Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Farnborough

For one person, living is cheaper in Farnborough: $2,337 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $19,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Farnborough
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Farnborough Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Farnborough

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,337

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Farnborough

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,986 in London versus $2,337 in Farnborough.

London $3,986
Farnborough $2,337

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,791 in London versus $3,581 in Farnborough.

London $5,791
Farnborough $3,581

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,595 in London versus $4,826 in Farnborough.

London $7,595
Farnborough $4,826

Living in London is roughly 71% more expensive than in Farnborough, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 195% above, Farnborough 73% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$19.86 £14.90

30.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$86.1 £64.6

23.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$9.21 £6.91

16.29%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$4.58 £3.44

19.43%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$2.63 £1.98

12.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$2.02 £1.52

8.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$7.15 £5.36

27.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$6.48 £4.86

22.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.43 £1.07

30.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.58 £1.18

31.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$3.71 £2.78

-34.77%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$3.32 £2.49

53.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$8.65 £6.49

48.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$8.21 £6.16

27.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$13.43 £10.07

25.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$1.69 £1.27

84.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.82 £1.37

-23.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$2.96 £2.22

4.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$2.93 £2.20

11.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.59 £1.20

-0.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.58 £1.19

10.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.01 £0.76

38.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.59 £0.44

205.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$22.40 £16.81

3.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$11.11 £8.33

17.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$2.63 £1.97

20.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$2.13 £1.60

107.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$2.57 £1.92

58.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$3.06 £2.29

82.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$1.53 £1.15

119.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$11.87 £8.90

378.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$1.87 £1.40

13.90%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$36.9K £27.7K

3.49%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$40.6K £30.4K

0.77%

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

$372 £279

$163 £122

128.99%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$15.11 £11.34

17.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$41.99 £31.50

-3.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$56.7 £42.55

5.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

$24.20 £18.15

-12.02%

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$9.31 £6.98

90.55%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$1,250 £938

129.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$19.7K £14.8K

79.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$90.5 £67.9

26.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$40.41 £30.31

34.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$101 £75.6

23.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$121 £90.9

34.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$1,623 £1,218

76.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$1,283 £963

74.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,951

$2,483 £1,863

112.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,835

$2,343 £1,758

61.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,020

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,779

$4,033 £3,026

24.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

5.16

-8.14%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Farnborough: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Farnborough

$1.3K 54.9% 42.5% $950

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Farnborough

$220 9.4% 49% $211

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Farnborough

$309 13.2% 20.3% $79

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Farnborough

$270 11.6% 22.8% $80

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Farnborough

$21 * 0.9% 92.7% $264

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Farnborough

$159 6.8% 22.6% $46

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Farnborough

$75 3.2% 21.1% $20

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 $2,869 in London and $1,623 in Farnborough. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 25% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $107 in London vs $86.0 in Farnborough for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $270 per month, with Farnborough cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇬🇧 Farnborough

🕒 Local time

00:47 12:47 AM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

60,652

💱 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

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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 Farnborough: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

London and Farnborough differ by about 71% in total monthly costs ($3,986 vs $2,337 including rent). Farnborough is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 25% 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: $2,869 in London versus $1,623 in Farnborough. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,864 in London versus $1,250 in Farnborough. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Farnborough – a meal for two runs $86.0 versus $107 in London. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Farnborough 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 Farnborough gentler on the wallet – expenses run 71% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.