Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Belfast

For one person, living is cheaper in Belfast: $2,346 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $20,900 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
114

Cost of Living Index in Belfast
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Belfast Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Belfast

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,346

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Belfast

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,086 in London versus $2,346 in Belfast.

London $4,086
Belfast $2,346

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,891 in London versus $3,435 in Belfast.

London $5,891
Belfast $3,435

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,696 in London versus $4,524 in Belfast.

London $7,696
Belfast $4,524

Living in London is roughly 74% more expensive than in Belfast, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 200% above, Belfast 72% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.55 £19.82

$25.29 £18.88

4.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$91.5 £68.4

16.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 £8.05

$10.80 £8.06

-0.19%

Cappuccino

$5.71 £4.27

$4.92 £3.67

16.06%

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

$3.01 £2.25

$3.04 £2.27

-0.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 £1.71

$2.06 £1.54

11.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.08 £6.78

$8.06 £6.02

12.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 £6.02

$8.05 £6.01

0.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 £1.42

$1.82 £1.36

4.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 £1.51

$2.31 £1.72

-12.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 £1.83

$2.71 £2.02

-9.59%

Eggs

$5.07 £3.79

$4.62 £3.45

9.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.71 £9.49

$10.69 £7.98

18.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.61 £7.92

$11.04 £8.24

-3.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.68 £13.20

$15.80 £11.79

11.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 £2.37

$3.14 £2.35

0.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 £1.08

$2.00 £1.49

-27.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 £2.34

$3.36 £2.51

-6.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.41 £2.55

$4.02 £3.00

-15.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.25

$2.28 £1.70

-26.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 £1.32

$1.59 £1.18

11.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 £1.07

$1.35 £1.01

5.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.39

$1.88 £1.40

-0.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.91 £17.85

$23.61 £17.63

1.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.48 £10.06

$12.41 £9.26

8.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 £2.30

$2.73 £2.04

12.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 £3.28

$3.10 £2.31

41.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.08 £3.04

$3.16 £2.36

29.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$252 £188

$99.0 £73.9

154.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 £4.29

$4.53 £3.39

26.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.35 £2.50

$1.51 £1.13

121.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.2 £42.73

$19.68 £14.70

190.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$2.10 £1.57

-0.95%

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

$38.0K £28.4K

$38.2K £28.5K

-0.56%

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

$40.4K £30.2K

$40.8K £30.4K

-0.86%

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

$387 £289

$272 £203

42.10%

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

$18.57 £13.87

$24.30 £18.14

-23.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 £30.38

$46.23 £34.52

-11.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.6 £42.99

$43.92 £32.80

31.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 £14.75

$10.54 £7.87

87.38%

Cinema Ticket

$18.33 £13.68

$14.14 £10.56

29.63%

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

$2,957 £2,208

$1,566 £1,169

88.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.9K £26.8K

$17.8K £13.3K

101.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$119 £88.7

$81.9 £61.2

45.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 £42.01

$46.61 £34.80

20.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 £97.7

$108 £80.7

21.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 £123

$104 £77.4

58.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,811 £2,099

$1,229 £917

128.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,291 £1,711

$935 £698

145.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,185 £3,871

$1,880 £1,404

175.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,805 £2,841

$1,393 £1,040

173.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.7K £13.2K

$4,107 £3,066

330.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,405 £6,275

$2,541 £1,897

230.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,070 £3,786

$3,295 £2,461

53.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

4.91

-2.44%

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

Last update for London: October 26, 2026

Last update for Belfast: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.1%

Belfast

$935 39.8% 59.2% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$446 10.9%

Belfast

$343 14.6% 23.2% $103

Eating Out

London

$396 9.7%

Belfast

$371 15.8% 6.4% $26

Groceries & Markets

London

$356 8.7%

Belfast

$349 14.9% 1.8% $6.4

Getting Around

London

$291 7.1%

Belfast

$124 5.3% 57.5% $167

Clothing & Footwear

London

$212 5.2%

Belfast

$153 6.5% 27.7% $59

Sport & Entertainment

London

$94 2.3%

Belfast

$72 3.1% 23.4% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,811 in London and $1,229 in Belfast. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 54% 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 $92 in Belfast for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $356 vs $349 per month, with Belfast cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇬🇧 Belfast

🕒 Local time

16:58 4:58 PM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

348,000

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

London Belfast 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

London
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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 Belfast: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Belfast is about 43% cheaper overall, especially in transport, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 54% 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: $2,811 in London versus $1,229 in Belfast. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,957 in London versus $1,566 in Belfast. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Belfast – a meal for two runs $92 versus $107 in London. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

For families, Belfast is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in London, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Belfast wins on affordability, London on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.