Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Buckingham

For one person, living is cheaper in Buckingham: $2,219 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $21,200 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
107

Cost of Living Index in Buckingham
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Buckingham Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Buckingham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,219

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Buckingham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,986 in London versus $2,219 in Buckingham.

London $3,986
Buckingham $2,219

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,791 in London versus $3,265 in Buckingham.

London $5,791
Buckingham $3,265

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,595 in London versus $4,311 in Buckingham.

London $7,595
Buckingham $4,311

Living in London is roughly 80% more expensive than in Buckingham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 195% above, Buckingham 64% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$20.03 £15.03

29.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$78.9 £59.2

34.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$10.44 £7.83

2.59%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$4.60 £3.45

18.91%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$2.05 £1.54

44.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$1.50 £1.12

46.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$5.45 £4.09

67.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$4.52 £3.39

75.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.51 £1.13

23.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.77 £1.33

16.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$2.82 £2.11

-14.18%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$4.04 £3.03

25.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$9.09 £6.82

41.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$7.72 £5.79

35.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$16.42 £12.32

2.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$3.29 £2.47

-5.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.54 £1.16

-9.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$2.80 £2.10

10.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$3.20 £2.40

2.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.16 £0.87

36.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.73 £1.30

0.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.29 £0.97

8.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.35 £1.01

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$23.66 £17.75

-1.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$10.10 £7.57

29.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$3.14 £2.36

0.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$2.28 £1.71

93.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$3.38 £2.53

20.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

$94.7 £71.1

160.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$4.18 £3.14

33.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$2.69 £2.02

24.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$32.36 £24.28

75.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$2.04 £1.53

4.41%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$38.4K £28.8K

-0.50%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$41.3K £31.0K

-0.93%

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

$372 £279

$200 £150

86.11%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$17.46 £13.10

2.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$43.68 £32.77

-7.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$45.77 £34.34

31.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$13.38 £10.04

32.59%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$1,464 £1,099

95.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$22.0K £16.5K

60.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$84.3 £63.2

35.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$31.33 £23.50

73.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$73.7 £55.3

68.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$97.2 £72.9

67.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$1,462 £1,097

96.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$1,036 £777

115.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,951

$2,105 £1,579

150.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,835

$1,659 £1,244

127.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

$5,081 £3,812

260.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,020

$3,819 £2,865

110.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,779

$4,447 £3,336

13.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

5.06

-6.32%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Buckingham: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Buckingham

$1K 46.7% 53.6% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Buckingham

$261 11.8% 39.3% $169

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Buckingham

$297 13.4% 23.3% $90

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Buckingham

$297 13.4% 15% $52

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Buckingham

$126 5.7% 55.9% $160

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Buckingham

$129 5.8% 37.1% $76

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Buckingham

$73 3.3% 24% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,869 in London and $1,462 in Buckingham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 13% 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 $79.0 in Buckingham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $297 per month, with Buckingham cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇬🇧 Buckingham

🕒 Local time

06:28 6:28 AM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

12,890

💱 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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Between locations

London Buckingham 80 km

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 Buckingham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

London and Buckingham differ by about 80% in total monthly costs ($3,986 vs $2,219 including rent). Buckingham is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 13% 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 $1,462 in Buckingham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,986 per month in London versus $2,219 in Buckingham – a 80% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Buckingham runs roughly 160% less than in London. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,219 in Buckingham versus $3,986 in London, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buckingham but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Buckingham the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Buckingham gentler on the wallet – expenses run 80% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.