Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Medias

For one person, living is cheaper in Medias: $1,102 a month against $4,048 in London, rent and utilities included – about $35,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Medias
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Medias Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,048

/mo nomad

Medias

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,102

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Medias

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

A single person spends $4,048 per month in London vs $1,102 in Medias, rent included.

London $4,048
Medias $1,102

A couple spends around $5,903 per month in London vs $1,683 in Medias, rent included.

London $5,903
Medias $1,683

A family of three spends $7,758 per month in London vs $2,263 in Medias, rent included.

London $7,758
Medias $2,263

London costs about 267% more than Medias, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

London sits 199% above the global median, while Medias is 19% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.36 £19.59

$11.14 RON 53.0

136.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$109 £80.7

$51.8 RON 246

109.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £7.96

$7.35 RON 34.97

45.71%

Cappuccino

$5.59 £4.15

$3.70 RON 17.60

51.08%

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

$3.00 £2.23

$2.46 RON 11.69

21.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 £1.65

$2.25 RON 10.72

-1.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.65 £7.17

$3.20 RON 15.21

201.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.26 £6.14

$3.27 RON 15.57

152.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 £1.46

$1.23 RON 5.83

60.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 £1.55

$1.43 RON 6.78

46.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 £1.93

$1.73 RON 8.25

49.71%

Eggs

$5.37 £3.99

$3.59 RON 17.06

49.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.12 £9.75

$8.65 RON 41.16

51.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.03 £8.20

$6.69 RON 31.84

64.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.73 £13.18

$12.89 RON 61.3

37.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 £2.36

$1.48 RON 7.03

114.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.48 RON 7.05

-6.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 £2.10

$1.55 RON 7.36

81.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 £2.50

$2.58 RON 12.29

30.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 £1.26

$0.77 RON 3.67

120.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 £1.32

$0.75 RON 3.57

137.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 £1.11

$0.80 RON 3.78

86.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 £1.35

$0.75 RON 3.57

142.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.85 £17.73

$6.21 RON 29.52

284.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.44 £9.99

$7.54 RON 35.88

78.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 £2.31

$1.23 RON 5.83

152.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 £3.34

$1.80 RON 8.56

149.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.13 £3.07

$0.70 RON 3.32

490.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$266 £198

$23.96 RON 114

1010.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.98 £4.45

$0.66 RON 3.14

806.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.39 £2.52

$0.68 RON 3.23

398.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.6 £42.03

$6.60 RON 31.38

756.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 £1.64

$1.38 RON 6.57

60.14%

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

$38.3K £28.4K

$29.0K RON 138.0K

31.89%

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

$41.0K £30.5K

$25.2K RON 120.1K

62.49%

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

$372 £277

$180 RON 858

106.44%

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

$18.66 £13.87

$7.25 RON 34.50

157.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.53 £30.13

$9.26 RON 44.02

337.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.0 £41.63

$37.03 RON 176

51.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.10 £12.71

$20.31 RON 96.6

-15.81%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.34

$6.12 RON 29.12

193.30%

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

$2,946 £2,189

$438 RON 2,084

572.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$47.6K £35.4K

$7,770 RON 37.0K

512.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £86.4

$52.3 RON 249

122.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.9 £42.29

$35.51 RON 169

60.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 £95.1

$73.5 RON 350

74.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 £114

$90.8 RON 432

69.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,935 £2,182

$389 RON 1,852

654.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,258 £1,678

$292 RON 1,390

672.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,250 £3,902

$602 RON 2,865

771.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,859 £2,868

$453 RON 2,154

752.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.2K £12.8K

$2,039 RON 9,698

742.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,278 £6,153

$1,480 RON 7,042

459.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,621 £4,177

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.78

7.23

-33.89%

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

Last update for London: November 1, 2026

Last update for Medias: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 55.8%

Medias

$292 26.5% 87.1% $2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$432 10.7%

Medias

$197 17.9% 54.4% $235

Eating Out

London

$396 9.8%

Medias

$197 17.9% 50.2% $199

Groceries & Markets

London

$360 8.9%

Medias

$222 20.2% 38.3% $138

Getting Around

London

$305 7.6%

Medias

$31 2.8% 89.9% $275

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Medias

$113 10.3% 44.6% $91

Sport & Entertainment

London

$92 2.3%

Medias

$49 4.5% 46.4% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,935 in London versus $389 in Medias. 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 $109 in London versus $52 in Medias. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $360 vs $222 – making Medias the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇷🇴 Medias

🕒 Local time

17:00 5:00 PM

19:00 7:00 PM

2 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

53,564

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.743 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.835 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4.76 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Medias 1,880 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

London
Medias

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 Medias: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,048 in London, $1,102 in Medias – Medias comes out roughly 73% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,072 per month in London and $1,653 in Medias. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medias, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $389 there versus $2,935 in London.

Groceries cost about 62% more in London, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $109 in London and $52 in Medias. 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 Medias, where all-in costs run around $1,102, than in London at $4,048. In Medias it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Medias – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Medias is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 73% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.