Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Mardan

For one person, living is cheaper in Mardan: $492 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $41,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,986
/mo nomad
Mardan
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$492
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Mardan

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

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $492 in Mardan, rent included.

  • London $3,986
  • Mardan $492

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $768 in Mardan, rent included.

  • London $5,791
  • Mardan $768

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $1,045 in Mardan, rent included.

  • London $7,595
  • Mardan $1,045

London costs about 711% more than Mardan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

London sits 195% above the global median, while Mardan is 64% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
London
Mardan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$25.93 £19.45
$3.54 PKR 980
632.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$107 £79.9
$23.75 PKR 6,572
348.42%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.71 £8.03
$5.44 PKR 1,506
96.88%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.70 PKR 1,023
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$6.81 PKR 1,885
-
Cappuccino
$5.47 £4.11
$2.72 PKR 753
101.10%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 £2.23
$0.32 PKR 89.6
828.13%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.20 £1.65
$0.23 PKR 63.8
856.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.13 £6.85
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.94 £5.96
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
Mardan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.86 £1.40
$0.91 PKR 252
104.40%
White Bread (500g)
$2.07 £1.55
$0.72 PKR 199
187.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.42 £1.81
$1.28 PKR 354
89.06%
Eggs
$5.09 £3.82
$1.16 PKR 320
338.79%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.87 £9.66
$2.82 PKR 781
356.38%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.43 £7.82
$3.14 PKR 870
232.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.87 £12.66
$3.89 PKR 1,076
333.68%
Apples (1kg)
$3.11 £2.33
$0.93 PKR 258
234.41%
Banana (1kg)
$1.40 £1.05
$0.71 PKR 196
97.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.08 £2.31
$1.07 PKR 296
187.85%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.27 £2.45
$0.38 PKR 104
760.53%
Potato (1kg)
$1.58 £1.19
$0.27 PKR 73.8
485.19%
Onion (1kg)
$1.74 £1.31
$0.36 PKR 99.1
383.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.40 £1.05
$0.28 PKR 77.1
400.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.80 £1.35
$0.37 PKR 103
386.49%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$1.79 PKR 495
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.20 PKR 332
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.35 PKR 651
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.28 £17.46
$1.83 PKR 507
1172.13%
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
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
London
Mardan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.07 £3.05
$0.16 PKR 43.24
2443.75%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$247 £185
$10.19 PKR 2,821
2321.59%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.58 £4.18
$1.25 PKR 346
346.40%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.36 £2.52
$0.69 PKR 192
386.96%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$56.8 £42.58
$1.58 PKR 436
3491.77%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.13 £1.60
$1.06 PKR 292
100.94%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.2K £28.6K
$21.8K PKR 6.0M
75.46%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.9K £30.7K
$24.6K PKR 6.8M
66.18%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
Mardan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$372 £279
$101 PKR 27.9K
269.76%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.82 £13.37
$5.88 PKR 1,628
203.06%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.37 £30.29
$16.89 PKR 4,674
139.02%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
Mardan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.0 £44.99
$16.54 PKR 4,578
262.58%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.29 £15.97
$7.15 PKR 1,978
197.76%
Cinema Ticket
$17.74 £13.31
$4.42 PKR 1,224
301.36%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
Mardan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,864 £2,149
$75.8 PKR 21.0K
3680.36%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$35.3K £26.5K
$1,028 PKR 284.5K
3336.44%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
Mardan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$114 £85.5
$25.76 PKR 7,131
342.62%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.3 £40.71
$34.46 PKR 9,537
57.49%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$124 £93.2
$94.6 PKR 26.2K
31.35%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$163 £122
$40.80 PKR 11.3K
299.66%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
Mardan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,869 £2,152
$127 PKR 35.0K
2167.77%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,233 £1,675
$75.6 PKR 20.9K
2852.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,266 £3,951
$253 PKR 69.9K
1984.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,778 £2,835
$149 PKR 41.3K
2429.67%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$18.3K £13.8K
$830 PKR 229.7K
2109.24%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,024 £6,020
$443 PKR 122.7K
1709.99%
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
Mardan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,037 £3,779
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.74
13.08
-63.76%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Mardan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
London
$2.2K
Mardan
$76 96.6% $2.2K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
$430
Mardan
$123 71.3% $307
Eating Out
London
$388
Mardan
$80 79.5% $308
Groceries & Markets
London
$349
Mardan
$84 75.9% $265
Getting Around
London
$285
Mardan
$16 94.6% $270
Clothing & Footwear
London
$205
Mardan
$88 57.1% $117
Sport & Entertainment
London
$95
Mardan
$25 73.4% $70

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,869 in London versus $127 in Mardan. 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 $24.00 in Mardan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $84.0 – making Mardan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 London
🇵🇰 Mardan
🕒 Local time
04:34 4:34 AM
08:34 8:34 AM
4 h ahead of London
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,908,083 Capital
358,604
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • London Mardan 5,930 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • London
  • Mardan

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 Mardan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in London and in Mardan compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $3,986 in London, $492 in Mardan – roughly 711% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in London compared to Mardan?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $737 in Mardan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between London and Mardan?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Mardan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 316% more in London, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London and $24.00 in Mardan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mardan, where all-in costs run around $492, than in London at $3,986. In Mardan it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between London and Mardan?
It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $492 in Mardan to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How do I decide between London and Mardan?
If budget matters most, go with Mardan. 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.

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