. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Can you live on $800/month in London or in Alexandria?
Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Alexandria is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Which city offers a better quality of life: London or Alexandria?
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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Alexandria gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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