Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Bender

For one person, living is cheaper in Bender: $670 a month against $4,048 in London, rent and utilities included – about $40,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Bender
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Bender Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,048

/mo nomad

Bender

🇲🇩 Moldova

$670

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Bender

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

A single person spends $4,048 per month in London vs $670 in Bender, rent included.

London $4,048
Bender $670

A couple spends around $5,903 per month in London vs $969 in Bender, rent included.

London $5,903
Bender $969

A family of three spends $7,758 per month in London vs $1,268 in Bender, rent included.

London $7,758
Bender $1,268

London costs about 504% more than Bender, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

London sits 199% above the global median, while Bender is 50% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.36 £19.59

$6.27 MDL 111

320.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$109 £80.7

$18.28 MDL 323

493.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £7.96

$5.58 MDL 98.6

91.94%

Cappuccino

$5.59 £4.15

$1.22 MDL 21.54

358.20%

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

$3.00 £2.23

$0.98 MDL 17.38

206.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 £1.65

$0.48 MDL 8.54

362.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.65 £7.17

$0.93 MDL 16.50

937.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.26 £6.14

$1.68 MDL 29.67

391.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 £1.46

$0.91 MDL 16.15

116.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 £1.55

$0.49 MDL 8.61

326.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 £1.93

$1.41 MDL 24.95

83.69%

Eggs

$5.37 £3.99

$1.92 MDL 33.90

179.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.12 £9.75

$3.80 MDL 67.1

245.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.03 £8.20

$4.23 MDL 74.7

160.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.73 £13.18

$5.34 MDL 94.3

232.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 £2.36

$0.83 MDL 14.60

281.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.83 MDL 32.38

-24.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 £2.10

$1.83 MDL 32.32

54.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 £2.50

$1.79 MDL 31.64

87.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 £1.26

$0.71 MDL 12.59

139.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 £1.32

$0.56 MDL 9.95

217.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 £1.11

$0.53 MDL 9.44

181.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 £1.35

$0.79 MDL 14.00

130.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.85 £17.73

$2.73 MDL 48.19

773.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.44 £9.99

$2.44 MDL 43.04

450.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 £2.31

$0.55 MDL 9.63

465.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 £3.34

$1.97 MDL 34.73

127.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.13 £3.07

$0.34 MDL 6.06

1114.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$266 £198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.98 £4.45

$2.27 MDL 40.12

163.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.39 £2.52

$0.29 MDL 5.15

1068.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.6 £42.03

$5.16 MDL 91.1

995.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 £1.64

$1.36 MDL 24.08

62.50%

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

$38.3K £28.4K

$29.1K MDL 513.7K

31.57%

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

$41.0K £30.5K

$28.3K MDL 499.2K

45.12%

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

$372 £277

$240 MDL 4,233

55.34%

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

$18.66 £13.87

$9.03 MDL 159

106.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.53 £30.13

$10.54 MDL 186

284.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.0 £41.63

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.10 £12.71

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.34

$8.16 MDL 144

119.98%

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

$2,946 £2,189

$427 MDL 7,542

589.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$47.6K £35.4K

$5,859 MDL 103.5K

712.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £86.4

$77.7 MDL 1,372

49.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.9 £42.29

$47.63 MDL 841

19.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 £95.1

$115 MDL 2,035

11.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 £114

$116 MDL 2,043

33.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,935 £2,182

$302 MDL 5,333

872.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,258 £1,678

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,250 £3,902

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,859 £2,868

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.2K £12.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,278 £6,153

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,621 £4,177

$310 MDL 5,474

1713.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.78

9.17

-47.87%

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

Last update for London: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bender: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 55.8%

Bender

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$432 10.7%

Bender

$259 38.7% 39.9% $172

Eating Out

London

$396 9.8%

Bender

$95 14.2% 75.9% $300

Groceries & Markets

London

$360 8.9%

Bender

$134 20% 62.9% $226

Getting Around

London

$305 7.6%

Bender

$5.1 * 0.8% 98.3% $300

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Bender

$160 23.9% 21.7% $44

Sport & Entertainment

London

$92 2.3%

Bender

$16 * 2.4% 82.3% $76

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,935 in London versus $302 in Bender. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in London are about 18 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $109 in London versus $18 in Bender. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $360 vs $134 – making Bender the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇲🇩 Bender

🕒 Local time

02:15 2:15 AM

04:15 4:15 AM

2 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

97,027

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

100 MDL = 5.66 USD

100 MDL = 5.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.743 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 17.66 MDL (100 MDL = 5.66 USD). 1 EUR = 19.82 MDL (100 MDL = 5.04 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Bender 2,200 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

London
Bender

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 Bender: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – London is pricier by about 504%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,072 per month in London and $1,005 in Bender. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bender, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $302 there versus $2,935 in London.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $109 in London and $18 in Bender. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 169% more in London, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bender, where all-in costs run around $670, than in London at $4,048. In Bender it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bender – 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 Bender. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.