Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Besancon

For one person, living is cheaper in Besancon: $1,755 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $26,800 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
86

Cost of Living Index in Besancon
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Besancon Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Besancon

🇫🇷 France

$1,755

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Besancon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,986 in London versus $1,755 in Besancon.

London $3,986
Besancon $1,755

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,791 in London versus $2,536 in Besancon.

London $5,791
Besancon $2,536

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,595 in London versus $3,318 in Besancon.

London $7,595
Besancon $3,318

Living in London is roughly 127% more expensive than in Besancon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 195% above, Besancon 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.57

$16.69 €14.89

55.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £80.4

$55.2 €49.19

93.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.08

$10.94 €9.76

-2.10%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.13

$3.03 €2.71

80.53%

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

$2.97 £2.24

$2.36 €2.10

25.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.66

$1.55 €1.38

41.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.89

$6.58 €5.87

38.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £6.00

$5.56 €4.96

42.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.28 €1.14

45.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.56

$1.71 €1.52

21.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.82

$2.14 €1.91

13.08%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.84

$4.41 €3.94

15.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.72

$19.97 €17.81

-35.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.87

$10.95 €9.77

-4.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.73

$17.89 €15.96

-5.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.35

$2.65 €2.36

17.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.06

$2.26 €2.01

-38.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.33

$2.72 €2.43

13.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.47

$2.46 €2.19

32.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.20

$2.54 €2.27

-37.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$2.42 €2.16

-28.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.06

$1.43 €1.28

-2.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.36

$1.17 €1.04

53.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.57

$13.78 €12.29

68.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.83

$9.39 €8.37

38.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.39

$4.85 €4.32

-34.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.34

$3.25 €2.90

36.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.07

$1.68 €1.50

142.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £186

$44.17 €39.40

458.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.21

$3.04 €2.71

83.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.54

$2.12 €1.89

58.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.84

$30.05 €26.80

88.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.61

$2.13 €1.90

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

$38.2K £28.8K

$34.4K €30.7K

10.98%

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

$40.9K £30.9K

$34.3K €30.6K

19.31%

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

$372 £281

$225 €200

65.73%

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

$17.82 £13.45

$14.65 €13.07

21.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.47

$34.19 €30.50

18.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £45.27

$26.44 €23.58

126.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £16.07

$19.68 €17.55

8.18%

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.39

$11.32 €10.10

56.71%

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

$2,864 £2,162

$339 €302

745.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.7K

$7,309 €6,520

383.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £86.1

$99.0 €88.3

15.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.96

$38.58 €34.41

40.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.8

$93.0 €83.0

33.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £123

$124 €110

31.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,165

$635 €566

352.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,685

$590 €527

278.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,975

$991 €884

431.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,852

$803 €717

370.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

$2,822 €2,517

549.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,056

$2,245 €2,002

257.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,802

$2,181 €1,945

130.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

3.62

30.94%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Besancon: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Besancon

$590 33.6% 73.6% $1.6K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Besancon

$273 15.6% 36.5% $157

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Besancon

$262 15% 32.3% $125

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Besancon

$356 20.3% 1.9% $6.6

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Besancon

$65 3.7% 77.4% $221

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Besancon

$159 9.1% 22.2% $46

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Besancon

$49 2.8% 48.6% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,869 in London and $635 in Besancon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 131% 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 $55.0 in Besancon. Groceries flip the comparison at $349 vs $356, with London cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇫🇷 Besancon

🕒 Local time

01:25 1:25 AM

02:25 2:25 AM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

119,198

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 0.755 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.846 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

London Besancon 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

London
Besancon

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 Besancon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Besancon wins on cost – living expenses run 127% lower than in London. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Besancon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 131% 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: $2,869 in London versus $635 in Besancon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Besancon runs roughly 459% less than in London. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,864 in London versus $339 in Besancon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,755 in Besancon versus $3,986 in London, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Besancon but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Besancon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Besancon delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,755 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Besancon hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, London and Besancon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Besancon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 127% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.