Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Middlesbrough

For one person, living is cheaper in Middlesbrough: $2,089 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $22,800 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
102

Cost of Living Index in Middlesbrough
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Middlesbrough Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Middlesbrough

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,089

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Middlesbrough

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

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $2,089 in Middlesbrough, rent included.

London $3,986
Middlesbrough $2,089

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $3,001 in Middlesbrough, rent included.

London $5,791
Middlesbrough $3,001

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $3,913 in Middlesbrough, rent included.

London $7,595
Middlesbrough $3,913

London costs about 91% more than Middlesbrough, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Middlesbrough sit above the global median – London by 195%, Middlesbrough by 55%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$23.80 £17.85

8.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$72.5 £54.4

46.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$10.73 £8.05

-0.19%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$4.69 £3.52

16.63%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$2.41 £1.81

23.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$1.79 £1.35

22.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$4.70 £3.53

94.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$7.17 £5.38

10.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.22 £0.92

52.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.41 £1.06

46.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$2.45 £1.84

-1.22%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$3.70 £2.77

37.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$7.68 £5.76

67.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$7.29 £5.47

43.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$14.41 £10.81

17.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$2.48 £1.86

25.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$2.38 £1.79

-41.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$2.57 £1.93

19.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$2.60 £1.95

25.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.78 £1.34

-11.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.54 £1.15

12.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.16 £0.87

20.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$3.03 £2.27

-40.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$22.39 £16.79

3.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$9.42 £7.07

38.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$4.43 £3.32

-28.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$3.68 £2.76

20.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$5.53 £4.15

-26.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

$92.6 £69.5

166.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$4.39 £3.29

27.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$25.94 £19.46

118.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$1.99 £1.49

7.04%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$37.6K £28.2K

1.45%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$39.8K £29.9K

2.65%

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

$372 £279

$346 £260

7.46%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$16.93 £12.70

5.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$41.87 £31.41

-3.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$49.69 £37.28

20.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

$32.46 £24.35

-34.41%

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$14.43 £10.83

22.94%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$795 £596

260.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$40.4K £30.3K

-12.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$106 £79.8

7.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$53.8 £40.36

0.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$110 £82.7

12.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$104 £78.2

56.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$997 £748

187.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$683 £513

226.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,951

$961 £721

448.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,835

$955 £716

295.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,020

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,779

$2,303 £1,728

118.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

5.64

-15.96%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Middlesbrough: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Middlesbrough

$683 32.7% 69.4% $1.5K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Middlesbrough

$405 19.4% 5.9% $25

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Middlesbrough

$334 16% 13.9% $54

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Middlesbrough

$301 14.4% 13.8% $48

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Middlesbrough

$119 * 5.7% 58.3% $166

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Middlesbrough

$169 8.1% 17.8% $36

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Middlesbrough

$79 3.8% 17.7% $17

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,869 in London versus $997 in Middlesbrough. 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 119% 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 $72.0 in Middlesbrough. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $301 – making Middlesbrough the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇬🇧 Middlesbrough

🕒 Local time

04:42 4:42 AM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

139,000

💱 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

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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 Middlesbrough: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,986 in London, $2,089 in Middlesbrough – roughly 91% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $3,134 in Middlesbrough. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 16% 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 $72.0 in Middlesbrough. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Middlesbrough, where all-in costs run around $2,089, than in London at $3,986. In Middlesbrough 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 $2,089 in Middlesbrough to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Middlesbrough. 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.