Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Exeter

For one person, living is cheaper in Exeter: $2,571 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $18,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

195

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Exeter
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Exeter Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Exeter

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,571

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Exeter

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,086 in London versus $2,571 in Exeter.

London $4,086
Exeter $2,571

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,891 in London versus $3,846 in Exeter.

London $5,891
Exeter $3,846

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,696 in London versus $5,121 in Exeter.

London $7,696
Exeter $5,121

Living in London is roughly 59% more expensive than in Exeter, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 200% above, Exeter 89% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.55 £19.98

$19.92 £15.00

33.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £80.5

$97.8 £73.6

9.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 £8.12

$9.57 £7.21

12.64%

Cappuccino

$5.71 £4.30

$4.96 £3.73

15.12%

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

$3.01 £2.26

$3.17 £2.38

-5.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 £1.72

$2.51 £1.89

-8.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.08 £6.84

$7.45 £5.61

21.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 £6.07

$6.16 £4.63

31.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 £1.43

$1.52 £1.15

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 £1.53

$1.68 £1.26

20.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 £1.84

$1.78 £1.34

37.64%

Eggs

$5.07 £3.82

$4.30 £3.23

17.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.71 £9.56

$8.70 £6.55

46.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.61 £7.99

$8.71 £6.56

21.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.68 £13.31

$23.73 £17.86

-25.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 £2.39

$3.12 £2.35

1.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 £1.09

$1.43 £1.07

1.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 £2.36

$2.32 £1.75

34.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.41 £2.57

$3.19 £2.40

6.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$2.27 £1.71

-26.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 £1.33

$1.97 £1.48

-10.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 £1.08

$1.61 £1.21

-11.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.41

$1.95 £1.47

-4.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.91 £17.99

$23.49 £17.68

1.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.48 £10.14

$9.54 £7.18

41.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 £2.32

$3.74 £2.82

-17.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 £3.31

$4.42 £3.33

-0.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.08 £3.07

$3.92 £2.95

4.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$252 £190

$112 £84.3

125.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 £4.32

$5.75 £4.32

-0.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.35 £2.52

$2.53 £1.91

32.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.2 £43.07

$23.92 £18.00

139.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.57

$2.04 £1.54

1.96%

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

$38.0K £28.6K

$38.7K £29.1K

-1.82%

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

$40.4K £30.4K

$40.1K £30.2K

0.64%

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

$387 £291

$469 £353

-17.42%

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

$18.57 £13.98

$15.97 £12.02

16.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 £30.62

$47.00 £35.37

-13.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.6 £43.33

$39.72 £29.89

44.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 £14.87

$13.18 £9.92

49.85%

Cinema Ticket

$18.33 £13.79

$12.62 £9.50

45.25%

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

$2,957 £2,225

$2,180 £1,641

35.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.9K £27.0K

$17.6K £13.3K

103.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$119 £89.4

$68.0 £51.2

74.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 £42.35

$31.16 £23.45

80.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 £98.5

$105 £79.3

24.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 £124

$74.2 £55.9

121.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,811 £2,116

$1,381 £1,039

103.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,291 £1,724

$1,050 £790

118.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,185 £3,902

$2,160 £1,626

140.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,805 £2,864

$1,946 £1,465

95.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.7K £13.3K

$5,743 £4,322

207.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,405 £6,325

$4,565 £3,436

84.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,070 £3,816

$3,062 £2,304

65.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

5.11

-6.26%

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

Last update for London: October 26, 2026

Last update for Exeter: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.1%

Exeter

$1K 40.8% 54.2% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$446 10.9%

Exeter

$532 20.7% 19.1% $85

Eating Out

London

$396 9.7%

Exeter

$320 12.4% 19.2% $76

Groceries & Markets

London

$356 8.7%

Exeter

$334 13% 6.1% $22

Getting Around

London

$291 7.1%

Exeter

$146 5.7% 49.8% $145

Clothing & Footwear

London

$212 5.2%

Exeter

$125 4.9% 40.8% $86

Sport & Entertainment

London

$94 2.3%

Exeter

$65 2.5% 31.1% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,811 in London and $1,381 in Exeter. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 66% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $107 in London vs $98 in Exeter for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $356 vs $334 per month, with Exeter cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇬🇧 Exeter

🕒 Local time

17:41 5:41 PM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

130,800

💱 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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Between locations

London Exeter 250 km

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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 Exeter: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

London and Exeter differ by about 59% in total monthly costs ($4,086 vs $2,571 including rent). Exeter is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 66% 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: $2,811 in London versus $1,381 in Exeter. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Exeter – a meal for two runs $98 versus $107 in London. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $4,086 per month in London versus $2,571 in Exeter – a 59% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,571 in Exeter versus $4,086 in London, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Exeter but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Exeter the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Exeter is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in London, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Exeter gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.