Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Harlow

For one person, living is cheaper in Harlow: $2,330 a month against $4,049 in London, rent and utilities included – about $20,600 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
113

Cost of Living Index in Harlow
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Harlow Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,049

/mo nomad

Harlow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,330

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Harlow

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,049 in London versus $2,330 in Harlow.

London $4,049
Harlow $2,330

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,827 in London versus $3,407 in Harlow.

London $5,827
Harlow $3,407

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,605 in London versus $4,483 in Harlow.

London $7,605
Harlow $4,483

Living in London is roughly 74% more expensive than in Harlow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 199% above, Harlow 72% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.09 £20.33

$21.01 £15.76

28.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 £78.3

$91.7 £68.8

13.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.86 £8.15

$10.47 £7.86

3.72%

Cappuccino

$5.60 £4.20

$5.47 £4.11

2.38%

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

$3.05 £2.29

$2.63 £1.97

15.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 £1.71

$1.85 £1.39

23.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.23 £6.92

$6.81 £5.11

35.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.95 £5.96

$6.87 £5.15

15.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.30 £0.98

40.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 £1.54

$1.41 £1.06

45.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 £1.86

$1.11 £0.84

122.52%

Eggs

$5.12 £3.84

$2.38 £1.79

115.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.89 £9.67

$6.83 £5.12

88.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.84 £8.14

$6.05 £4.54

79.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.03 £12.78

$6.45 £4.84

164.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 £2.30

$2.05 £1.54

49.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.23 £0.92

12.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 £2.24

$1.15 £0.87

160.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 £2.54

$2.02 £1.52

67.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 £1.20

$1.63 £1.22

-1.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.34 £1.01

34.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.06

$1.34 £1.01

5.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 £1.36

$1.43 £1.07

26.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.92 £17.94

$21.29 £15.97

12.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.54 £10.16

$9.33 £7.00

45.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.23 £2.42

$2.70 £2.02

19.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 £3.29

$2.04 £1.53

115.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.92 £2.94

$2.73 £2.04

43.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$243 £182

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$5.84 £4.38

-4.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.27 £2.46

$1.68 £1.26

94.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.4 £43.81

$21.15 £15.87

176.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$1.92 £1.44

8.33%

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

$38.8K £29.1K

$39.0K £29.2K

-0.37%

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

$40.6K £30.5K

$40.1K £30.1K

1.17%

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

$380 £285

$226 £169

68.21%

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

$18.62 £13.97

$11.95 £8.97

55.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.45 £30.35

$28.54 £21.41

41.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.3 £45.95

$47.10 £35.34

30.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.41 £16.07

$8.06 £6.05

165.63%

Cinema Ticket

$18.09 £13.57

$12.56 £9.42

44.03%

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

$2,905 £2,180

$1,061 £796

173.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.5K £26.6K

$19.7K £14.8K

79.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.3

$68.8 £51.6

69.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.5 £40.89

$32.19 £24.15

69.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 £95.8

$77.0 £57.8

65.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$167 £125

$39.33 £29.51

324.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,852 £2,140

$1,403 £1,053

103.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,269 £1,702

$1,328 £996

70.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,250 £3,939

$2,276 £1,708

130.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,752 £2,815

$2,182 £1,637

71.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.5K £13.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,100 £6,077

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,109 £3,833

$3,013 £2,260

69.59%

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 Harlow: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56%

Harlow

$1.3K 57% 41.5% $941

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$439 10.9%

Harlow

$266 11.4% 39.3% $173

Eating Out

London

$400 9.9%

Harlow

$331 14.2% 17.3% $69

Groceries & Markets

London

$353 8.7%

Harlow

$210 9% 40.6% $144

Getting Around

London

$280 6.9%

Harlow

$25 * 1.1% 91% $255

Clothing & Footwear

London

$209 5.2%

Harlow

$98 4.2% 53.3% $112

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Harlow

$72 3.1% 25.9% $25

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 $2,852 in London and $1,403 in Harlow. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 70% 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: $104 in London vs $92.0 in Harlow for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $353 vs $210 per month, with Harlow cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇬🇧 Harlow

🕒 Local time

20:55 8:55 PM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

86,191

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

London Harlow 33 km

From you

London
Harlow

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 Harlow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

London and Harlow differ by about 74% in total monthly costs ($4,049 vs $2,330 including rent). Harlow is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 70% 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: $2,852 in London versus $1,403 in Harlow. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 68% higher in London. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $4,049 per month in London versus $2,330 in Harlow – a 74% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,330 in Harlow versus $4,049 in London, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Harlow but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Harlow the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, London and Harlow are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Harlow gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.