Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Dartford

For one person, living is cheaper in Dartford: $2,939 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

195

Cost of Living Index in London
Learn more

London Living Index
143

Cost of Living Index in Dartford
Learn more

Dartford Living Index

Jump to prices

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Dartford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,939

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Dartford

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

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $2,939 in Dartford, rent included.

London $4,086
Dartford $2,939

A couple spends around $5,891 per month in London vs $4,203 in Dartford, rent included.

London $5,891
Dartford $4,203

A family of three spends $7,696 per month in London vs $5,467 in Dartford, rent included.

London $7,696
Dartford $5,467

London costs about 39% more than Dartford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Dartford sit above the global median – London by 200%, Dartford by 116%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.55 £19.79

$23.91 £17.83

11.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.8

$107 £80.1

-0.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 £8.04

$10.54 £7.86

2.28%

Cappuccino

$5.71 £4.26

$4.82 £3.60

18.46%

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

$3.01 £2.24

$2.96 £2.21

1.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 £1.71

$1.75 £1.30

30.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.08 £6.77

$7.17 £5.35

26.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 £6.01

$6.81 £5.08

18.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 £1.42

$1.58 £1.18

20.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 £1.51

$1.99 £1.49

2.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 £1.82

$2.44 £1.82

0.41%

Eggs

$5.07 £3.78

$4.15 £3.09

22.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.71 £9.47

$8.64 £6.44

47.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.61 £7.91

$10.04 £7.48

5.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.68 £13.18

$16.28 £12.14

8.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 £2.36

$3.05 £2.28

3.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 £1.08

$1.48 £1.10

-2.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 £2.34

$2.71 £2.02

15.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.41 £2.54

$3.35 £2.50

1.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.24

$1.46 £1.09

14.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 £1.32

$1.83 £1.36

-3.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 £1.07

$1.44 £1.07

-0.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.39

$0.98 £0.73

90.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.91 £17.82

$23.28 £17.36

2.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.48 £10.05

$10.73 £8.00

25.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 £2.30

$2.28 £1.70

35.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 £3.27

$2.44 £1.82

79.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.08 £3.04

$2.80 £2.08

45.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$252 £188

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 £4.28

$5.43 £4.05

5.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.35 £2.50

$3.39 £2.53

-1.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.2 £42.67

$57.1 £42.56

0.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.55

$2.00 £1.49

4.00%

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

$38.0K £28.3K

$38.1K £28.4K

-0.38%

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

$40.4K £30.1K

$40.8K £30.4K

-1.00%

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

$387 £289

$285 £212

35.87%

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

$18.57 £13.85

$16.52 £12.32

12.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 £30.34

$39.69 £29.59

2.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.6 £42.93

$44.44 £33.14

29.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 £14.73

Cinema Ticket

$18.33 £13.66

$19.41 £14.47

-5.56%

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

$2,957 £2,205

$2,229 £1,662

32.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.9K £26.8K

$29.8K £22.2K

20.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$119 £88.6

$54.1 £40.30

119.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 £41.95

$24.07 £17.95

133.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 £97.6

$90.1 £67.1

45.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 £123

$95.2 £71.0

72.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,811 £2,096

$2,235 £1,666

25.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,291 £1,708

$1,711 £1,276

33.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,185 £3,866

$2,951 £2,200

75.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,805 £2,837

$2,655 £1,980

43.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.7K £13.2K

$5,354 £3,991

229.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,405 £6,266

$4,479 £3,339

87.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,070 £3,780

$4,472 £3,334

13.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

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

Last update for London: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dartford: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.1%

Dartford

$1.7K 58.2% 25.3% $580

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$446 10.9%

Dartford

$341 11.6% 23.6% $105

Eating Out

London

$396 9.7%

Dartford

$349 11.9% 11.9% $47

Groceries & Markets

London

$356 8.7%

Dartford

$302 10.3% 15% $53

Getting Around

London

$291 7.1%

Dartford

$34 * 1.1% 88.5% $257

Clothing & Footwear

London

$212 5.2%

Dartford

$119 4% 44% $93

Sport & Entertainment

London

$94 2.3%

Dartford

$83 2.8% 11.6% $11

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,811 in London versus $2,235 in Dartford. 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 13% 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 $107 in Dartford. Groceries tell a different story – $356 in London vs $302 in Dartford – so Dartford wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇬🇧 Dartford

🕒 Local time

13:55 1:55 PM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

51,240

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Dartford 25 km

From you

London
Dartford

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 Dartford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – London is pricier by about 39%, 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 $4,408 in Dartford. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dartford, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $2,235 there versus $2,811 in London.

Groceries cost about 18% more in London, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Kindergarten costs $2,957 per month in London and $2,229 in Dartford. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,086 in London and $2,939 in Dartford. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Dartford – 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 Dartford. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.