Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Alga

For one person, living is cheaper in Alga: $876 a month against $4,049 in London, rent and utilities included – about $38,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

195

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Alga
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Alga Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,049

/mo nomad

Alga

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$876

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Alga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,049 in London versus $876 in Alga.

London $4,049
Alga $876

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,827 in London versus $1,418 in Alga.

London $5,827
Alga $1,418

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,605 in London versus $1,960 in Alga.

London $7,605
Alga $1,960

Living in London is roughly 362% more expensive than in Alga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: London is 199% above, Alga is 35% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.09 £20.33

$10.01 ₸4,527

170.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 £78.3

$33.65 ₸15.2K

210.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.86 £8.15

$7.74 ₸3,498

40.31%

Cappuccino

$5.60 £4.20

$2.28 ₸1,033

145.61%

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

$3.05 £2.29

$1.06 ₸481

187.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 £1.71

$0.56 ₸253

307.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.23 £6.92

$1.34 ₸606

588.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.95 £5.96

$2.06 ₸932

285.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.39 ₸628

31.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 £1.54

$0.44 ₸200

365.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 £1.86

$1.52 ₸689

62.50%

Eggs

$5.12 £3.84

$1.74 ₸788

194.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.89 £9.67

$10.39 ₸4,696

24.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.84 £8.14

$5.77 ₸2,609

87.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.03 £12.78

$8.62 ₸3,895

97.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 £2.30

$1.53 ₸690

100.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 £1.03

$2.20 ₸993

-37.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 £2.24

$2.40 ₸1,083

24.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 £2.54

$2.10 ₸951

61.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 £1.20

$0.65 ₸294

146.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.50 ₸225

260.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.06

$1.16 ₸525

21.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 £1.36

$0.92 ₸414

96.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.92 £17.94

$2.38 ₸1,074

905.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.54 £10.16

$7.91 ₸3,578

71.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.23 £2.42

$1.24 ₸560

160.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 £3.29

$1.99 ₸898

120.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.92 £2.94

$0.23 ₸104

1604.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$243 £182

$16.98 ₸7,675

1329.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$1.12 ₸507

398.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.27 £2.46

$0.72 ₸326

354.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.4 £43.81

$6.02 ₸2,723

870.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$0.68 ₸307

205.88%

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

$38.8K £29.1K

$23.6K ₸10.7M

64.60%

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

$40.6K £30.5K

$30.5K ₸13.8M

33.32%

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

$380 £285

$67.7 ₸30.6K

461.40%

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

$18.62 £13.97

$10.29 ₸4,652

80.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.45 £30.35

$15.54 ₸7,024

160.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.3 £45.95

$41.89 ₸18.9K

46.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.41 £16.07

Cinema Ticket

$18.09 £13.57

$5.12 ₸2,316

253.32%

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

$2,905 £2,180

$144 ₸65.0K

1920.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.5K £26.6K

$4,412 ₸2.0M

704.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.3

$57.8 ₸26.1K

101.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.5 £40.89

$45.33 ₸20.5K

20.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 £95.8

$95.5 ₸43.2K

33.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$167 £125

$89.0 ₸40.2K

87.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,852 £2,140

$346 ₸156.3K

724.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,269 £1,702

$227 ₸102.7K

898.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,250 £3,939

$662 ₸299.2K

693.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,752 £2,815

$481 ₸217.4K

680.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.5K £13.9K

$1,090 ₸492.7K

1599.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,100 £6,077

$860 ₸388.6K

842.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,109 £3,833

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

19.25

-75.38%

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

Last update for London: October 19, 2026

Last update for Alga: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56%

Alga

$227 26% 90% $2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$439 10.9%

Alga

$94 10.7% 78.7% $346

Eating Out

London

$400 9.9%

Alga

$148 16.9% 63% $252

Groceries & Markets

London

$353 8.7%

Alga

$203 23.2% 42.6% $151

Getting Around

London

$280 6.9%

Alga

$23 2.6% 91.9% $258

Clothing & Footwear

London

$209 5.2%

Alga

$129 14.8% 38.2% $80

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Alga

$52 6% 46.5% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,852 in London and $346 in Alga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $104 in London vs $34.00 in Alga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $353 vs $203 per month, with Alga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇰🇿 Alga

🕒 Local time

18:49 6:49 PM

23:49 11:49 PM

5 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Alga 5,460 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

London
Alga

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 Alga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alga wins on cost – living expenses run 362% lower than in London. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Alga the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $6,073 in London and $1,314 in Alga to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,852 in London versus $346 in Alga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $4,049 per month in London versus $876 in Alga – a 362% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Alga runs roughly 1330% less than in London. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $876 in Alga versus $4,049 in London, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Alga but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Alga the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Alga delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $876 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Alga hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Alga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 362% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.