Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Alicante

For one person, living is cheaper in Alicante: $1,803 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $27,400 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
88

Cost of Living Index in Alicante
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Alicante Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Alicante

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,803

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Alicante

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,086 in London versus $1,803 in Alicante.

London $4,086
Alicante $1,803

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,816 in London versus $2,791 in Alicante.

London $5,816
Alicante $2,791

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,546 in London versus $3,779 in Alicante.

London $7,546
Alicante $3,779

Living in London is roughly 127% more expensive than in Alicante, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 205% above, Alicante 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.62 £20.11

$19.46 €17.36

36.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.3

$67.2 €60.0

60.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 £7.85

$11.36 €10.14

-8.54%

Cappuccino

$5.79 £4.38

$2.16 €1.93

168.06%

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

$3.01 £2.27

$2.14 €1.91

40.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.63

$1.32 €1.18

62.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.35 £7.06

$3.29 €2.94

184.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 £5.93

$3.33 €2.98

135.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.15 €1.03

55.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 £1.56

$1.69 €1.51

21.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 £1.74

$1.69 €1.51

36.69%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.82

$3.22 €2.87

56.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 £9.50

$17.72 €15.82

-29.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 £8.05

$9.50 €8.48

12.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 £12.94

$16.16 €14.42

6.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$2.62 €2.33

15.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.07

$2.09 €1.86

-32.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.31

$1.83 €1.63

66.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.56

$2.69 €2.40

25.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$1.84 €1.64

-9.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.31

$2.02 €1.80

-14.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.07

$1.25 €1.12

12.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.35

$0.65 €0.58

175.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.22 £17.55

$6.73 €6.00

245.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 £9.82

$5.70 €5.09

127.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.40

$1.20 €1.07

165.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 £3.33

$2.15 €1.92

105.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 £2.93

$1.62 €1.44

138.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$250 £189

$26.35 €23.51

848.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 £4.31

$3.00 €2.68

90.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 £2.51

$1.33 €1.19

150.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.9 £43.76

$16.98 €15.15

241.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.54

$1.75 €1.56

16.57%

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

$37.5K £28.4K

$34.8K €31.1K

7.79%

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

$40.9K £30.9K

$28.9K €25.7K

41.73%

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

$376 £284

$138 €123

171.84%

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

$17.88 £13.51

$18.71 €16.70

-4.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.01 £30.24

$29.82 €26.61

34.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 £46.22

$41.39 €36.94

47.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 £15.93

$17.06 €15.23

23.51%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.57

$9.52 €8.50

88.55%

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

$2,865 £2,165

$709 €633

304.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.7K

$9,531 €8,505

270.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.7

$83.9 €74.9

38.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 £40.87

$35.58 €31.75

52.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 £95.7

$96.9 €86.5

30.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 £120

$106 €94.8

49.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,853 £2,156

$1,016 €907

180.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 £1,739

$837 €747

174.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,201 £3,931

$1,700 €1,517

206.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,723 £2,813

$1,537 €1,372

142.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.0K £14.4K

$4,254 €3,797

346.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,881 £5,955

$2,066 €1,844

281.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,818 £3,641

$1,925 €1,718

150.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

2.99

55.52%

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

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Last update for Alicante: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.5%

Alicante

$837 46.2% 63.6% $1.5K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$434 10.7%

Alicante

$187 10.3% 56.9% $247

Eating Out

London

$397 9.7%

Alicante

$253 13.9% 36.3% $144

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.6%

Alicante

$288 15.9% 17.7% $62

Getting Around

London

$288 7.1%

Alicante

$42 2.3% 85.2% $245

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5%

Alicante

$145 8% 29.2% $60

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Alicante

$60 3.3% 37.7% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,853 in London and $1,016 in Alicante. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 150% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $108 in London vs $67.0 in Alicante for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $288 per month, with Alicante cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇪🇸 Alicante

🕒 Local time

06:48 6:48 AM

07:48 7:48 AM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

349,282

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Alicante 1,460 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

London
Alicante

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 Alicante: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alicante wins on cost – living expenses run 127% lower than in London. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Alicante the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 150% higher in London, 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: $2,853 in London versus $1,016 in Alicante. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,865 in London versus $709 in Alicante. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in London. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,803 in Alicante versus $4,086 in London, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alicante but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Alicante the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Alicante delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,803 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Alicante hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, London and Alicante are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Alicante gentler on the wallet – expenses run 127% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.