Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Mahabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Mahabad: $522 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $41,600 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Mahabad
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Mahabad Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Mahabad

🇮🇷 Iran

$522

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Mahabad

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

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $522 in Mahabad, rent included.

London $3,986
Mahabad $522

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $849 in Mahabad, rent included.

London $5,791
Mahabad $849

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $1,177 in Mahabad, rent included.

London $7,595
Mahabad $1,177

London costs about 664% more than Mahabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

London sits 195% above the global median, while Mahabad is 61% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$2.97 $2.97

773.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$17.06 $17.06

524.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$4.06 $4.06

163.79%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.80 $0.80

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 $1.08

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$1.13 $1.13

384.07%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$0.52 $0.52

471.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$0.94 $0.94

134.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$0.65 $0.65

186.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$0.51 $0.51

305.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$2.07 $2.07

16.91%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$1.18 $1.18

331.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$4.30 $4.30

199.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$3.21 $3.21

224.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$7.58 $7.58

122.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$1.00 $1.00

211.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.55 $1.55

-9.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$0.86 $0.86

258.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$0.61 $0.61

436.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$0.54 $0.54

192.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$0.47 $0.47

270.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$0.53 $0.53

164.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.26 $0.26

592.31%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.92 $0.92

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 $0.52

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 $1.34

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$2.14 $2.14

987.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$0.15 $0.15

2613.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

$8.76 $8.76

2716.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$0.44 $0.44

1168.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$0.29 $0.29

1058.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.57

$2.87 $2.87

1877.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$0.10 $0.10

2030.00%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$47.7K $47.7K

-19.99%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$47.6K $47.6K

-14.16%

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

$372 £279

$12.32 $12.32

2920.78%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$1.58 $1.58

1027.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$3.76 $3.76

973.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$18.63 $18.63

221.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

$11.75 $11.75

81.19%

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$1.97 $1.97

800.51%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$106 $106

2590.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$2,234 $2,234

1481.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$23.20 $23.20

391.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$28.48 $28.48

90.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$96.3 $96.3

29.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$71.4 $71.4

128.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$264 $264

986.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$211 $211

957.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,950

$728 $728

623.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,834

$408 $408

826.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

$1,131 $1,131

1521.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,019

$530 $530

1413.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,778

$253 $253

1891.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

24.3

-80.49%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Mahabad: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Mahabad

$211 40.5% 90.5% $2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Mahabad

$18 3.4% 95.9% $413

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Mahabad

$55 10.6% 85.7% $332

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Mahabad

$105 20.1% 70% $245

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Mahabad

$11 2.2% 96.1% $274

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Mahabad

$99 18.9% 51.8% $106

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Mahabad

$23 4.3% 76.3% $73

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,869 in London versus $264 in Mahabad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1892% higher in London, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London versus $17.00 in Mahabad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $105 – making Mahabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇮🇷 Mahabad

🕒 Local time

20:30 8:30 PM

23:00 11:00 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

208,541

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR 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).

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

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

London Mahabad 3,930 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

London
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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 Mahabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,986 in London, $522 in Mahabad – roughly 664% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $783 in Mahabad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 233% more in London, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London and $17.00 in Mahabad. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mahabad, where all-in costs run around $522, than in London at $3,986. In Mahabad 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 $522 in Mahabad 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 Mahabad. 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.