Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Olsztyn

For one person, living is cheaper in Olsztyn: $1,816 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $26,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,986
/mo nomad
Olsztyn
🇵🇱 Poland
$1,816
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Olsztyn

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

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $1,816 in Olsztyn, rent included.

  • London $3,986
  • Olsztyn $1,816

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $2,678 in Olsztyn, rent included.

  • London $5,791
  • Olsztyn $2,678

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $3,540 in Olsztyn, rent included.

  • London $7,595
  • Olsztyn $3,540

London costs about 120% more than Olsztyn, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Olsztyn sit above the global median – London by 195%, Olsztyn by 34%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
London
Olsztyn
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$25.93 £19.45
$12.84 zł 49.88
101.95%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$107 £79.9
$50.4 zł 196
111.27%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.71 £8.03
$8.92 zł 34.67
20.07%
Cappuccino
$5.47 £4.11
$3.31 zł 12.85
65.26%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 £2.23
$2.51 zł 9.75
18.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.20 £1.65
$1.87 zł 7.26
17.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.13 £6.85
$2.98 zł 11.59
206.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.94 £5.96
$3.91 zł 15.18
103.07%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
Olsztyn
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.86 £1.40
$1.05 zł 4.09
77.14%
White Bread (500g)
$2.07 £1.55
$1.26 zł 4.90
64.29%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.42 £1.81
$1.42 zł 5.52
70.42%
Eggs
$5.09 £3.82
$3.85 zł 14.95
32.21%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.87 £9.66
$9.72 zł 37.77
32.41%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.43 £7.82
$7.34 zł 28.51
42.10%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.87 £12.66
$15.04 zł 58.5
12.17%
Apples (1kg)
$3.11 £2.33
$1.23 zł 4.77
152.85%
Banana (1kg)
$1.40 £1.05
$1.61 zł 6.25
-13.04%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.08 £2.31
$1.80 zł 6.99
71.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.27 £2.45
$3.43 zł 13.32
-4.66%
Potato (1kg)
$1.58 £1.19
$0.97 zł 3.78
62.89%
Onion (1kg)
$1.74 £1.31
$1.17 zł 4.54
48.72%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.40 £1.05
$1.37 zł 5.32
2.19%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.80 £1.35
$0.68 zł 2.64
164.71%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.28 £17.46
$5.49 zł 21.32
324.04%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.03 £9.77
$7.42 zł 28.84
75.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.17 £2.38
$1.13 zł 4.39
180.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 £3.32
$1.54 zł 6.00
187.01%
🚌 Getting Around
London
Olsztyn
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.07 £3.05
$1.05 zł 4.07
287.62%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$247 £185
$25.79 zł 100
856.80%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.58 £4.18
$2.08 zł 8.09
168.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.36 £2.52
$0.74 zł 2.88
354.05%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$56.8 £42.57
$10.21 zł 39.67
455.83%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.13 £1.60
$1.66 zł 6.43
28.31%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.2K £28.6K
$31.4K zł 121.9K
21.73%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.9K £30.7K
$29.5K zł 114.4K
38.87%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
Olsztyn
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$372 £279
$329 zł 1,277
13.23%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.82 £13.37
$10.17 zł 39.53
75.22%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.37 £30.29
$19.00 zł 73.8
112.47%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
Olsztyn
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.0 £44.99
$50.7 zł 197
18.38%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.29 £15.97
$22.47 zł 87.3
-5.25%
Cinema Ticket
$17.74 £13.31
$9.12 zł 35.42
94.52%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
Olsztyn
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,864 £2,149
$378 zł 1,467
658.72%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$35.3K £26.5K
$13.7K zł 53.4K
156.98%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
Olsztyn
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$114 £85.5
$103 zł 399
11.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.3 £40.71
$48.59 zł 189
11.69%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$124 £93.2
$103 zł 402
20.09%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$163 £122
$105 zł 406
55.95%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
Olsztyn
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,869 £2,152
$1,004 zł 3,900
185.80%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,233 £1,675
$744 zł 2,892
200.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,266 £3,950
$1,685 zł 6,546
212.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,778 £2,834
$1,344 zł 5,221
181.14%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$18.3K £13.8K
$3,690 zł 14.3K
396.88%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,024 £6,019
$2,548 zł 9,898
214.95%
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
Olsztyn
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,037 £3,778
$1,374 zł 5,338
266.61%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.74
7.52
-36.97%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Olsztyn: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
London
$2.2K
Olsztyn
$744 66.7% $1.5K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
$430
Olsztyn
$358 16.8% $73
Eating Out
London
$388
Olsztyn
$209 46% $178
Groceries & Markets
London
$349
Olsztyn
$238 32% $112
Getting Around
London
$285
Olsztyn
$36 87.5% $250
Clothing & Footwear
London
$205
Olsztyn
$162 21.1% $43
Sport & Entertainment
London
$95
Olsztyn
$69 27.8% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,869 in London versus $1,004 in Olsztyn. 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 267% 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 $50.0 in Olsztyn. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $238 – making Olsztyn the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 London
🇵🇱 Olsztyn
🕒 Local time
22:11 10:11 PM
23:11 11:11 PM
1 h ahead of London
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,908,083 Capital
174,675
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

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).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • London Olsztyn 1,410 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • London
  • Olsztyn

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 Olsztyn: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in London and in Olsztyn compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $3,986 in London, $1,816 in Olsztyn – roughly 120% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in London compared to Olsztyn?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $2,724 in Olsztyn. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between London and Olsztyn?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Olsztyn, 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 47% 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 $50.0 in Olsztyn. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $2,500 per month?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Olsztyn, where all-in costs run around $1,816, than in London at $3,986. In Olsztyn 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 Olsztyn?
It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,816 in Olsztyn to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is London or Olsztyn safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between London and Olsztyn?
If budget matters most, go with Olsztyn. 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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