Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Lija

For one person, living is cheaper in Lija: $1,972 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $24,200 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
101

Cost of Living Index in Lija
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Lija Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Lija

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,972

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Lija

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

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $1,972 in Lija, rent included.

London $3,986
Lija $1,972

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $3,209 in Lija, rent included.

London $5,791
Lija $3,209

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $4,446 in Lija, rent included.

London $7,595
Lija $4,446

London costs about 102% more than Lija, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Lija sit above the global median – London by 195%, Lija by 46%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$22.27 €19.81

16.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$91.0 €81.0

17.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$13.14 €11.69

-18.49%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$3.13 €2.79

74.76%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$2.42 €2.15

22.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$1.97 €1.75

11.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$5.45 €4.85

67.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$6.71 €5.97

18.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.33 €1.18

39.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.41 €1.25

46.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$3.46 €3.08

-30.06%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$4.22 €3.76

20.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$10.49 €9.33

22.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$12.19 €10.84

-14.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$18.21 €16.20

-7.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$3.86 €3.44

-19.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$2.74 €2.44

-48.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$3.83 €3.40

-19.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$3.69 €3.28

-11.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.92 €1.71

-17.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$3.42 €3.04

-49.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$2.19 €1.95

-36.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.54 €1.37

16.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$6.36 €5.66

266.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$6.11 €5.44

113.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$2.37 €2.11

33.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$2.28 €2.03

93.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$2.37 €2.11

71.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$3.95 €3.52

41.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$1.78 €1.58

88.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.57

$32.04 €28.50

77.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$1.52 €1.35

40.13%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$27.8K €24.7K

37.28%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$39.1K €34.8K

4.60%

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

$372 £279

$156 €138

139.16%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$31.66 €28.16

-43.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$28.94 €25.75

39.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$70.5 €62.7

-14.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$11.36 €10.11

56.16%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$279 €248

926.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$12.2K €10.9K

188.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$57.8 €51.4

97.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$68.0 €60.5

-20.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$111 €98.8

11.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$130 €116

25.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$1,106 €984

159.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$819 €728

172.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,950

$1,794 €1,595

193.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,834

$1,693 €1,506

123.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

$4,111 €3,657

345.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,019

$2,697 €2,399

197.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,778

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

4.05

17.04%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lija: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Lija

$819 41.5% 63.3% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Lija

$216 11% 49.8% $214

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Lija

$313 15.9% 19.1% $74

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Lija

$343 17.4% 1.8% $6.4

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Lija

$22 * 1.1% 92.2% $263

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Lija

$165 8.4% 19.4% $40

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Lija

$93 4.7% 2.4% $2.3

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,869 in London versus $1,106 in Lija. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London versus $91.0 in Lija. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $343 – making Lija the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇲🇹 Lija

🕒 Local time

21:19 9:19 PM

22:19 10:19 PM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

3,200

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Lija 2,090 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

London
Lija

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 Lija: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,986 in London, $1,972 in Lija – roughly 102% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $2,958 in Lija. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lija, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,986 in London and $1,972 in Lija. That's a gap of about 102%.

Kindergarten costs $2,864 per month in London and $279 in Lija. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lija, where all-in costs run around $1,972, than in London at $3,986. In Lija it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,972 in Lija to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Lija. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.