Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Craiova

For one person, living is cheaper in Craiova: $1,212 a month against $4,048 in London, rent and utilities included – about $34,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

196

Cost of Living Index in London
Learn more

London Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Craiova
Learn more

Craiova Living Index

Jump to prices

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,048

/mo nomad

Craiova

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,212

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Craiova

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,048 in London versus $1,212 in Craiova.

London $4,048
Craiova $1,212

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,903 in London versus $1,879 in Craiova.

London $5,903
Craiova $1,879

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,758 in London versus $2,545 in Craiova.

London $7,758
Craiova $2,545

Living in London is roughly 234% more expensive than in Craiova, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: London is 199% above, Craiova is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.36 £19.59

$7.36 RON 34.98

258.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$109 £80.7

$41.34 RON 196

162.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £7.96

$7.28 RON 34.57

47.12%

Cappuccino

$5.59 £4.15

$2.72 RON 12.93

105.51%

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

$3.00 £2.23

$2.20 RON 10.44

36.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 £1.65

$1.83 RON 8.67

21.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.65 £7.17

$2.27 RON 10.80

325.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.26 £6.14

$3.44 RON 16.34

140.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 £1.46

$1.27 RON 6.01

55.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 £1.55

$0.85 RON 4.04

145.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 £1.93

$1.39 RON 6.58

86.33%

Eggs

$5.37 £3.99

$3.35 RON 15.91

60.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.12 £9.75

$7.13 RON 33.86

84.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.03 £8.20

$6.53 RON 31.01

68.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.73 £13.17

$11.45 RON 54.4

54.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 £2.36

$1.03 RON 4.87

207.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.44 RON 6.86

-4.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 £2.10

$1.41 RON 6.68

100.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 £2.50

$1.73 RON 8.21

94.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 £1.26

$0.82 RON 3.91

107.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 £1.32

$0.91 RON 4.31

95.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 £1.11

$0.73 RON 3.49

104.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 £1.35

$0.71 RON 3.36

156.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.85 £17.72

$6.47 RON 30.74

268.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.44 £9.98

$6.12 RON 29.08

119.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 £2.31

$1.20 RON 5.68

159.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 £3.34

$1.53 RON 7.26

193.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.13 £3.07

$0.88 RON 4.18

369.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$266 £198

$25.43 RON 121

945.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.98 £4.44

$0.66 RON 3.12

806.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.39 £2.52

$0.64 RON 3.04

429.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.6 £42.03

$9.47 RON 44.98

497.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 £1.64

$1.89 RON 8.99

16.93%

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

$38.3K £28.4K

$29.0K RON 138.0K

31.76%

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

$41.0K £30.5K

$25.9K RON 123.0K

58.45%

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

$372 £277

$217 RON 1,029

71.96%

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

$18.66 £13.87

$9.47 RON 45.00

97.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.53 £30.12

$11.42 RON 54.2

254.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.0 £41.63

$40.05 RON 190

39.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.10 £12.71

$21.95 RON 104

-22.10%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.34

$7.54 RON 35.84

138.06%

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

$2,946 £2,189

$415 RON 1,974

608.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$47.6K £35.4K

$8,038 RON 38.2K

492.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £86.4

$63.6 RON 302

82.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.9 £42.28

$50.8 RON 241

12.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 £95.1

$82.5 RON 392

55.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 £114

$101 RON 478

53.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,935 £2,182

$530 RON 2,517

454.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,258 £1,678

$412 RON 1,956

448.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,250 £3,901

$903 RON 4,290

481.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,859 £2,868

$849 RON 4,032

354.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.2K £12.8K

$2,701 RON 12.8K

536.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,278 £6,152

$1,973 RON 9,373

319.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,621 £4,177

$956 RON 4,544

487.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.78

6.84

-30.12%

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

Last update for London: November 1, 2026

Last update for Craiova: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 55.8%

Craiova

$412 34% 81.8% $1.8K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$432 10.7%

Craiova

$237 19.6% 45% $194

Eating Out

London

$396 9.8%

Craiova

$148 12.2% 62.7% $248

Groceries & Markets

London

$360 8.9%

Craiova

$193 16% 46.3% $167

Getting Around

London

$305 7.6%

Craiova

$33 2.7% 89.3% $273

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Craiova

$134 11% 34.6% $71

Sport & Entertainment

London

$92 2.3%

Craiova

$55 4.6% 40% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,935 in London and $530 in Craiova. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays about 5.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $109 in London vs $41 in Craiova for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $360 vs $193 per month, with Craiova cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇷🇴 Craiova

🕒 Local time

12:56 12:56 PM

14:56 2:56 PM

2 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

269,506

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

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).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Craiova 1,940 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

London
Craiova

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 Craiova: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Craiova wins on cost – living expenses run 70% lower than in London. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Craiova the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in London is about 5.9 times higher, 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: $2,935 in London versus $530 in Craiova. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $4,048 per month in London versus $1,212 in Craiova – Craiova is about 70% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Craiova runs roughly 90% less than in London. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Craiova is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Expats usually find Craiova gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.