Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Lerwick

For one person, living is cheaper in Lerwick: $2,368 a month against $4,049 in London, rent and utilities included – about $20,200 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
114

Cost of Living Index in Lerwick
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Lerwick Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,049

/mo nomad

Lerwick

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,368

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Lerwick

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,049 in London versus $2,368 in Lerwick.

London $4,049
Lerwick $2,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,827 in London versus $3,415 in Lerwick.

London $5,827
Lerwick $3,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,605 in London versus $4,462 in Lerwick.

London $7,605
Lerwick $4,462

Living in London is roughly 71% more expensive than in Lerwick, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 199% above, Lerwick 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.09 £20.33

$20.15 £15.11

34.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 £78.3

$98.5 £73.9

5.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.86 £8.15

$10.35 £7.76

4.93%

Cappuccino

$5.60 £4.20

$5.40 £4.05

3.70%

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

$3.05 £2.29

$2.25 £1.69

35.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 £1.71

$1.64 £1.23

39.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.23 £6.92

$6.45 £4.84

43.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.95 £5.96

$5.86 £4.40

35.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.55 £1.16

18.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 £1.54

$1.69 £1.27

21.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 £1.86

$2.21 £1.66

11.76%

Eggs

$5.12 £3.84

$4.02 £3.02

27.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.89 £9.67

$9.37 £7.03

37.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.84 £8.14

$8.57 £6.43

26.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.03 £12.78

$14.44 £10.84

17.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 £2.30

$3.03 £2.27

1.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.51 £1.13

-8.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 £2.24

$2.76 £2.07

8.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 £2.54

$3.28 £2.46

3.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 £1.20

$1.83 £1.37

-12.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.71 £1.28

5.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.06

$1.26 £0.95

11.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 £1.36

$1.55 £1.16

16.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.92 £17.94

$24.02 £18.02

-0.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.54 £10.16

$10.48 £7.86

29.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.23 £2.42

$3.00 £2.25

7.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 £3.29

$3.27 £2.46

34.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.92 £2.94

$3.07 £2.30

27.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$243 £182

$83.1 £62.3

192.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$4.23 £3.18

31.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.27 £2.46

$2.35 £1.76

39.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.4 £43.81

$24.03 £18.03

143.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$2.34 £1.75

-11.11%

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

$38.8K £29.1K

$38.9K £29.2K

-0.11%

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

$40.6K £30.5K

$34.5K £25.9K

17.82%

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

$380 £285

$309 £232

22.79%

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

$18.62 £13.97

$19.33 £14.50

-3.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.45 £30.35

$45.26 £33.95

-10.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.3 £45.95

$52.8 £39.61

16.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.41 £16.07

Cinema Ticket

$18.09 £13.57

$13.32 £9.99

35.81%

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

$2,905 £2,180

$1,392 £1,045

108.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.5K £26.6K

$24.5K £18.4K

45.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.3

$88.7 £66.5

31.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.5 £40.89

$50.6 £37.93

7.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 £95.8

$89.1 £66.8

43.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$167 £125

$110 £82.8

51.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,852 £2,140

$1,112 £834

156.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,269 £1,702

$1,036 £777

119.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,250 £3,939

$2,395 £1,797

119.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,752 £2,815

$1,523 £1,143

146.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.5K £13.9K

$4,646 £3,486

298.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,100 £6,077

$3,438 £2,579

135.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,109 £3,833

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

5.09

-6.88%

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

Last update for London: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lerwick: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56%

Lerwick

$1K 43.7% 54.4% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$439 10.9%

Lerwick

$374 15.8% 14.8% $65

Eating Out

London

$400 9.9%

Lerwick

$317 13.4% 20.8% $83

Groceries & Markets

London

$353 8.7%

Lerwick

$298 12.6% 15.6% $55

Getting Around

London

$280 6.9%

Lerwick

$111 4.7% 60.3% $169

Clothing & Footwear

London

$209 5.2%

Lerwick

$152 6.4% 27.2% $57

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Lerwick

$79 3.4% 18.5% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,852 in London and $1,112 in Lerwick. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $104 in London vs $99.0 in Lerwick for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $353 vs $298 per month, with Lerwick cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇬🇧 Lerwick

🕒 Local time

17:23 5:23 PM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

7,000

💱 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

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

London Lerwick 960 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

London
Lerwick

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 Lerwick: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lerwick is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. The 71% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $6,073 in London and $3,552 in Lerwick to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,852 in London versus $1,112 in Lerwick. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $4,049 per month in London versus $2,368 in Lerwick – a 71% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Lerwick runs roughly 192% less than in London. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,368 in Lerwick versus $4,049 in London, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Lerwick but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Lerwick the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Lerwick is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in London, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, London and Lerwick 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 Lerwick gentler on the wallet – expenses run 71% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.