Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Livingstone

For one person, living is cheaper in Livingstone: $202 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $46,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

196

Cost of Living Index in London
Learn more

London Living Index

Jump to prices

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Livingstone

🇿🇲 Zambia

$202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Livingstone

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

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $202 in Livingstone, rent included.

London $4,086
Livingstone $202

A couple spends around $5,816 per month in London vs $374 in Livingstone, rent included.

London $5,816
Livingstone $374

A family of three spends $7,546 per month in London vs $546 in Livingstone, rent included.

London $7,546
Livingstone $546

London costs about 1925% more than Livingstone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

London sits 205% above the global median, while Livingstone is 85% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.62 £20.11

$7.40 ZMW 147

259.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.3

$30.21 ZMW 599

256.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 £7.85

$9.09 ZMW 180

14.30%

Cappuccino

$5.79 £4.38

$5.00 ZMW 99.2

15.80%

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

$3.01 £2.27

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.63

$0.34 ZMW 6.68

532.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.35 £7.06

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 £5.93

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 £1.35

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 £1.56

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 £1.74

Eggs

$5.05 £3.82

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 £9.50

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 £8.05

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 £12.94

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.07

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.31

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.56

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.31

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.07

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.35

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.22 £17.55

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 £9.82

$20.26 ZMW 402

-35.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.40

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 £3.33

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 £2.93

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$250 £189

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 £4.31

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 £2.51

$2.51 ZMW 49.86

32.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.9 £43.76

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.54

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

$37.5K £28.4K

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

$40.9K £30.9K

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

$376 £284

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

$17.88 £13.51

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.01 £30.24

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 £46.22

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 £15.93

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.57

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

$2,865 £2,165

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.7

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 £40.87

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 £95.7

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 £120

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,853 £2,156

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 £1,739

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,201 £3,931

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,723 £2,813

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.0K £14.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,881 £5,955

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,818 £3,641

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

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

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Last update for Livingstone: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.5%

Livingstone

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$434 10.7%

Livingstone

–

Eating Out

London

$397 9.7%

Livingstone

–

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.6%

Livingstone

–

Getting Around

London

$288 7.1%

Livingstone

–

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5%

Livingstone

–

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Livingstone

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in London versus $30.00 in Livingstone. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $41.00 – making Livingstone the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇿🇲 Livingstone

🕒 Local time

11:35 11:35 AM

12:35 12:35 PM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

136,897

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

100 ZMW = 5.04 USD

100 ZMW = 4.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.847 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 19.83 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.04 USD). 1 EUR = 22.22 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.5 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Livingstone 8,120 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

London
Livingstone

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 Livingstone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,086 in London, $202 in Livingstone – roughly 1925% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,129 per month in London and $303 in Livingstone. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in London and $30.00 in Livingstone. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,086 in London and $202 in Livingstone. That's a gap of about 1925%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Livingstone, where all-in costs run around $202, than in London at $4,086. In Livingstone 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 $202 in Livingstone to $4,086 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Livingstone. 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.