Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Brighton

For one person, living is cheaper in Brighton: $2,950 a month against $4,049 in London, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 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
143

Cost of Living Index in Brighton
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Brighton Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,049

/mo nomad

Brighton

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,950

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Brighton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,049 in London versus $2,950 in Brighton.

London $4,049
Brighton $2,950

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,827 in London versus $4,214 in Brighton.

London $5,827
Brighton $4,214

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,605 in London versus $5,479 in Brighton.

London $7,605
Brighton $5,479

Living in London is roughly 37% more expensive than in Brighton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 199% above, Brighton 118% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.09 £20.33

$25.54 £19.16

6.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 £78.3

$92.8 £69.6

12.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.86 £8.15

$9.77 £7.33

11.16%

Cappuccino

$5.60 £4.20

$5.33 £4.00

5.07%

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

$3.05 £2.29

$3.93 £2.95

-22.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 £1.71

$3.33 £2.50

-31.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.23 £6.92

$8.96 £6.72

3.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.95 £5.96

$9.49 £7.12

-16.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.95 £1.47

-6.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 £1.54

$2.06 £1.54

-0.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 £1.86

$2.12 £1.59

16.51%

Eggs

$5.12 £3.84

$4.53 £3.40

13.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.89 £9.67

$12.10 £9.08

6.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.84 £8.14

$9.40 £7.05

15.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.03 £12.78

$15.08 £11.31

12.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 £2.30

$2.95 £2.22

4.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.91 £1.43

-27.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 £2.24

$2.90 £2.17

3.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 £2.54

$3.76 £2.82

-9.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 £1.20

$2.24 £1.68

-28.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 £1.35

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.06

$1.20 £0.90

17.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 £1.36

$1.65 £1.24

9.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.92 £17.94

$23.98 £17.99

-0.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.54 £10.16

$11.11 £8.33

21.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.23 £2.42

$3.08 £2.31

4.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 £3.29

$3.24 £2.43

35.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.92 £2.94

$3.94 £2.96

-0.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$243 £182

$128 £96.4

88.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$5.07 £3.81

10.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.27 £2.46

$2.62 £1.96

24.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.4 £43.81

$39.62 £29.72

47.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$2.09 £1.57

-0.48%

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

$38.8K £29.1K

$38.4K £28.8K

1.12%

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

$40.6K £30.5K

$41.1K £30.9K

-1.28%

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

$380 £285

$291 £218

30.56%

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

$18.62 £13.97

$16.90 £12.68

10.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.45 £30.35

$44.87 £33.66

-9.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.3 £45.95

$51.2 £38.38

19.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.41 £16.07

$26.89 £20.17

-20.38%

Cinema Ticket

$18.09 £13.57

$17.32 £12.99

4.45%

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

$2,905 £2,180

$2,062 £1,547

40.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.5K £26.6K

$30.8K £23.1K

15.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.3

$89.9 £67.5

29.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.5 £40.89

$45.51 £34.14

19.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 £95.8

$102 £76.8

24.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$167 £125

$90.7 £68.1

83.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,852 £2,140

$1,887 £1,416

51.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,269 £1,702

$1,480 £1,110

53.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,250 £3,939

$2,833 £2,125

85.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,752 £2,815

$2,233 £1,675

68.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.5K £13.9K

$8,467 £6,352

118.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,100 £6,077

$6,148 £4,612

31.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,109 £3,833

$3,380 £2,536

51.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

5.12

-7.42%

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

Last update for London: October 19, 2026

Last update for Brighton: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56%

Brighton

$1.5K 50.2% 34.8% $789

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$439 10.9%

Brighton

$353 12% 19.6% $86

Eating Out

London

$400 9.9%

Brighton

$390 13.2% 2.4% $9.4

Groceries & Markets

London

$353 8.7%

Brighton

$331 11.2% 6.4% $22

Getting Around

London

$280 6.9%

Brighton

$162 5.5% 42.1% $118

Clothing & Footwear

London

$209 5.2%

Brighton

$148 5% 29.4% $62

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Brighton

$86 2.9% 11.9% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,852 in London and $1,887 in Brighton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 51% 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: $104 in London vs $93.0 in Brighton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $353 vs $331 per month, with Brighton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇬🇧 Brighton

🕒 Local time

13:31 1:31 PM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

256,000

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

London Brighton 76 km

From you

London
Brighton

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 Brighton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

London and Brighton differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($4,049 vs $2,950 including rent). Brighton is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 51% 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: $2,852 in London versus $1,887 in Brighton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,905 in London versus $2,062 in Brighton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in London. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Brighton is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, London and Brighton 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 Brighton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.