Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Folkestone

For one person, living is cheaper in Folkestone: $1,977 a month against $4,049 in London, rent and utilities included – about $24,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

195

Cost of Living Index in London
Learn more

London Living Index
95

Cost of Living Index in Folkestone
Learn more

Folkestone Living Index

Jump to prices

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,049

/mo nomad

Folkestone

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,977

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Folkestone

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

A single person spends $4,049 per month in London vs $1,977 in Folkestone, rent included.

London $4,049
Folkestone $1,977

A couple spends around $5,827 per month in London vs $3,052 in Folkestone, rent included.

London $5,827
Folkestone $3,052

A family of three spends $7,605 per month in London vs $4,128 in Folkestone, rent included.

London $7,605
Folkestone $4,128

London costs about 105% more than Folkestone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Folkestone sit above the global median – London by 199%, Folkestone by 46%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.09 £20.33

$17.37 £13.03

55.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 £78.3

$66.7 £50.1

56.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.86 £8.15

$10.54 £7.90

3.04%

Cappuccino

$5.60 £4.20

$4.74 £3.56

18.14%

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

$3.05 £2.29

$2.72 £2.04

12.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 £1.71

$1.84 £1.38

23.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.23 £6.92

$6.75 £5.06

36.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.95 £5.96

$6.45 £4.84

23.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.50 £1.13

22.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 £1.54

$1.33 £1.00

54.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 £1.86

$1.30 £0.98

90.00%

Eggs

$5.12 £3.84

$2.98 £2.23

71.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.89 £9.67

$9.60 £7.20

34.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.84 £8.14

$7.80 £5.85

38.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.03 £12.78

$14.76 £11.07

15.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 £2.30

$3.25 £2.44

-5.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.45 £1.09

-4.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 £2.24

$2.79 £2.09

7.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 £2.54

$3.26 £2.44

3.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 £1.20

$1.59 £1.20

0.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.41 £1.06

27.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.06

$1.69 £1.27

-16.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 £1.36

$1.48 £1.11

22.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.92 £17.94

$23.97 £17.98

-0.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.54 £10.16

$10.79 £8.09

25.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.23 £2.42

$2.78 £2.09

16.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 £3.29

$3.67 £2.75

19.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.92 £2.94

$2.71 £2.03

44.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$243 £182

$32.78 £24.59

640.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$1.32 £0.99

322.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.27 £2.46

$1.68 £1.26

94.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.4 £43.81

$21.69 £16.28

169.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$1.98 £1.48

5.05%

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

$38.8K £29.1K

$38.4K £28.8K

1.19%

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

$40.6K £30.5K

0.05%

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

$380 £285

$253 £190

50.39%

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

$18.62 £13.97

$24.53 £18.40

-24.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.45 £30.35

$40.77 £30.58

-0.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.3 £45.95

$73.1 £54.8

-16.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.41 £16.07

$9.46 £7.10

126.32%

Cinema Ticket

$18.09 £13.57

$21.11 £15.84

-14.31%

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

$2,905 £2,180

$1,046 £785

177.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.5K £26.6K

$20.3K £15.2K

75.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.3

$69.4 £52.1

67.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.5 £40.89

$31.93 £23.95

70.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 £95.8

$77.6 £58.2

64.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$167 £125

$51.1 £38.30

226.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,852 £2,140

$1,130 £848

152.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,269 £1,702

$810 £607

180.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,250 £3,939

$1,479 £1,109

255.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,752 £2,815

$1,631 £1,224

130.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.5K £13.9K

$3,465 £2,600

434.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,100 £6,077

$3,474 £2,606

133.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,109 £3,833

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

4.91

-3.46%

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

Last update for London: October 19, 2026

Last update for Folkestone: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56%

Folkestone

$810 41% 64.3% $1.5K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$439 10.9%

Folkestone

$318 16.1% 27.6% $121

Eating Out

London

$400 9.9%

Folkestone

$292 14.8% 26.9% $108

Groceries & Markets

London

$353 8.7%

Folkestone

$285 14.4% 19.4% $68

Getting Around

London

$280 6.9%

Folkestone

$53 2.7% 81% $227

Clothing & Footwear

London

$209 5.2%

Folkestone

$103 5.2% 50.6% $106

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Folkestone

$115 5.8% 18.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,852 in London versus $1,130 in Folkestone. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $104 in London versus $67.0 in Folkestone. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $353 vs $285 – making Folkestone the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇬🇧 Folkestone

🕒 Local time

18:13 6:13 PM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

45,273

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Folkestone 100 km

From you

London
Folkestone

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 Folkestone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,049 in London, $1,977 in Folkestone – roughly 105% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,073 per month in London and $2,966 in Folkestone. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Folkestone, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $104 in London and $67.0 in Folkestone. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,049 in London and $1,977 in Folkestone. That's a gap of about 105%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Folkestone, where all-in costs run around $1,977, than in London at $4,049. In Folkestone it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,977 in Folkestone to $4,049 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Folkestone. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.