Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Bålsta

For one person, living is cheaper in Bålsta: $1,547 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $29,300 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
76

Cost of Living Index in Bålsta
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Bålsta Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Bålsta

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,547

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Bålsta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,986 in London versus $1,547 in Bålsta.

London $3,986
Bålsta $1,547

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,791 in London versus $2,416 in Bålsta.

London $5,791
Bålsta $2,416

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,595 in London versus $3,286 in Bålsta.

London $7,595
Bålsta $3,286

Living in London is roughly 158% more expensive than in Bålsta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 195% above, Bålsta 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$13.80 SEK 137

87.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$65.1 SEK 645

63.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$8.62 SEK 85.5

24.25%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$3.89 SEK 38.56

40.62%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$2.65 SEK 26.21

12.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$2.22 SEK 22.00

-0.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$6.90 SEK 68.4

32.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$6.82 SEK 67.6

16.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.53 SEK 15.16

21.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$2.02 SEK 20.04

2.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$3.56 SEK 35.31

-32.02%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$3.62 SEK 35.86

40.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$10.93 SEK 108

17.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$12.00 SEK 119

-13.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$10.92 SEK 108

54.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$2.44 SEK 24.15

27.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$2.55 SEK 25.30

-45.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$1.93 SEK 19.13

59.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$2.73 SEK 27.06

19.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.46 SEK 14.42

8.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.22 SEK 12.07

42.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.51 SEK 14.94

-7.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.98 SEK 9.70

83.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$7.18 SEK 71.2

224.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$9.74 SEK 96.5

33.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$1.53 SEK 15.16

107.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$2.01 SEK 19.88

119.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$3.19 SEK 31.62

27.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

$78.0 SEK 773

216.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$5.81 SEK 57.6

-3.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$1.51 SEK 15.00

122.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$78.0 SEK 773

-27.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$1.75 SEK 17.37

21.71%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$32.9K SEK 325.8K

16.13%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$32.0K SEK 317.3K

27.71%

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

$372 £279

$49.58 SEK 491

650.63%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$20.01 SEK 198

-10.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$39.64 SEK 393

1.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$38.01 SEK 377

57.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

$25.77 SEK 255

-17.38%

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$12.98 SEK 129

36.67%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$121 SEK 1,194

2276.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$4,908 SEK 48.6K

619.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$70.8 SEK 701

61.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$10.12 SEK 100

436.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$81.0 SEK 803

53.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$110 SEK 1,087

48.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$794 SEK 7,862

261.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$602 SEK 5,966

270.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,951

$1,359 SEK 13.5K

287.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,835

$1,014 SEK 10.1K

272.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

$3,972 SEK 39.4K

361.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,020

$2,805 SEK 27.8K

186.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,779

$3,866 SEK 38.3K

30.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

2.8

69.29%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bålsta: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Bålsta

$602 38.9% 73% $1.6K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Bålsta

$109 7.1% 74.6% $321

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Bålsta

$251 16.2% 35.3% $137

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Bålsta

$294 19% 15.8% $55

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Bålsta

$104 6.7% 63.5% $181

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Bålsta

$122 7.9% 40.4% $83

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Bålsta

$64 4.1% 33% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,869 in London and $794 in Bålsta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 30% 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: $107 in London vs $65.0 in Bålsta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $294 per month, with Bålsta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇸🇪 Bålsta

🕒 Local time

09:19 9:19 AM

10:19 10:19 AM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

13,138

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, 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).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

London Bålsta 1,420 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

London
Bålsta

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 Bålsta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bålsta wins on cost – living expenses run 158% lower than in London. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bålsta the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 30% 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: $2,869 in London versus $794 in Bålsta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,986 per month in London versus $1,547 in Bålsta – a 158% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bålsta runs roughly 216% less than in London. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,547 in Bålsta versus $3,986 in London, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bålsta but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Bålsta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bålsta delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,547 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bålsta hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, London and Bålsta 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 Bålsta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 158% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.