Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Oban

For one person, living is cheaper in Oban: $2,142 a month against $4,049 in London, rent and utilities included – about $22,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

195

Cost of Living Index in London
Learn more

London Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Oban
Learn more

Oban Living Index

Jump to prices

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,049

/mo nomad

Oban

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,142

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Oban

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

A single person spends $4,049 per month in London vs $2,142 in Oban, rent included.

London $4,049
Oban $2,142

A couple spends around $5,827 per month in London vs $3,149 in Oban, rent included.

London $5,827
Oban $3,149

A family of three spends $7,605 per month in London vs $4,156 in Oban, rent included.

London $7,605
Oban $4,156

London costs about 89% more than Oban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Oban sit above the global median – London by 199%, Oban by 58%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.09 £20.33

$15.86 £11.90

70.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 £78.3

$85.5 £64.1

22.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.86 £8.15

$9.30 £6.98

16.77%

Cappuccino

$5.60 £4.20

$4.85 £3.64

15.46%

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

$3.05 £2.29

$2.24 £1.68

36.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 £1.71

$2.14 £1.60

6.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.23 £6.92

$5.82 £4.37

58.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.95 £5.96

$5.06 £3.80

57.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.51 £1.13

21.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 £1.54

$1.72 £1.29

19.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 £1.86

$2.00 £1.50

23.50%

Eggs

$5.12 £3.84

$4.56 £3.42

12.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.89 £9.67

$8.85 £6.64

45.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.84 £8.14

$11.90 £8.93

-8.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.03 £12.78

$16.69 £12.52

2.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 £2.30

$2.93 £2.20

4.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.33 £1.00

3.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 £2.24

$2.75 £2.06

8.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 £2.54

$3.83 £2.87

-11.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 £1.20

$1.73 £1.30

-7.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.45 £1.09

24.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.06

$1.21 £0.91

16.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 £1.36

$1.60 £1.20

13.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.92 £17.94

$21.80 £16.35

9.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.54 £10.16

$11.15 £8.36

21.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.23 £2.42

$2.80 £2.10

15.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 £3.29

$3.02 £2.27

45.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.92 £2.94

$3.57 £2.68

9.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$243 £182

$98.0 £73.6

147.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$3.88 £2.91

43.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.27 £2.46

$2.38 £1.78

37.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.4 £43.81

$23.74 £17.81

146.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$2.04 £1.53

1.96%

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

$38.8K £29.1K

$38.4K £28.8K

1.05%

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

$40.6K £30.5K

$40.4K £30.3K

0.53%

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

$380 £285

$339 £254

12.03%

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

$18.62 £13.97

$28.24 £21.19

-34.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.45 £30.35

$42.43 £31.83

-4.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.3 £45.95

$45.42 £34.08

34.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.41 £16.07

$6.49 £4.87

229.89%

Cinema Ticket

$18.09 £13.57

$11.44 £8.58

58.13%

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

$2,905 £2,180

$1,778 £1,334

63.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.5K £26.6K

$22.7K £17.0K

56.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.3

$97.8 £73.4

19.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.5 £40.89

$48.68 £36.52

11.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 £95.8

$106 £79.3

20.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$167 £125

$116 £86.7

44.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,852 £2,140

$1,206 £905

136.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,269 £1,702

$778 £584

191.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,250 £3,939

$2,071 £1,553

153.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,752 £2,815

$1,231 £924

204.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.5K £13.9K

$5,074 £3,806

265.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,100 £6,077

$3,866 £2,900

109.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,109 £3,833

$3,005 £2,254

70.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

5.11

-7.24%

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

Last update for London: October 19, 2026

Last update for Oban: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56%

Oban

$778 36.4% 65.7% $1.5K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$439 10.9%

Oban

$410 19.1% 6.7% $29

Eating Out

London

$400 9.9%

Oban

$270 12.6% 32.5% $130

Groceries & Markets

London

$353 8.7%

Oban

$322 15% 8.9% $31

Getting Around

London

$280 6.9%

Oban

$128 6% 54.3% $152

Clothing & Footwear

London

$209 5.2%

Oban

$165 7.7% 21% $44

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Oban

$68 3.2% 29.9% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,852 in London versus $1,206 in Oban. 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 70% 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 $104 in London versus $85.0 in Oban. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $353 vs $322 – making Oban the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇬🇧 Oban

🕒 Local time

04:09 4:09 AM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

8,500

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Oban 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

London
Oban

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 Oban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,049 in London, $2,142 in Oban – roughly 89% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,073 per month in London and $3,212 in Oban. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 10% 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 $104 in London and $85.0 in Oban. 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 Oban, where all-in costs run around $2,142, than in London at $4,049. In Oban 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 $2,142 in Oban to $4,049 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 Oban. 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.