Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Contagem

For one person, living is cheaper in Contagem: $724 a month against $4,048 in London, rent and utilities included – about $39,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

London, United Kingdom
Contagem, Brazil
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$4,048
/mo nomad
Contagem
🇧🇷 Brazil
$724
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Contagem

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

A single person spends $4,048 per month in London vs $724 in Contagem, rent included.

  • London $4,048
  • Contagem $724

A couple spends around $5,903 per month in London vs $1,164 in Contagem, rent included.

  • London $5,903
  • Contagem $1,164

A family of three spends $7,758 per month in London vs $1,605 in Contagem, rent included.

  • London $7,758
  • Contagem $1,605

London costs about 459% more than Contagem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

London sits 199% above the global median, while Contagem is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
London
Contagem
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.36 £19.59
$5.54 R$30.39
375.81%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$109 £80.7
$27.69 R$152
292.09%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.71 £7.96
$6.65 R$36.50
61.05%
Cappuccino
$5.59 £4.15
$1.63 R$8.94
242.94%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 £2.23
$1.28 R$7.00
134.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 £1.65
$0.58 R$3.16
282.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.65 £7.17
$1.22 R$6.68
690.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.26 £6.14
$2.28 R$12.51
262.28%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
Contagem
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.97 £1.46
$0.88 R$4.80
123.86%
White Bread (500g)
$2.09 £1.55
$1.61 R$8.85
29.81%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.59 £1.93
$1.28 R$7.02
102.34%
Eggs
$5.37 £3.99
$1.87 R$10.28
187.17%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.12 £9.75
$8.96 R$49.15
46.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.03 £8.20
$3.14 R$17.24
251.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.73 £13.17
$7.17 R$39.35
147.28%
Apples (1kg)
$3.17 £2.36
$1.82 R$9.98
74.18%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 £1.03
$1.15 R$6.29
20.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.82 £2.10
$0.90 R$4.92
213.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.36 £2.50
$1.51 R$8.30
122.52%
Potato (1kg)
$1.70 £1.26
$1.04 R$5.71
63.46%
Onion (1kg)
$1.78 £1.32
$0.99 R$5.42
79.80%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.49 £1.11
$0.74 R$4.07
101.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 £1.35
$0.72 R$3.93
152.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.85 £17.72
$1.48 R$8.13
1511.49%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.44 £9.98
$5.47 R$30.04
145.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.11 £2.31
$0.90 R$4.94
245.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.49 £3.34
$1.32 R$7.27
240.15%
🚌 Getting Around
London
Contagem
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.13 £3.07
$1.38 R$7.59
199.28%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$266 £198
$72.7 R$399
265.81%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.98 £4.44
$1.04 R$5.70
475.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.39 £2.52
$0.82 R$4.48
313.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$56.6 £42.03
$5.82 R$31.92
871.65%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.21 £1.64
$1.16 R$6.37
90.52%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.3K £28.4K
$21.8K R$119.6K
75.52%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.0K £30.5K
$29.5K R$162.1K
38.84%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
Contagem
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$372 £277
$70.5 R$387
428.02%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.66 £13.87
$9.22 R$50.6
102.39%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.53 £30.12
$17.33 R$95.1
133.87%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
Contagem
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.0 £41.63
$24.57 R$135
128.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.10 £12.71
$22.42 R$123
-23.73%
Cinema Ticket
$17.95 £13.34
$6.80 R$37.30
163.97%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
Contagem
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,946 £2,189
$136 R$744
2072.07%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$47.6K £35.4K
$2,460 R$13.5K
1835.54%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
Contagem
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$116 £86.4
$55.4 R$304
109.74%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$56.9 £42.28
$44.74 R$246
27.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$128 £95.1
$62.5 R$343
104.74%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$154 £114
$44.16 R$242
248.46%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
Contagem
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,935 £2,182
$208 R$1,139
1314.54%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,258 £1,678
$147 R$804
1441.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,250 £3,901
$433 R$2,375
1113.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,859 £2,868
$305 R$1,673
1165.75%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$17.2K £12.8K
$1,863 R$10.2K
822.38%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,278 £6,152
$922 R$5,057
798.13%
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
Contagem
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,621 £4,177
$237 R$1,299
2273.65%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.78
10.67
-55.20%

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

Last update for London: November 1, 2026

Last update for Contagem: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
London
$2.3K
Contagem
$147 93.5% $2.1K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
$432
Contagem
$97 77.5% $334
Eating Out
London
$396
Contagem
$102 74.3% $294
Groceries & Markets
London
$360
Contagem
$163 54.6% $197
Getting Around
London
$305
Contagem
$83 72.7% $222
Clothing & Footwear
London
$205
Contagem
$93 54.5% $112
Sport & Entertainment
London
$92
Contagem
$38 58.5% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,935 in London versus $208 in Contagem. 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 24 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $109 in London versus $28 in Contagem. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $360 vs $163 – making Contagem the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 London
🇧🇷 Contagem
🕒 Local time
04:04 4:04 AM
01:04 1:04 AM
3 h behind London
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,908,083 Capital
621,863
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, 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 = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.16 BRL (1 BRL = 0.162 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • London Contagem 9,020 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • London
  • Contagem

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 Contagem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Contagem cheaper than London?
Yes – London is pricier by about 459%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,072 per month in London and $1,085 in Contagem. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Contagem, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $208 there versus $2,935 in London.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 73% less in Contagem. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $2,946 per month in London and $136 in Contagem. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in London or in Contagem?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Contagem, where all-in costs run around $724, than in London at $4,048. In Contagem it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is London or Contagem more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Contagem – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Contagem. 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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