Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Barnsley

For one person, living is cheaper in Barnsley: $1,892 a month against $4,049 in London, rent and utilities included – about $25,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

195

Cost of Living Index in London
Learn more

London Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Barnsley
Learn more

Barnsley Living Index

Jump to prices

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,049

/mo nomad

Barnsley

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,892

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Barnsley

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

A single person spends $4,049 per month in London vs $1,892 in Barnsley, rent included.

London $4,049
Barnsley $1,892

A couple spends around $5,827 per month in London vs $2,842 in Barnsley, rent included.

London $5,827
Barnsley $2,842

A family of three spends $7,605 per month in London vs $3,792 in Barnsley, rent included.

London $7,605
Barnsley $3,792

London costs about 114% more than Barnsley, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Barnsley sit above the global median – London by 199%, Barnsley by 40%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.09 £20.33

$24.36 £18.28

11.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 £78.3

$83.8 £62.9

24.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.86 £8.15

$10.52 £7.89

3.23%

Cappuccino

$5.60 £4.20

$4.81 £3.61

16.42%

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

$3.05 £2.29

$2.39 £1.79

27.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 £1.71

$1.62 £1.22

40.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.23 £6.92

$5.94 £4.46

55.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.95 £5.96

$6.68 £5.01

19.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.71 £1.28

7.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 £1.54

$1.86 £1.39

10.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 £1.86

$2.01 £1.51

22.89%

Eggs

$5.12 £3.84

$4.00 £3.00

28.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.89 £9.67

$8.71 £6.53

47.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.84 £8.14

$8.38 £6.28

29.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.03 £12.78

$14.58 £10.94

16.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 £2.30

$2.99 £2.24

2.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.93 £1.44

-28.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 £2.24

$2.61 £1.96

14.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 £2.54

$2.95 £2.22

14.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 £1.20

$1.90 £1.42

-15.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.62 £1.22

11.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.06

$1.51 £1.13

-6.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 £1.36

$1.46 £1.09

23.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.92 £17.94

$23.72 £17.80

0.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.54 £10.16

$11.36 £8.52

19.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.23 £2.42

$3.45 £2.59

-6.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 £3.29

$3.29 £2.47

33.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.92 £2.94

$2.61 £1.96

50.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$243 £182

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$5.24 £3.93

6.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.27 £2.46

$1.38 £1.04

136.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.4 £43.81

$19.06 £14.30

206.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$1.99 £1.49

4.52%

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

$38.8K £29.1K

$38.3K £28.8K

1.33%

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

$40.6K £30.5K

$40.8K £30.6K

-0.46%

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

$380 £285

$283 £213

34.09%

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

$18.62 £13.97

$20.34 £15.26

-8.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.45 £30.35

$43.95 £32.97

-7.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.3 £45.95

$67.2 £50.4

-8.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.41 £16.07

Cinema Ticket

$18.09 £13.57

$12.68 £9.51

42.67%

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

$2,905 £2,180

$1,486 £1,115

95.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.5K £26.6K

$16.4K £12.3K

117.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.3

$60.0 £45.04

93.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.5 £40.89

$41.02 £30.77

32.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 £95.8

$92.8 £69.6

37.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$167 £125

$79.6 £59.8

109.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,852 £2,140

$921 £691

209.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,269 £1,702

$660 £495

243.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,250 £3,939

$1,347 £1,010

289.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,752 £2,815

$1,101 £826

240.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.5K £13.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,100 £6,077

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,109 £3,833

$2,966 £2,225

72.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

5.61

-15.51%

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

Last update for London: October 19, 2026

Last update for Barnsley: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56%

Barnsley

$660 34.9% 70.9% $1.6K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$439 10.9%

Barnsley

$348 18.4% 20.8% $91

Eating Out

London

$400 9.9%

Barnsley

$343 18.2% 14.2% $57

Groceries & Markets

London

$353 8.7%

Barnsley

$302 16% 14.5% $51

Getting Around

London

$280 6.9%

Barnsley

$23 * 1.2% 91.9% $258

Clothing & Footwear

London

$209 5.2%

Barnsley

$123 6.5% 41.2% $86

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Barnsley

$93 4.9% 5% $4.8

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 $921 in Barnsley. 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 72% 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 $84.0 in Barnsley. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $353 vs $302 – making Barnsley the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇬🇧 Barnsley

🕒 Local time

12:43 12:43 PM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

245,199

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Barnsley 250 km

From you

London
Barnsley

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 Barnsley: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – London is pricier by about 114%, 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 $2,838 in Barnsley. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,049 in London and $1,892 in Barnsley. That's a gap of about 114%.

Kindergarten costs $2,905 per month in London and $1,486 in Barnsley. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Barnsley, where all-in costs run around $1,892, than in London at $4,049. In Barnsley it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Barnsley. 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.