Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and El Calafate

For one person, living is cheaper in El Calafate: $963 a month against $4,048 in London, rent and utilities included – about $37,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

London, United Kingdom
El Calafate, Argentina
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$4,048
/mo nomad
El Calafate
🇦🇷 Argentina
$963
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in El Calafate

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,048 in London versus $963 in El Calafate.

  • London $4,048
  • El Calafate $963

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,903 in London versus $1,575 in El Calafate.

  • London $5,903
  • El Calafate $1,575

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,758 in London versus $2,187 in El Calafate.

  • London $7,758
  • El Calafate $2,187

Living in London is roughly 320% more expensive than in El Calafate, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: London is 199% above, El Calafate is 29% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
London
El Calafate
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.36 £19.68
$10.60 ARS 16.4K
148.68%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$109 £81.1
$33.41 ARS 51.6K
224.96%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.71 £8.00
$8.95 ARS 13.8K
19.66%
Cappuccino
$5.59 £4.17
$2.67 ARS 4,128
109.36%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 £2.24
$1.66 ARS 2,559
80.72%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 £1.66
$1.51 ARS 2,326
47.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.65 £7.20
$2.16 ARS 3,334
346.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.26 £6.16
$3.02 ARS 4,671
173.51%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
El Calafate
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.97 £1.47
$1.29 ARS 2,000
52.71%
White Bread (500g)
$2.09 £1.56
$1.58 ARS 2,444
32.28%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.59 £1.94
$2.02 ARS 3,127
28.22%
Eggs
$5.37 £4.01
$2.26 ARS 3,496
137.61%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.12 £9.79
$10.01 ARS 15.5K
31.07%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.03 £8.23
$6.14 ARS 9,485
79.64%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.73 £13.23
$9.31 ARS 14.4K
90.44%
Apples (1kg)
$3.17 £2.37
$2.02 ARS 3,126
56.93%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 £1.03
$2.12 ARS 3,276
-34.91%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.82 £2.11
$1.27 ARS 1,957
122.05%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.36 £2.51
$2.54 ARS 3,916
32.28%
Potato (1kg)
$1.70 £1.27
$1.14 ARS 1,768
49.12%
Onion (1kg)
$1.78 £1.33
$1.20 ARS 1,848
48.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.49 £1.11
$1.28 ARS 1,972
16.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 £1.36
$1.42 ARS 2,195
28.17%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.85 £17.80
$3.10 ARS 4,780
669.35%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.44 £10.03
$4.91 ARS 7,590
173.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.11 £2.32
$2.05 ARS 3,159
51.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.49 £3.35
$3.09 ARS 4,772
45.31%
🚌 Getting Around
London
El Calafate
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.13 £3.08
$0.78 ARS 1,209
429.49%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$266 £199
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.98 £4.46
$1.46 ARS 2,250
309.59%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.39 £2.53
$0.85 ARS 1,314
298.82%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$56.6 £42.21
$5.96 ARS 9,203
848.83%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.21 £1.65
$1.10 ARS 1,701
100.91%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.3K £28.6K
$27.6K ARS 42.6M
38.80%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.0K £30.6K
$30.1K ARS 46.5M
36.32%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
El Calafate
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$372 £278
$67.8 ARS 104.8K
448.88%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.66 £13.93
$17.22 ARS 26.6K
8.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.53 £30.26
$22.89 ARS 35.4K
77.06%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
El Calafate
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.0 £41.82
$25.68 ARS 39.7K
118.15%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.10 £12.76
$13.86 ARS 21.4K
23.38%
Cinema Ticket
$17.95 £13.40
$6.31 ARS 9,747
184.47%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
El Calafate
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,946 £2,199
$224 ARS 345.5K
1216.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$47.6K £35.5K
$2,674 ARS 4.1M
1680.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
El Calafate
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$116 £86.8
$73.4 ARS 113.4K
58.37%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$56.9 £42.47
$70.0 ARS 108.1K
-18.71%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$128 £95.5
$116 ARS 178.5K
10.67%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$154 £115
$113 ARS 174.4K
36.29%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
El Calafate
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,935 £2,191
$334 ARS 516.4K
777.96%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,258 £1,686
$238 ARS 367.7K
848.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,250 £3,919
$675 ARS 1.0M
677.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,859 £2,881
$539 ARS 833.2K
615.37%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$17.2K £12.8K
$1,877 ARS 2.9M
815.73%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,278 £6,179
$1,262 ARS 1.9M
555.93%
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
El Calafate
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,621 £4,196
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.78
58.5
-91.83%

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

Last update for London: November 1, 2026

Last update for El Calafate: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
London
$2.3K
El Calafate
$238 89.5% $2K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
$432
El Calafate
$108 75% $324
Eating Out
London
$396
El Calafate
$173 56.2% $223
Groceries & Markets
London
$360
El Calafate
$229 36.3% $131
Getting Around
London
$305
El Calafate
$8.8 * 97.1% $297
Clothing & Footwear
London
$205
El Calafate
$167 18.3% $37
Sport & Entertainment
London
$92
El Calafate
$38 58.3% $54

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,935 in London and $334 in El Calafate. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $109 in London vs $33 in El Calafate for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $360 vs $229 per month, with El Calafate cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇧 London
🇦🇷 El Calafate
🕒 Local time
23:26 11:26 PM
20:26 8:26 PM
3 h behind London
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,908,083 Capital
22,844
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1,544 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,726 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.79 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • London El Calafate 13,200 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • London
  • El Calafate

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 El Calafate: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in London and in El Calafate?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $4,048 in London and $963 in El Calafate, so El Calafate is about 76% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in London compared to El Calafate?
You’d need roughly $6,072 in London and $1,445 in El Calafate to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in London and in El Calafate?
Rent for a central apartment: $2,935 in London versus $334 in El Calafate. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between London and El Calafate?
Childcare runs $2,946 in London versus $224 in El Calafate. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in El Calafate – a meal for two runs $33 versus $109 in London. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
At $963 in El Calafate versus $4,048 in London, a $1,200 budget is realistic in El Calafate but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes El Calafate the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between London and El Calafate?
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.

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