Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Kirkwall

For one person, living is cheaper in Kirkwall: $2,121 a month against $4,049 in London, rent and utilities included – about $23,100 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
103

Cost of Living Index in Kirkwall
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Kirkwall Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,049

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Kirkwall

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,121

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Kirkwall

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,049 in London versus $2,121 in Kirkwall.

London $4,049
Kirkwall $2,121

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,827 in London versus $3,026 in Kirkwall.

London $5,827
Kirkwall $3,026

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,605 in London versus $3,931 in Kirkwall.

London $7,605
Kirkwall $3,931

Living in London is roughly 91% more expensive than in Kirkwall, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 199% above, Kirkwall 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.09 £20.33

$23.63 £17.73

14.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 £78.3

$94.8 £71.1

10.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.86 £8.15

$10.57 £7.93

2.74%

Cappuccino

$5.60 £4.20

$3.92 £2.94

42.86%

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

$3.05 £2.29

$3.26 £2.44

-6.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 £1.71

$1.31 £0.98

74.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.23 £6.92

$6.20 £4.65

48.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.95 £5.96

$8.47 £6.36

-6.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 £1.37

$0.79 £0.59

131.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 £1.54

$1.58 £1.19

29.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 £1.86

$2.05 £1.54

20.49%

Eggs

$5.12 £3.84

$3.22 £2.42

59.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.89 £9.67

$6.59 £4.95

95.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.84 £8.14

$8.97 £6.73

20.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.03 £12.78

$15.90 £11.92

7.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 £2.30

$2.20 £1.65

39.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.97 £1.48

-29.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 £2.24

$1.57 £1.18

90.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 £2.54

$1.32 £0.99

156.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 £1.20

$1.11 £0.83

44.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.09 £0.82

65.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.06

$0.77 £0.58

83.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 £1.36

$1.08 £0.81

67.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.92 £17.94

$20.10 £15.08

19.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.54 £10.16

$9.18 £6.89

47.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.23 £2.42

$2.71 £2.03

19.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 £3.29

$2.88 £2.16

52.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.92 £2.94

$10.51 £7.89

-62.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$243 £182

$107 £80.4

126.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$5.19 £3.90

7.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.27 £2.46

$2.58 £1.93

26.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.4 £43.81

$27.06 £20.30

115.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$2.05 £1.54

1.46%

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

$38.8K £29.1K

$37.8K £28.4K

2.61%

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

$40.6K £30.5K

$41.2K £30.9K

-1.32%

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

$380 £285

$282 £212

34.54%

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

$18.62 £13.97

$30.12 £22.60

-38.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.45 £30.35

$33.04 £24.79

22.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.3 £45.95

$41.73 £31.31

46.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.41 £16.07

Cinema Ticket

$18.09 £13.57

$11.46 £8.60

57.85%

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

$2,905 £2,180

$1,237 £928

134.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.5K £26.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.3

$91.5 £68.7

27.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.5 £40.89

$43.72 £32.80

24.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 £95.8

$95.0 £71.3

34.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$167 £125

$138 £103

21.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,852 £2,140

$935 £701

205.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,269 £1,702

$792 £594

186.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,250 £3,939

$1,182 £887

343.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,752 £2,815

$966 £725

288.49%

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

$1,914 £1,436

166.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

5.07

-6.51%

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

Last update for London: October 19, 2026

Last update for Kirkwall: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56%

Kirkwall

$792 37.3% 65.1% $1.5K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$439 10.9%

Kirkwall

$346 16.3% 21.3% $93

Eating Out

London

$400 9.9%

Kirkwall

$334 15.8% 16.5% $66

Groceries & Markets

London

$353 8.7%

Kirkwall

$252 11.9% 28.7% $101

Getting Around

London

$280 6.9%

Kirkwall

$167 7.9% 40.3% $113

Clothing & Footwear

London

$209 5.2%

Kirkwall

$165 7.8% 21% $44

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Kirkwall

$65 3.1% 33.6% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,852 in London and $935 in Kirkwall. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 167% 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 $95.0 in Kirkwall for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $353 vs $252 per month, with Kirkwall cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇬🇧 Kirkwall

🕒 Local time

18:49 6:49 PM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

7,500

💱 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 Kirkwall 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

London
Kirkwall

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 Kirkwall: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

London and Kirkwall differ by about 91% in total monthly costs ($4,049 vs $2,121 including rent). Kirkwall is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 167% 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 $935 in Kirkwall. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kirkwall – a meal for two runs $95.0 versus $104 in London. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $4,049 per month in London versus $2,121 in Kirkwall – a 91% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,121 in Kirkwall versus $4,049 in London, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Kirkwall but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Kirkwall 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 Kirkwall 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 Kirkwall gentler on the wallet – expenses run 91% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.