Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Cardiff

For one person, living is cheaper in Cardiff: $2,454 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $18,400 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
119

Cost of Living Index in Cardiff
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Cardiff Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Cardiff

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,454

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Cardiff

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,986 in London versus $2,454 in Cardiff.

London $3,986
Cardiff $2,454

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,791 in London versus $3,414 in Cardiff.

London $5,791
Cardiff $3,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,595 in London versus $4,373 in Cardiff.

London $7,595
Cardiff $4,373

Living in London is roughly 62% more expensive than in Cardiff, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 195% above, Cardiff 82% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$20.04 £15.04

29.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$83.4 £62.6

27.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$10.74 £8.06

-0.28%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$4.45 £3.34

22.92%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$2.92 £2.19

1.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$2.00 £1.50

10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$7.80 £5.85

17.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$6.32 £4.74

25.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.72 £1.29

8.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.43 £1.07

44.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$2.15 £1.61

12.56%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$3.62 £2.72

40.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$9.47 £7.11

35.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$8.85 £6.64

17.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$16.18 £12.14

4.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$2.80 £2.10

11.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.55 £1.16

-9.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$3.03 £2.28

1.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$3.51 £2.63

-6.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.99 £1.50

-20.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.54 £1.15

12.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.09 £0.82

28.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.64 £1.23

9.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$23.08 £17.31

0.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$11.07 £8.31

17.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$3.05 £2.29

3.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$3.31 £2.48

33.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$3.21 £2.41

26.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

$79.1 £59.3

212.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$4.58 £3.44

21.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$1.66 £1.25

102.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$35.87 £26.91

58.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$2.06 £1.55

3.40%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$37.9K £28.4K

0.89%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

0.08%

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

$372 £279

$335 £252

10.96%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$25.35 £19.02

-29.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$43.54 £32.67

-7.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$37.26 £27.95

60.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

$11.37 £8.53

87.25%

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$10.36 £7.77

71.24%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$1,990 £1,493

43.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$32.5K £24.4K

8.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$97.8 £73.4

16.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$48.54 £36.41

11.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$116 £86.9

7.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$99.4 £74.6

63.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$1,168 £876

145.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$1,102 £826

102.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,951

$2,136 £1,602

146.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,835

$1,482 £1,112

154.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

$5,255 £3,942

248.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,020

$3,432 £2,575

133.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,779

$3,179 £2,385

58.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

5.11

-7.24%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cardiff: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Cardiff

$1.1K 44.9% 50.7% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Cardiff

$404 16.5% 6% $26

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Cardiff

$317 12.9% 18.1% $70

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Cardiff

$306 12.5% 12.5% $44

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Cardiff

$105 4.3% 63.3% $181

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Cardiff

$163 6.6% 20.6% $42

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Cardiff

$58 2.4% 39.3% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,869 in London and $1,168 in Cardiff. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 58% 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 $83.0 in Cardiff for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $306 per month, with Cardiff cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇬🇧 Cardiff

🕒 Local time

20:36 8:36 PM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

346,100

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

London Cardiff 210 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 Cardiff: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

London and Cardiff differ by about 62% in total monthly costs ($3,986 vs $2,454 including rent). Cardiff is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 58% 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 $1,168 in Cardiff. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cardiff – a meal for two runs $83.0 versus $107 in London. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,986 per month in London versus $2,454 in Cardiff – a 62% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,454 in Cardiff versus $3,986 in London, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Cardiff but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Cardiff 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 Cardiff 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 Cardiff gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.