Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Guildford

For one person, living is cheaper in Guildford: $3,168 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 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
152

Cost of Living Index in Guildford
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Guildford Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

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Guildford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,168

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Guildford

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

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $3,168 in Guildford, rent included.

London $4,086
Guildford $3,168

A couple spends around $5,891 per month in London vs $4,474 in Guildford, rent included.

London $5,891
Guildford $4,474

A family of three spends $7,696 per month in London vs $5,779 in Guildford, rent included.

London $7,696
Guildford $5,779

London costs about 29% more than Guildford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Guildford sit above the global median – London by 200%, Guildford by 133%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.55 £19.98

$29.72 £22.37

-10.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £80.5

$93.3 £70.2

14.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 £8.12

$11.23 £8.45

-4.01%

Cappuccino

$5.71 £4.30

$5.04 £3.79

13.29%

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

$3.01 £2.26

$2.71 £2.04

11.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 £1.72

$1.56 £1.17

46.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.08 £6.84

$8.56 £6.44

6.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 £6.07

$6.84 £5.14

17.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 £1.43

$1.55 £1.16

22.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 £1.53

$1.33 £1.00

52.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 £1.84

$1.97 £1.48

24.37%

Eggs

$5.07 £3.82

$4.36 £3.28

16.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.71 £9.56

$13.56 £10.20

-6.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.61 £7.99

$10.24 £7.71

3.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.68 £13.31

$16.16 £12.16

9.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 £2.39

$3.54 £2.66

-10.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 £1.09

$2.12 £1.60

-31.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 £2.36

$3.73 £2.81

-16.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.41 £2.57

$5.43 £4.08

-37.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$1.93 £1.45

-13.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 £1.33

$1.44 £1.08

22.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 £1.08

$1.15 £0.86

24.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.41

$1.48 £1.12

26.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.91 £17.99

$24.07 £18.12

-0.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.48 £10.14

$11.95 £9.00

12.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 £2.32

$2.50 £1.88

23.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 £3.31

$3.06 £2.30

43.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.08 £3.07

$3.13 £2.36

30.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$252 £190

$94.2 £70.9

167.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 £4.32

$4.60 £3.47

24.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.35 £2.52

$2.02 £1.52

65.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.2 £43.07

$40.80 £30.70

40.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.57

$2.04 £1.53

1.96%

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

$38.0K £28.6K

$39.2K £29.5K

-3.00%

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

$40.4K £30.4K

$41.1K £30.9K

-1.72%

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

$387 £291

$398 £299

-2.70%

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

$18.57 £13.98

$20.59 £15.50

-9.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 £30.62

$46.34 £34.88

-12.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.6 £43.33

$51.7 £38.91

11.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 £14.87

$23.05 £17.35

-14.32%

Cinema Ticket

$18.33 £13.79

$10.51 £7.91

74.41%

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

$2,957 £2,225

$2,390 £1,799

23.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.9K £27.0K

$24.5K £18.4K

46.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$119 £89.4

$111 £83.4

7.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 £42.35

$66.8 £50.3

-15.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 £98.5

$118 £88.8

10.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 £124

$127 £95.7

29.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,811 £2,116

$1,946 £1,465

44.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,291 £1,724

$1,573 £1,184

45.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,185 £3,902

$2,908 £2,189

78.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,805 £2,864

$2,363 £1,778

61.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.7K £13.3K

$7,969 £5,998

121.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,405 £6,325

$6,803 £5,120

23.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,070 £3,816

$3,678 £2,768

37.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

5.13

-6.63%

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

Last update for London: October 26, 2026

Last update for Guildford: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.1%

Guildford

$1.6K 49.7% 31.3% $718

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$446 10.9%

Guildford

$465 14.7% 4.1% $18

Eating Out

London

$396 9.7%

Guildford

$405 12.8% 2.4% $9.4

Groceries & Markets

London

$356 8.7%

Guildford

$340 10.7% 4.3% $15

Getting Around

London

$291 7.1%

Guildford

$121 3.8% 58.3% $170

Clothing & Footwear

London

$212 5.2%

Guildford

$190 6% 10.2% $22

Sport & Entertainment

London

$94 2.3%

Guildford

$73 2.3% 22.8% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,811 in London versus $1,946 in Guildford. 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 38% higher in London. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London versus $93 in Guildford. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $356 vs $340 – making Guildford the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇬🇧 Guildford

🕒 Local time

20:28 8:28 PM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

66,773

💱 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 Guildford 43 km

From you

London
Guildford

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 Guildford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – London is pricier by about 29%, 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 $4,752 in Guildford. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guildford, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,946 there versus $2,811 in London.

Groceries cost about 4% more in London, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London and $93 in Guildford. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,086 in London and $3,168 in Guildford. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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