Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Kingston upon Thames

For one person, living is cheaper in Kingston upon Thames: $3,276 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 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
161

Cost of Living Index in Kingston upon Thames
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Kingston upon Thames Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

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Kingston upon Thames

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,276

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Kingston upon Thames

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 Kingston upon Thames actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,986 in London versus $3,276 in Kingston upon Thames.

London $3,986
Kingston upon Thames $3,276

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,791 in London versus $4,746 in Kingston upon Thames.

London $5,791
Kingston upon Thames $4,746

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,595 in London versus $6,216 in Kingston upon Thames.

London $7,595
Kingston upon Thames $6,216

Living in London is roughly 22% more expensive than in Kingston upon Thames, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 195% above, Kingston upon Thames 143% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$22.10 £16.58

17.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$86.6 £65.0

22.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$10.42 £7.82

2.78%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$5.46 £4.09

0.18%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$3.00 £2.25

-1.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$1.80 £1.35

22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$9.20 £6.91

-0.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$7.91 £5.93

0.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.68 £1.26

10.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.73 £1.30

19.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$2.45 £1.84

-1.22%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$4.91 £3.68

3.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$8.46 £6.35

52.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$8.72 £6.54

19.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$12.99 £9.74

29.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$3.13 £2.35

-0.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.35 £1.01

3.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$2.61 £1.96

18.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$2.90 £2.18

12.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.67 £1.25

-5.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.71 £1.28

1.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.24 £0.93

12.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$9.31 £6.99

39.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$3.09 £2.32

2.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$4.45 £3.34

-0.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$2.37 £1.78

71.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

$42.49 £31.88

480.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$4.91 £3.69

13.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$1.43 £1.07

134.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$23.70 £17.78

139.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$1.98 £1.49

7.58%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$37.7K £28.3K

1.32%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$39.8K £29.9K

2.72%

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

$372 £279

$371 £278

0.43%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$15.63 £11.73

14.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$40.78 £30.60

-1.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$102 £76.8

-41.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

$10.49 £7.87

102.96%

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$19.46 £14.60

-8.84%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$2,594 £1,946

10.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$22.2K £16.6K

59.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$114 £85.7

-0.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$53.6 £40.19

1.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$78.1 £58.6

59.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$106 £79.7

53.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$2,035 £1,527

40.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$1,832 £1,374

21.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,951

$3,567 £2,676

47.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,835

$3,164 £2,374

19.41%

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

$5,303 £3,978

-5.02%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Kingston upon Thames: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Kingston upon Thames

$1.8K 55.9% 18% $401

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Kingston upon Thames

$427 13% 0.8% $3.4

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Kingston upon Thames

$355 10.8% 8.5% $33

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Kingston upon Thames

$298 9.1% 14.7% $51

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Kingston upon Thames

$64 2% 77.6% $221

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Kingston upon Thames

$158 4.8% 22.7% $47

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Kingston upon Thames

$141 4.3% 48.1% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,869 in London and $2,035 in Kingston upon Thames. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kingston upon Thames pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $107 in London vs $87.0 in Kingston upon Thames for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $298 per month, with Kingston upon Thames cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇬🇧 Kingston upon Thames

🕒 Local time

18:55 6:55 PM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

43,013

💱 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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Between locations

London Kingston upon Thames 16 km

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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 Kingston upon Thames: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

London and Kingston upon Thames differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($3,986 vs $3,276 including rent). Kingston upon Thames is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Kingston upon Thames. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,869 in London versus $2,035 in Kingston upon Thames. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kingston upon Thames runs roughly 481% less than in London. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,864 in London versus $2,594 in Kingston upon Thames. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Kingston upon Thames 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.

Safety-wise, London and Kingston upon Thames 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 Kingston upon Thames gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.