Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Kinshasa

For one person, living is cheaper in Kinshasa: $1,725 a month against $4,048 in London, rent and utilities included – about $27,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Kinshasa
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Kinshasa Living Index

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Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,048

/mo nomad

Kinshasa

🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo

$1,725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Kinshasa

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

A single person spends $4,048 per month in London vs $1,725 in Kinshasa, rent included.

London $4,048
Kinshasa $1,725

A couple spends around $5,903 per month in London vs $3,030 in Kinshasa, rent included.

London $5,903
Kinshasa $3,030

A family of three spends $7,758 per month in London vs $4,335 in Kinshasa, rent included.

London $7,758
Kinshasa $4,335

London costs about 135% more than Kinshasa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Kinshasa sit above the global median – London by 199%, Kinshasa by 28%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.36 £19.59

$18.17 CDF 41.2K

45.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$109 £80.7

$83.5 CDF 189.3K

30.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £7.96

$14.70 CDF 33.3K

-27.14%

Cappuccino

$5.59 £4.15

$6.66 CDF 15.1K

-16.07%

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

$3.00 £2.23

$2.68 CDF 6,072

11.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 £1.65

$2.05 CDF 4,659

8.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.65 £7.17

$2.52 CDF 5,707

282.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.26 £6.14

$4.53 CDF 10.3K

82.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 £1.46

$3.33 CDF 7,556

-40.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 £1.55

$2.13 CDF 4,838

-1.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 £1.93

$3.10 CDF 7,033

-16.45%

Eggs

$5.37 £3.99

$3.90 CDF 8,846

37.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.12 £9.75

$9.39 CDF 21.3K

39.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.03 £8.20

$16.86 CDF 38.2K

-34.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.73 £13.18

$12.12 CDF 27.5K

46.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 £2.36

$3.50 CDF 7,932

-9.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 £1.03

$3.05 CDF 6,915

-54.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 £2.10

$4.46 CDF 10.1K

-36.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 £2.50

$4.04 CDF 9,159

-16.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 £1.26

$3.22 CDF 7,299

-47.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 £1.32

$3.14 CDF 7,116

-43.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 £1.11

$2.01 CDF 4,556

-25.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 £1.35

$1.46 CDF 3,310

24.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.85 £17.73

$4.44 CDF 10.1K

437.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.44 £9.99

$15.72 CDF 35.6K

-14.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 £2.31

$1.98 CDF 4,497

57.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 £3.34

$4.24 CDF 9,612

5.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.13 £3.07

$0.51 CDF 1,159

709.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$266 £198

$21.76 CDF 49.3K

1122.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.98 £4.45

$5.36 CDF 12.2K

11.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.39 £2.52

$1.25 CDF 2,826

171.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.6 £42.03

$5.11 CDF 11.6K

1006.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 £1.64

$1.77 CDF 4,016

24.86%

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

$38.3K £28.4K

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

$41.0K £30.5K

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

$372 £277

$86.0 CDF 195.1K

332.78%

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

$18.66 £13.87

$27.61 CDF 62.6K

-32.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.53 £30.13

$70.8 CDF 160.5K

-42.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.0 £41.63

$79.9 CDF 181.0K

-29.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.10 £12.71

$21.65 CDF 49.1K

-21.02%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.34

$14.90 CDF 33.8K

20.47%

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

$2,946 £2,189

$564 CDF 1.3M

422.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$47.6K £35.4K

$16.7K CDF 38.0M

184.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £86.4

$44.15 CDF 100.1K

163.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.9 £42.29

$38.45 CDF 87.2K

47.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 £95.1

$115 CDF 260.6K

11.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 £114

$125 CDF 283.0K

23.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,935 £2,182

$1,679 CDF 3.8M

74.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,258 £1,678

$544 CDF 1.2M

315.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,250 £3,902

$4,160 CDF 9.4M

26.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,859 £2,868

$1,525 CDF 3.5M

153.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.2K £12.8K

$4,997 CDF 11.3M

243.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,278 £6,153

$1,237 CDF 2.8M

569.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,621 £4,177

$350 CDF 794.0K

1504.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.78

-65.86%

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

Last update for London: November 1, 2026

Last update for Kinshasa: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 55.8%

Kinshasa

$544 31.5% 75.9% $1.7K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$432 10.7%

Kinshasa

$184 10.7% 57.3% $247

Eating Out

London

$396 9.8%

Kinshasa

$310 18% 21.7% $86

Groceries & Markets

London

$360 8.9%

Kinshasa

$397 23% 10.1% $36

Getting Around

London

$305 7.6%

Kinshasa

$35 2.1% 88.4% $270

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Kinshasa

$145 8.4% 29.1% $60

Sport & Entertainment

London

$92 2.3%

Kinshasa

$110 6.4% 19.3% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,935 in London versus $1,679 in Kinshasa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in London are about 16 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $109 in London versus $83 in Kinshasa. Groceries tell a different story – $360 in London vs $397 in Kinshasa – so London wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇨🇩 Kinshasa

🕒 Local time

18:08 6:08 PM

19:08 7:08 PM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

17,032,322 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Congolese Franc CDF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

10,000 CDF = 4.41 USD

10,000 CDF = 3.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CDF, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.743 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.835 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Congolese Franc exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 2,267 CDF (10,000 CDF = 4.41 USD). 1 EUR = 2,547 CDF (10,000 CDF = 3.93 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

London Kinshasa 6,380 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

London
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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 Kinshasa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,048 in London, $1,725 in Kinshasa – Kinshasa comes out roughly 57% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,072 per month in London and $2,588 in Kinshasa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kinshasa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,679 there versus $2,935 in London.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $109 in London and $83 in Kinshasa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,048 in London and $1,725 in Kinshasa. That makes Kinshasa about 57% cheaper.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Kinshasa, where all-in costs run around $1,725, than in London at $4,048. In Kinshasa it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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