Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Lincoln

For one person, living is cheaper in Lincoln: $2,203 a month against $4,049 in London, rent and utilities included – about $22,200 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
107

Cost of Living Index in Lincoln
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Lincoln Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,049

/mo nomad

Lincoln

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Lincoln

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,049 in London versus $2,203 in Lincoln.

London $4,049
Lincoln $2,203

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,827 in London versus $3,290 in Lincoln.

London $5,827
Lincoln $3,290

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,605 in London versus $4,376 in Lincoln.

London $7,605
Lincoln $4,376

Living in London is roughly 84% more expensive than in Lincoln, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 199% above, Lincoln 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.09 £20.33

$26.70 £20.03

1.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 £78.3

$85.8 £64.4

21.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.86 £8.15

$8.14 £6.11

33.42%

Cappuccino

$5.60 £4.20

$4.98 £3.74

12.45%

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

$3.05 £2.29

$2.64 £1.98

15.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 £1.71

$1.97 £1.48

15.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.23 £6.92

$6.70 £5.03

37.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.95 £5.96

$6.58 £4.94

20.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.40 £1.05

30.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 £1.54

$1.49 £1.12

37.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 £1.86

$1.34 £1.01

84.33%

Eggs

$5.12 £3.84

$3.36 £2.52

52.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.89 £9.67

$8.31 £6.23

55.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.84 £8.14

$8.59 £6.44

26.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.03 £12.78

$11.39 £8.54

49.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 £2.30

$3.48 £2.61

-11.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.20 £0.90

15.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 £2.24

$3.11 £2.33

-3.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 £2.54

$3.65 £2.74

-7.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 £1.20

$1.47 £1.10

8.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.16 £0.87

55.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.06

$1.04 £0.78

35.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 £1.36

$1.35 £1.02

34.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.92 £17.94

$23.57 £17.68

1.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.54 £10.16

$10.50 £7.88

28.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.23 £2.42

$3.18 £2.39

1.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 £3.29

$3.59 £2.69

22.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.92 £2.94

$4.15 £3.12

-5.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$243 £182

$107 £80.3

126.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$3.88 £2.91

43.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.27 £2.46

$0.71 £0.54

360.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.4 £43.81

$19.84 £14.89

194.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$2.06 £1.54

0.97%

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

$38.8K £29.1K

$38.6K £28.9K

0.69%

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

$40.6K £30.5K

$40.4K £30.3K

0.64%

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

$380 £285

$304 £228

25.04%

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

$18.62 £13.97

$17.07 £12.81

9.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.45 £30.35

$40.02 £30.02

1.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.3 £45.95

$26.70 £20.03

129.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.41 £16.07

$21.35 £16.01

0.28%

Cinema Ticket

$18.09 £13.57

$15.55 £11.66

16.33%

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

$2,905 £2,180

$1,831 £1,373

58.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.5K £26.6K

$20.6K £15.5K

72.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.3

$115 £85.9

1.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.5 £40.89

$58.6 £43.98

-7.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 £95.8

$84.9 £63.7

50.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$167 £125

$99.3 £74.5

68.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,852 £2,140

$1,078 £809

164.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,269 £1,702

$854 £640

165.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,250 £3,939

$1,936 £1,453

171.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,752 £2,815

$1,426 £1,070

163.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.5K £13.9K

$2,503 £1,878

639.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,100 £6,077

$1,220 £916

563.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,109 £3,833

$3,307 £2,481

54.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

4.88

-2.87%

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

Last update for London: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lincoln: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56%

Lincoln

$854 38.7% 62.4% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$439 10.9%

Lincoln

$361 16.4% 17.8% $78

Eating Out

London

$400 9.9%

Lincoln

$363 16.5% 9.3% $37

Groceries & Markets

London

$353 8.7%

Lincoln

$276 12.5% 21.8% $77

Getting Around

London

$280 6.9%

Lincoln

$131 6% 53.2% $149

Clothing & Footwear

London

$209 5.2%

Lincoln

$161 7.3% 23.2% $49

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Lincoln

$58 2.6% 40.7% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,852 in London and $1,078 in Lincoln. 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: $104 in London vs $86.0 in Lincoln for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $353 vs $276 per month, with Lincoln cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇬🇧 Lincoln

🕒 Local time

03:14 3:14 AM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

97,541

💱 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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Between locations

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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 Lincoln: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

London and Lincoln differ by about 84% in total monthly costs ($4,049 vs $2,203 including rent). Lincoln is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

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: $2,852 in London versus $1,078 in Lincoln. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lincoln – a meal for two runs $86.0 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 $2,203 in Lincoln – a 84% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,203 in Lincoln versus $4,049 in London, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lincoln but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln gentler on the wallet – expenses run 84% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.