Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Caen

For one person, living is cheaper in Caen: $1,669 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $27,800 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
81

Cost of Living Index in Caen
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Caen Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Caen

🇫🇷 France

$1,669

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Caen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,986 in London versus $1,669 in Caen.

London $3,986
Caen $1,669

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,791 in London versus $2,558 in Caen.

London $5,791
Caen $2,558

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,595 in London versus $3,447 in Caen.

London $7,595
Caen $3,447

Living in London is roughly 139% more expensive than in Caen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 195% above, Caen 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$16.49 €14.67

57.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$55.1 €49.04

93.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$13.17 €11.72

-18.68%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$2.82 €2.51

93.97%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$3.10 €2.76

-4.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$2.14 €1.90

2.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$8.56 €7.61

6.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$5.73 €5.10

38.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.32 €1.18

40.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.78 €1.58

16.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$1.94 €1.72

24.74%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$3.75 €3.33

35.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$10.04 €8.93

28.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$11.49 €10.22

-9.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$15.98 €14.21

5.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$2.97 €2.64

4.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$3.08 €2.74

-54.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$1.44 €1.28

113.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$4.25 €3.78

-23.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.78 €1.58

-11.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.95 €1.74

-10.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.63 €1.45

-14.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.13 €0.11

1284.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$12.58 €11.19

85.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$5.67 €5.04

129.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$1.42 €1.26

123.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$1.59 €1.42

177.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$1.75 €1.56

132.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

$48.77 €43.38

405.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$2.30 €2.04

142.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$1.11 €0.99

202.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.57

$32.86 €29.23

72.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$2.15 €1.91

-0.93%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$34.6K €30.8K

10.43%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$32.1K €28.6K

27.25%

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

$372 £279

$138 €123

169.86%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$32.99 €29.34

-45.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$31.71 €28.20

27.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$32.67 €29.06

83.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

$22.06 €19.62

-3.49%

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$8.98 €7.98

97.55%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$903 €803

217.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$107 €95.5

6.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$38.27 €34.04

41.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$102 €90.3

22.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$148 €132

10.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$769 €684

272.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$605 €539

268.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,950

$1,501 €1,335

250.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,834

$1,041 €926

262.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

$4,428 €3,939

314.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,019

$2,484 €2,210

223.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,778

$2,373 €2,111

112.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

3.79

25.07%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Caen: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Caen

$606 36.3% 72.9% $1.6K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Caen

$203 12.1% 52.9% $228

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Caen

$281 16.8% 27.6% $107

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Caen

$289 17.3% 17.4% $61

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Caen

$64 3.8% 77.7% $222

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Caen

$178 10.7% 13.3% $27

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Caen

$51 3% 47% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,869 in London and $769 in Caen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 112% 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 Caen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $289 per month, with Caen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇫🇷 Caen

🕒 Local time

19:02 7:02 PM

20:02 8:02 PM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

108,200

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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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 Caen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

London and Caen differ by about 139% in total monthly costs ($3,986 vs $1,669 including rent). Caen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 112% 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 $769 in Caen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Caen runs roughly 406% 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 $903 in Caen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,669 in Caen versus $3,986 in London, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Caen but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Caen 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.

Safety-wise, London and Caen 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 Caen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 139% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.