Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Ipswich

For one person, living is cheaper in Ipswich: $2,348 a month against $4,049 in London, rent and utilities included – about $20,400 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 Ipswich
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Ipswich Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,049

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Ipswich

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,348

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Ipswich

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,049 in London versus $2,348 in Ipswich.

London $4,049
Ipswich $2,348

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,827 in London versus $3,450 in Ipswich.

London $5,827
Ipswich $3,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,605 in London versus $4,551 in Ipswich.

London $7,605
Ipswich $4,551

Living in London is roughly 72% more expensive than in Ipswich, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 199% above, Ipswich 73% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.09 £20.33

$20.87 £15.66

29.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 £78.3

$106 £79.2

-1.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.86 £8.15

$10.54 £7.91

3.04%

Cappuccino

$5.60 £4.20

$5.50 £4.12

1.82%

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

$3.05 £2.29

$1.68 £1.26

81.55%

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

$6.83 £5.12

35.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.95 £5.96

$6.95 £5.22

14.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.76 £1.32

3.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 £1.54

$1.69 £1.27

21.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 £1.86

$1.65 £1.24

49.70%

Eggs

$5.12 £3.84

$4.31 £3.24

18.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.89 £9.67

$12.57 £9.43

2.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.84 £8.14

$8.81 £6.61

23.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.03 £12.78

$15.47 £11.61

10.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 £2.30

$3.08 £2.31

-0.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.47 £1.10

-6.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 £2.24

$2.78 £2.09

7.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 £2.54

$3.23 £2.42

4.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 £1.20

$1.69 £1.27

-5.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.43 £1.07

25.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.06

$1.46 £1.10

-3.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 £1.36

$1.46 £1.10

23.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.92 £17.94

$23.41 £17.56

2.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.54 £10.16

$10.87 £8.15

24.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.23 £2.42

$2.68 £2.01

20.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 £3.29

$3.68 £2.76

19.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.92 £2.94

$2.81 £2.11

39.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$243 £182

$87.7 £65.8

176.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$5.61 £4.21

-0.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.27 £2.46

$1.96 £1.47

66.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.4 £43.81

$33.41 £25.06

74.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$1.96 £1.47

6.12%

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

$38.8K £29.1K

$39.3K £29.5K

-1.11%

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

$40.6K £30.5K

$41.3K £31.0K

-1.66%

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

$380 £285

$375 £281

1.30%

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

$18.62 £13.97

$15.89 £11.92

17.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.45 £30.35

$40.34 £30.26

0.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.3 £45.95

$33.29 £24.97

83.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.41 £16.07

$7.97 £5.98

168.63%

Cinema Ticket

$18.09 £13.57

$17.76 £13.32

1.86%

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

$2,905 £2,180

$1,076 £807

169.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.5K £26.6K

$20.2K £15.1K

76.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.3

$68.5 £51.4

69.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.5 £40.89

$55.2 £41.39

-1.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 £95.8

$80.1 £60.1

59.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$167 £125

$69.2 £51.9

140.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,852 £2,140

$1,096 £822

160.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,269 £1,702

$972 £729

133.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,250 £3,939

$1,410 £1,058

272.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,752 £2,815

$1,540 £1,155

143.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.5K £13.9K

$5,009 £3,758

269.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,100 £6,077

$4,015 £3,012

101.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,109 £3,833

$2,990 £2,243

70.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

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

Last update for London: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ipswich: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56%

Ipswich

$972 41.4% 57.2% $1.3K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$439 10.9%

Ipswich

$431 18.4% 1.8% $7.7

Eating Out

London

$400 9.9%

Ipswich

$327 13.9% 18.3% $73

Groceries & Markets

London

$353 8.7%

Ipswich

$312 13.3% 11.8% $42

Getting Around

London

$280 6.9%

Ipswich

$114 4.9% 59.2% $166

Clothing & Footwear

London

$209 5.2%

Ipswich

$123 5.2% 41.3% $87

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Ipswich

$69 2.9% 29.4% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,852 in London and $1,096 in Ipswich. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 71% 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 $106 in Ipswich. Groceries flip the comparison at $353 vs $312, with Ipswich cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇬🇧 Ipswich

🕒 Local time

02:55 2:55 AM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

120,000

💱 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 Ipswich: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

London and Ipswich differ by about 72% in total monthly costs ($4,049 vs $2,348 including rent). Ipswich is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 71% 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 $1,096 in Ipswich. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ipswich runs roughly 177% less than in London. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,905 in London versus $1,076 in Ipswich. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,348 in Ipswich versus $4,049 in London, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Ipswich but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Ipswich 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 Ipswich 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 Ipswich gentler on the wallet – expenses run 72% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.