Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Leeds

For one person, living is cheaper in Leeds: $2,227 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $22,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

195

Cost of Living Index in London
Learn more

London Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Leeds
Learn more

Leeds Living Index

Jump to prices

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Leeds

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,227

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Leeds

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,086 in London versus $2,227 in Leeds.

London $4,086
Leeds $2,227

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,891 in London versus $3,308 in Leeds.

London $5,891
Leeds $3,308

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,696 in London versus $4,389 in Leeds.

London $7,696
Leeds $4,389

Living in London is roughly 83% more expensive than in Leeds, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 200% above, Leeds 64% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.55 £19.82

$20.04 £14.97

32.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$78.5 £58.6

36.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 £8.05

$9.35 £6.98

15.29%

Cappuccino

$5.71 £4.27

$5.04 £3.76

13.29%

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

$3.01 £2.25

$3.68 £2.75

-18.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 £1.71

$2.68 £2.00

-14.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.08 £6.78

$7.46 £5.57

21.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 £6.02

$8.51 £6.35

-5.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 £1.42

$1.63 £1.21

16.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 £1.51

$1.51 £1.13

34.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 £1.83

$2.84 £2.12

-13.73%

Eggs

$5.07 £3.79

$4.12 £3.07

23.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.71 £9.49

$10.84 £8.10

17.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.61 £7.92

$9.01 £6.73

17.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.68 £13.20

$15.99 £11.94

10.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 £2.37

$3.18 £2.37

-0.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 £1.08

$1.95 £1.45

-25.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 £2.34

$2.79 £2.08

12.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.41 £2.55

$3.49 £2.61

-2.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.25

$1.68 £1.25

-0.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 £1.32

$1.67 £1.24

5.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 £1.07

$1.35 £1.01

5.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.39

$1.62 £1.21

15.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.91 £17.85

$20.04 £14.96

19.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.48 £10.06

$10.72 £8.00

25.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 £2.30

$2.83 £2.11

8.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 £3.28

$2.95 £2.20

48.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.08 £3.04

$3.43 £2.56

18.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$252 £188

$123 £92.0

104.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 £4.29

$3.23 £2.41

77.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.35 £2.50

$2.08 £1.55

61.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.2 £42.73

$18.08 £13.50

216.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$2.05 £1.53

1.46%

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

$38.0K £28.4K

$38.7K £28.9K

-1.89%

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

$40.4K £30.2K

$40.9K £30.6K

-1.26%

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

$387 £289

$241 £180

60.39%

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

$18.57 £13.87

$16.77 £12.52

10.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 £30.38

$40.57 £30.29

0.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.6 £42.99

$36.86 £27.52

56.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 £14.75

$24.28 £18.13

-18.66%

Cinema Ticket

$18.33 £13.68

$13.89 £10.37

31.97%

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

$2,957 £2,208

$1,907 £1,424

55.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.9K £26.8K

$22.1K £16.5K

62.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$119 £88.7

$89.5 £66.8

32.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 £42.01

$46.78 £34.93

20.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 £97.7

$88.5 £66.1

47.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 £123

$88.5 £66.0

86.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,811 £2,099

$1,248 £932

125.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,291 £1,711

$928 £693

146.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,185 £3,871

$2,140 £1,598

142.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,805 £2,841

$1,519 £1,134

150.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.7K £13.2K

$3,906 £2,917

352.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,405 £6,275

$3,268 £2,440

157.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,070 £3,786

$3,278 £2,448

54.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

4.99

-4.01%

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

Last update for London: October 26, 2026

Last update for Leeds: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.1%

Leeds

$928 41.7% 59.5% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$446 10.9%

Leeds

$299 13.4% 33.1% $148

Eating Out

London

$396 9.7%

Leeds

$329 14.8% 17% $68

Groceries & Markets

London

$356 8.7%

Leeds

$316 14.2% 11.2% $40

Getting Around

London

$291 7.1%

Leeds

$151 6.8% 48.3% $140

Clothing & Footwear

London

$212 5.2%

Leeds

$141 6.3% 33.4% $71

Sport & Entertainment

London

$94 2.3%

Leeds

$65 2.9% 31.4% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,811 in London and $1,248 in Leeds. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 55% 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: $107 in London vs $79 in Leeds for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $356 vs $316 per month, with Leeds cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇬🇧 Leeds

🕒 Local time

10:15 10:15 AM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

766,399

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Leeds 270 km

From you

London
Leeds

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 Leeds: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Leeds wins on cost – living expenses run 45% lower than in London. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Leeds the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 55% 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: $2,811 in London versus $1,248 in Leeds. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $4,086 per month in London versus $2,227 in Leeds – Leeds is about 45% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Leeds runs roughly 51% less than in London. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Leeds is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Leeds delivers better value at $2,227 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Leeds hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Leeds gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.