Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Calarasi, Romania

For one person, living is cheaper in Calarasi: $886 a month against $4,048 in London, rent and utilities included – about $37,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

London, United Kingdom
Calarasi, Romania
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$4,048
/mo nomad
Calarasi
🇷🇴 Romania
$886
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Calarasi

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

A single person spends $4,048 per month in London vs $886 in Calarasi, rent included.

  • London $4,048
  • Calarasi $886

A couple spends around $5,903 per month in London vs $1,369 in Calarasi, rent included.

  • London $5,903
  • Calarasi $1,369

A family of three spends $7,758 per month in London vs $1,851 in Calarasi, rent included.

  • London $7,758
  • Calarasi $1,851

London costs about 357% more than Calarasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

London sits 199% above the global median, while Calarasi is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
London
Calarasi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.36 £19.59
$9.00 RON 42.75
192.89%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$109 £80.7
$32.89 RON 156
230.10%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.71 £7.96
$7.60 RON 36.12
40.92%
Cappuccino
$5.59 £4.15
$2.08 RON 9.91
168.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 £2.23
$1.79 RON 8.49
67.60%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 £1.65
$1.64 RON 7.81
35.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.65 £7.17
$1.53 RON 7.28
530.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.26 £6.14
$1.43 RON 6.81
477.62%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
Calarasi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.97 £1.46
$1.48 RON 7.05
33.11%
White Bread (500g)
$2.09 £1.55
$0.93 RON 4.40
124.73%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.59 £1.93
$1.47 RON 6.99
76.19%
Eggs
$5.37 £3.99
$2.71 RON 12.90
98.15%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.12 £9.75
$7.65 RON 36.32
71.50%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.03 £8.20
$4.15 RON 19.74
165.78%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.73 £13.17
$8.58 RON 40.78
106.64%
Apples (1kg)
$3.17 £2.36
$1.09 RON 5.17
190.83%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 £1.03
$1.34 RON 6.38
2.99%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.82 £2.10
$1.25 RON 5.94
125.60%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.36 £2.50
$1.50 RON 7.11
124.00%
Potato (1kg)
$1.70 £1.26
$0.40 RON 1.92
325.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.78 £1.32
$0.60 RON 2.87
196.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.49 £1.11
$0.41 RON 1.94
263.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 £1.35
$0.82 RON 3.88
121.95%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.85 £17.72
$6.14 RON 29.15
288.44%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.44 £9.98
$4.15 RON 19.71
223.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.11 £2.31
$0.91 RON 4.34
241.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.49 £3.34
$1.39 RON 6.61
223.02%
🚌 Getting Around
London
Calarasi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.13 £3.07
$0.40 RON 1.92
932.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$266 £198
$12.67 RON 60.2
1999.29%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.98 £4.44
$0.86 RON 4.10
595.35%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.39 £2.52
$0.85 RON 4.06
298.82%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$56.6 £42.03
$9.07 RON 43.08
523.48%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.21 £1.64
$1.71 RON 8.11
29.24%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.3K £28.4K
$28.5K RON 135.5K
34.20%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.0K £30.5K
$25.4K RON 120.7K
61.48%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
Calarasi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$372 £277
$164 RON 778
127.33%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.66 £13.87
$6.20 RON 29.48
200.97%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.53 £30.12
$6.83 RON 32.44
493.41%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
Calarasi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.0 £41.63
$47.46 RON 226
18.04%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.10 £12.71
$53.1 RON 252
-67.77%
Cinema Ticket
$17.95 £13.34
$8.54 RON 40.60
110.19%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
Calarasi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,946 £2,189
$367 RON 1,742
703.58%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$47.6K £35.4K
$5,712 RON 27.1K
733.71%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
Calarasi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$116 £86.4
$72.3 RON 343
60.89%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$56.9 £42.28
$20.99 RON 99.8
171.08%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$128 £95.1
$92.2 RON 438
38.80%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$154 £114
$97.1 RON 461
58.49%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
Calarasi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,935 £2,182
$309 RON 1,467
850.91%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,258 £1,678
$189 RON 896
1097.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,250 £3,901
$412 RON 1,955
1175.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,859 £2,868
$321 RON 1,524
1103.50%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$17.2K £12.8K
$1,188 RON 5,645
1346.33%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,278 £6,152
$957 RON 4,548
764.89%
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
Calarasi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,621 £4,177
$726 RON 3,449
674.34%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.78
7.85
-39.11%

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

Last update for London: November 1, 2026

Last update for Calarasi: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
London
$2.3K
Calarasi
$189 91.7% $2.1K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
$432
Calarasi
$177 59% $255
Eating Out
London
$396
Calarasi
$144 63.6% $252
Groceries & Markets
London
$360
Calarasi
$166 54% $194
Getting Around
London
$305
Calarasi
$19 93.6% $286
Clothing & Footwear
London
$205
Calarasi
$127 37.9% $78
Sport & Entertainment
London
$92
Calarasi
$65 29.8% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,935 in London versus $309 in Calarasi. 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 7.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $109 in London versus $33 in Calarasi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $360 vs $166 – making Calarasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 London
🇷🇴 Calarasi
🕒 Local time
11:57 11:57 AM
13:57 1:57 PM
2 h ahead of London
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,908,083 Capital
65,181
💱 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 Calarasi 2,190 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • London
  • Calarasi

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 Calarasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in London and in Calarasi compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $4,048 in London, $886 in Calarasi – Calarasi comes out roughly 78% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in London compared to Calarasi?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,072 per month in London and $1,329 in Calarasi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between London and Calarasi?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Calarasi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $309 there versus $2,935 in London.
What is the difference in childcare costs between London and Calarasi?
Kindergarten costs $2,946 per month in London and $367 in Calarasi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 117% more in London, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Calarasi, where all-in costs run around $886, than in London at $4,048. In Calarasi it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: London or Calarasi?
Families tend to lean toward Calarasi – 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 Calarasi?
If budget matters most, go with Calarasi. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

London vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?