Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Barnet

For one person, living is cheaper in Barnet: $2,941 a month against $4,049 in London, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 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
141

Cost of Living Index in Barnet
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Barnet Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,049

/mo nomad

Barnet

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,941

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Barnet

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

A single person spends $4,049 per month in London vs $2,941 in Barnet, rent included.

London $4,049
Barnet $2,941

A couple spends around $5,827 per month in London vs $4,337 in Barnet, rent included.

London $5,827
Barnet $4,337

A family of three spends $7,605 per month in London vs $5,732 in Barnet, rent included.

London $7,605
Barnet $5,732

London costs about 38% more than Barnet, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Barnet sit above the global median – London by 199%, Barnet by 117%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.09 £20.33

$23.54 £17.66

15.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 £78.3

$92.0 £69.0

13.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.86 £8.15

$10.76 £8.07

0.93%

Cappuccino

$5.60 £4.20

$5.76 £4.32

-2.78%

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

$3.05 £2.29

$2.89 £2.17

5.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 £1.71

$1.93 £1.45

18.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.23 £6.92

$7.99 £6.00

15.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.95 £5.96

$6.56 £4.92

21.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.64 £1.23

11.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 £1.54

$1.79 £1.34

14.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 £1.86

$2.52 £1.89

-1.98%

Eggs

$5.12 £3.84

$4.82 £3.61

6.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.89 £9.67

$11.56 £8.67

11.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.84 £8.14

$10.61 £7.96

2.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.03 £12.78

$17.26 £12.95

-1.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 £2.30

$3.03 £2.27

1.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.76 £1.32

-21.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 £2.24

$3.05 £2.29

-1.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 £2.54

$3.46 £2.60

-2.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 £1.20

$1.82 £1.36

-12.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.83 £1.37

-1.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.06

$1.24 £0.93

13.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 £1.36

$1.80 £1.35

0.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.92 £17.94

$24.04 £18.04

-0.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.54 £10.16

$12.00 £9.00

12.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.23 £2.42

$3.21 £2.41

0.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 £3.29

$4.53 £3.40

-3.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.92 £2.94

$2.29 £1.72

71.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$243 £182

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$5.57 £4.18

0.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.27 £2.46

$2.63 £1.97

24.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.4 £43.81

$50.1 £37.56

16.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$2.07 £1.56

0.48%

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

$38.8K £29.1K

0.05%

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

$40.6K £30.5K

$41.1K £30.8K

-1.14%

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

$380 £285

$338 £253

12.56%

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

$18.62 £13.97

$18.82 £14.12

-1.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.45 £30.35

$40.52 £30.40

-0.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.3 £45.95

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.41 £16.07

Cinema Ticket

$18.09 £13.57

$17.19 £12.90

5.24%

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

$2,905 £2,180

$2,564 £1,924

13.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.5K £26.6K

$35.2K £26.4K

0.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.3

$90.1 £67.6

29.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.5 £40.89

$46.56 £34.93

17.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 £95.8

$92.0 £69.0

38.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$167 £125

$129 £96.6

29.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,852 £2,140

$1,984 £1,488

43.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,269 £1,702

$1,616 £1,213

40.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,250 £3,939

$3,261 £2,446

61.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,752 £2,815

$2,847 £2,136

31.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.5K £13.9K

$14.2K £10.7K

30.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,100 £6,077

$14.4K £10.8K

-43.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,109 £3,833

$2,685 £2,015

90.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

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

Last update for London: October 19, 2026

Last update for Barnet: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56%

Barnet

$1.6K 55% 28.8% $653

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$439 10.9%

Barnet

$397 13.5% 9.6% $42

Eating Out

London

$400 9.9%

Barnet

$362 12.3% 9.5% $38

Groceries & Markets

London

$353 8.7%

Barnet

$343 11.7% 2.9% $10

Getting Around

London

$280 6.9%

Barnet

$28 * 1% 90.1% $253

Clothing & Footwear

London

$209 5.2%

Barnet

$161 5.5% 23.2% $49

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Barnet

$34 * 1.2% 64.7% $63

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,852 in London versus $1,984 in Barnet. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 90% higher in London, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $104 in London versus $92.0 in Barnet. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $353 vs $343 – making Barnet the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇬🇧 Barnet

🕒 Local time

05:31 5:31 AM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

111,973

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

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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 Barnet: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – London is pricier by about 38%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,073 per month in London and $4,412 in Barnet. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Barnet, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $104 in London and $92.0 in Barnet. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% more in London, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,049 in London and $2,941 in Barnet. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Barnet – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Barnet. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.