Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Bedford

For one person, living is cheaper in Bedford: $2,097 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $22,700 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
102

Cost of Living Index in Bedford
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Bedford Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Bedford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,097

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Bedford

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

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $2,097 in Bedford, rent included.

London $3,986
Bedford $2,097

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $3,291 in Bedford, rent included.

London $5,791
Bedford $3,291

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $4,486 in Bedford, rent included.

London $7,595
Bedford $4,486

London costs about 90% more than Bedford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Bedford sit above the global median – London by 195%, Bedford by 55%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$20.10 £15.08

29.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$86.6 £65.0

22.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$10.65 £7.99

0.56%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$4.59 £3.44

19.17%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$2.03 £1.52

46.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$1.21 £0.91

81.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$6.45 £4.84

41.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$5.84 £4.38

35.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.70 £1.28

9.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.46 £1.10

41.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$1.68 £1.26

44.05%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$3.80 £2.85

33.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$9.09 £6.82

41.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$8.96 £6.72

16.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$12.62 £9.47

33.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$3.26 £2.44

-4.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.30 £0.98

7.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$2.47 £1.85

24.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$3.20 £2.40

2.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.32 £0.99

19.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.32 £0.99

31.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.03 £0.77

35.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.30 £0.97

38.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$23.05 £17.29

1.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$10.65 £7.99

22.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$2.58 £1.94

22.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$2.36 £1.77

87.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$2.56 £1.92

58.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$4.99 £3.74

11.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$1.43 £1.07

134.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$23.92 £17.95

137.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$1.92 £1.44

10.94%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$37.5K £28.1K

1.92%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$40.5K £30.4K

0.93%

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

$372 £279

$316 £237

17.75%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$17.63 £13.22

1.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$39.85 £29.90

1.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$36.86 £27.66

62.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$15.90 £11.93

11.57%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$937 £703

205.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$21.6K £16.2K

63.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$23.92 £17.95

376.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$25.54 £19.16

112.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$79.6 £59.7

56.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$86.7 £65.1

88.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$1,115 £837

157.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$952 £714

134.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,951

$2,353 £1,766

123.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,835

$1,998 £1,499

89.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,020

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,779

$3,170 £2,378

58.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

4.67

1.50%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bedford: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Bedford

$952 45.4% 57.4% $1.3K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Bedford

$374 17.8% 13.2% $57

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Bedford

$305 14.5% 21.4% $83

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Bedford

$279 13.3% 20.3% $71

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Bedford

$22 * 1.1% 92.2% $263

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Bedford

$97 4.6% 52.6% $108

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Bedford

$69 3.3% 28.1% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,869 in London versus $1,115 in Bedford. 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 59% 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 $107 in London versus $87.0 in Bedford. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $279 – making Bedford the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇬🇧 Bedford

🕒 Local time

08:39 8:39 AM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

80,000

💱 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 Bedford 74 km

From you

London
Bedford

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 Bedford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

London costs about 90% more than Bedford, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $3,146 in Bedford. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bedford, 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 $3,986 in London and $2,097 in Bedford. That's a gap of about 90%.

Kindergarten costs $2,864 per month in London and $937 in Bedford. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bedford, where all-in costs run around $2,097, than in London at $3,986. In Bedford it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bedford costs $2,097 versus $3,986 in London. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Bedford. 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.