Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Calafat

For one person, living is cheaper in Calafat: $1,016 a month against $4,048 in London, rent and utilities included – about $36,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

London, United Kingdom
Calafat, Romania
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$4,048
/mo nomad
Calafat
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,016
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Calafat

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

A single person spends $4,048 per month in London vs $1,016 in Calafat, rent included.

  • London $4,048
  • Calafat $1,016

A couple spends around $5,903 per month in London vs $1,499 in Calafat, rent included.

  • London $5,903
  • Calafat $1,499

A family of three spends $7,758 per month in London vs $1,982 in Calafat, rent included.

  • London $7,758
  • Calafat $1,982

London costs about 299% more than Calafat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

London sits 199% above the global median, while Calafat is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
London
Calafat
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.36 £19.59
$7.35 RON 34.94
258.64%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$109 £80.7
$38.38 RON 182
182.88%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.71 £7.96
$7.21 RON 34.25
48.54%
Cappuccino
$5.59 £4.15
$2.14 RON 10.15
161.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 £2.23
$1.44 RON 6.83
108.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 £1.65
$0.87 RON 4.12
155.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.65 £7.17
$1.08 RON 5.12
793.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.26 £6.14
$1.83 RON 8.72
351.37%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
Calafat
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.97 £1.46
$1.12 RON 5.31
75.89%
White Bread (500g)
$2.09 £1.55
$0.76 RON 3.63
175.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.59 £1.93
$1.35 RON 6.40
91.85%
Eggs
$5.37 £3.99
$2.33 RON 11.07
130.47%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.12 £9.75
$6.69 RON 31.80
96.11%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.03 £8.20
$6.35 RON 30.15
73.70%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.73 £13.17
$6.24 RON 29.63
184.13%
Apples (1kg)
$3.17 £2.36
$1.01 RON 4.80
213.86%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 £1.03
$1.49 RON 7.07
-7.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.82 £2.10
$1.28 RON 6.06
120.31%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.36 £2.50
$1.44 RON 6.85
133.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.70 £1.26
$0.60 RON 2.86
183.33%
Onion (1kg)
$1.78 £1.32
$0.75 RON 3.57
137.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.49 £1.11
$0.69 RON 3.28
115.94%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 £1.35
$0.71 RON 3.38
156.34%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.85 £17.72
$5.31 RON 25.21
349.15%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.44 £9.98
$6.27 RON 29.78
114.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.11 £2.31
$0.88 RON 4.16
253.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.49 £3.34
$1.45 RON 6.91
209.66%
🚌 Getting Around
London
Calafat
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.13 £3.07
$0.75 RON 3.55
450.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$266 £198
$22.34 RON 106
1090.60%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.98 £4.44
$0.53 RON 2.53
1028.30%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.39 £2.52
$0.51 RON 2.42
564.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$56.6 £42.03
$9.77 RON 46.42
478.81%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.21 £1.64
$1.51 RON 7.15
46.36%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.3K £28.4K
$25.5K RON 121.0K
50.30%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.0K £30.5K
$25.5K RON 121.2K
60.82%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
Calafat
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$372 £277
$214 RON 1,018
73.81%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.66 £13.87
$7.55 RON 35.89
147.15%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.53 £30.12
$6.33 RON 30.06
540.28%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
Calafat
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.0 £41.63
$37.82 RON 180
48.12%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.10 £12.71
$19.06 RON 90.6
-10.28%
Cinema Ticket
$17.95 £13.34
$7.40 RON 35.16
142.57%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
Calafat
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,946 £2,189
$412 RON 1,959
614.42%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$47.6K £35.4K
$8,151 RON 38.7K
484.23%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
Calafat
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$116 £86.4
$63.5 RON 302
83.00%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$56.9 £42.28
$42.04 RON 200
35.35%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$128 £95.1
$84.2 RON 400
51.92%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$154 £114
$83.5 RON 397
84.35%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
Calafat
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,935 £2,182
$380 RON 1,806
672.36%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,258 £1,678
$294 RON 1,398
667.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,250 £3,901
$617 RON 2,930
751.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,859 £2,868
$468 RON 2,222
725.31%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$17.2K £12.8K
$1,910 RON 9,077
799.55%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,278 £6,152
$1,190 RON 5,656
595.39%
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
Calafat
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,621 £4,177
$812 RON 3,858
592.13%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.78
6
-20.33%

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

Last update for London: November 1, 2026

Last update for Calafat: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
London
$2.3K
Calafat
$294 87% $2K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
$432
Calafat
$228 47.1% $203
Eating Out
London
$396
Calafat
$124 68.6% $271
Groceries & Markets
London
$360
Calafat
$165 54.3% $195
Getting Around
London
$305
Calafat
$28 90.7% $277
Clothing & Footwear
London
$205
Calafat
$123 39.9% $82
Sport & Entertainment
London
$92
Calafat
$53 42.8% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,935 in London versus $380 in Calafat. 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 6.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $109 in London versus $38 in Calafat. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $360 vs $165 – making Calafat the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 London
🇷🇴 Calafat
🕒 Local time
11:06 11:06 AM
13:06 1:06 PM
2 h ahead of London
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,908,083 Capital
18,500
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.743 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.835 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • London Calafat 1,900 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • London
  • Calafat

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 Calafat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in London and in Calafat compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $4,048 in London, $1,016 in Calafat – Calafat comes out roughly 75% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in London compared to Calafat?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,072 per month in London and $1,523 in Calafat. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between London and Calafat?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Calafat, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $380 there versus $2,935 in London.
Which city is more expensive overall: London or Calafat?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,048 in London and $1,016 in Calafat. That makes Calafat about 75% cheaper.
How do commuting costs compare in London and in Calafat?
Public transport costs about 92% less in Calafat. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Calafat, where all-in costs run around $1,016, than in London at $4,048. In Calafat it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: London or Calafat?
Families tend to lean toward Calafat – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How do I decide between London and Calafat?
If budget matters most, go with Calafat. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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