Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Cambridge

For one person, living is cheaper in Cambridge: $3,192 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 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
154

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
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Cambridge Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Cambridge

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,192

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Cambridge

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

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $3,192 in Cambridge, rent included.

London $4,086
Cambridge $3,192

A couple spends around $5,891 per month in London vs $4,469 in Cambridge, rent included.

London $5,891
Cambridge $4,469

A family of three spends $7,696 per month in London vs $5,746 in Cambridge, rent included.

London $7,696
Cambridge $5,746

London costs about 28% more than Cambridge, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Cambridge sit above the global median – London by 200%, Cambridge by 135%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.55 £19.83

$21.53 £16.08

23.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$89.6 £67.0

19.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 £8.06

$10.52 £7.86

2.47%

Cappuccino

$5.71 £4.27

$4.70 £3.51

21.49%

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

$3.01 £2.25

$2.68 £2.00

12.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 £1.71

$1.85 £1.38

23.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.08 £6.78

$7.93 £5.93

14.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 £6.03

$6.77 £5.06

19.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 £1.42

$1.60 £1.19

18.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 £1.52

$1.74 £1.30

16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 £1.83

$2.51 £1.87

-2.39%

Eggs

$5.07 £3.79

$4.57 £3.42

10.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.71 £9.49

$9.87 £7.37

28.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.61 £7.93

$9.79 £7.31

8.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.68 £13.21

$16.03 £11.97

10.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 £2.37

$3.04 £2.27

4.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 £1.08

$1.70 £1.27

-14.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 £2.34

$3.66 £2.73

-14.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.41 £2.55

$3.58 £2.68

-4.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.25

$1.82 £1.36

-8.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 £1.32

$1.89 £1.41

-6.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 £1.07

$1.24 £0.93

15.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.40

$2.03 £1.52

-7.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.91 £17.86

$22.71 £16.96

5.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.48 £10.07

$10.91 £8.15

23.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 £2.30

$3.22 £2.40

-4.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 £3.28

$4.10 £3.06

7.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.08 £3.04

$3.89 £2.91

4.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$252 £188

$122 £91.2

106.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 £4.29

$8.19 £6.12

-29.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.35 £2.50

$2.64 £1.97

26.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.2 £42.76

$51.3 £38.36

11.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$2.07 £1.55

0.48%

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

$38.0K £28.4K

$38.8K £29.0K

-2.07%

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

$40.4K £30.2K

$40.3K £30.1K

0.17%

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

$387 £289

$338 £253

14.37%

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

$18.57 £13.88

$18.64 £13.92

-0.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 £30.40

$43.43 £32.44

-6.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.6 £43.01

$58.6 £43.78

-1.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 £14.76

$20.89 £15.61

-5.46%

Cinema Ticket

$18.33 £13.69

$17.04 £12.73

7.57%

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

$2,957 £2,209

$2,515 £1,879

17.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.9K £26.8K

$36.5K £27.2K

-1.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$119 £88.7

$90.3 £67.5

31.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 £42.03

$48.31 £36.09

16.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 £97.8

$93.3 £69.7

40.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 £123

$128 £95.6

28.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,811 £2,100

$2,102 £1,570

33.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,291 £1,712

$1,715 £1,281

33.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,185 £3,874

$3,163 £2,363

63.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,805 £2,843

$2,557 £1,910

48.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.7K £13.2K

$9,228 £6,894

91.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,405 £6,279

$6,031 £4,506

39.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,070 £3,788

$4,537 £3,389

11.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

5.04

-4.96%

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

Last update for London: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cambridge: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.1%

Cambridge

$1.7K 53.7% 25.1% $576

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$446 10.9%

Cambridge

$400 12.6% 10.3% $46

Eating Out

London

$396 9.7%

Cambridge

$332 10.4% 16.3% $65

Groceries & Markets

London

$356 8.7%

Cambridge

$331 10.4% 6.9% $25

Getting Around

London

$291 7.1%

Cambridge

$159 5% 45.3% $132

Clothing & Footwear

London

$212 5.2%

Cambridge

$162 5.1% 23.5% $50

Sport & Entertainment

London

$94 2.3%

Cambridge

$93 2.9% 1.6% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,811 in London versus $2,102 in Cambridge. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 12% higher in London, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London versus $90 in Cambridge. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $356 vs $331 – making Cambridge the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇬🇧 Cambridge

🕒 Local time

03:47 3:47 AM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

145,818

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

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From you

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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 Cambridge: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – London is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,129 per month in London and $4,788 in Cambridge. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cambridge, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $2,102 there versus $2,811 in London.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London and $90 in Cambridge. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,086 in London and $3,192 in Cambridge. That makes Cambridge about 22% cheaper.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,086 in London and $3,192 in Cambridge. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Cambridge – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Cambridge. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.