Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Pau

For one person, living is cheaper in Pau: $1,441 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $30,500 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
70

Cost of Living Index in Pau
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Pau Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Pau

🇫🇷 France

$1,441

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Pau

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

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $1,441 in Pau, rent included.

London $3,986
Pau $1,441

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $2,269 in Pau, rent included.

London $5,791
Pau $2,269

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $3,097 in Pau, rent included.

London $7,595
Pau $3,097

London costs about 177% more than Pau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Pau sit above the global median – London by 195%, Pau by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$16.89 €15.02

53.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$47.83 €42.54

122.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$11.18 €9.94

-4.20%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$3.82 €3.40

43.19%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$2.51 €2.23

18.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$1.53 €1.36

43.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$5.55 €4.94

64.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$3.79 €3.37

109.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.16 €1.03

60.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$2.21 €1.97

-6.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$1.55 €1.37

56.13%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$5.49 €4.88

-7.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$20.38 €18.13

-36.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$11.79 €10.49

-11.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$24.95 €22.20

-32.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$3.74 €3.33

-16.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$2.25 €2.00

-37.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$2.04 €1.81

50.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$3.32 €2.95

-1.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.68 €1.50

-5.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$2.22 €1.97

-21.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.27 €1.13

10.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.69 €0.61

160.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$12.50 €11.12

86.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$9.92 €8.82

31.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$4.35 €3.87

-27.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$5.49 €4.88

-19.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$1.32 €1.18

208.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

$25.30 €22.51

875.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$2.03 €1.80

4.93%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$35.0K €31.1K

9.20%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$35.8K €31.9K

14.21%

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

$372 £279

$86.9 €77.3

328.11%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$31.04 €27.61

-42.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$32.92 €29.28

22.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$42.10 €37.44

42.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$12.19 €10.84

45.53%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$382 €339

650.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$4,369 €3,886

708.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$110 €98.3

3.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$33.30 €29.62

62.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$90.7 €80.7

36.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$89.3 €79.4

82.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$733 €652

291.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$392 €349

469.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,951

$1,075 €956

389.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,835

$708 €630

433.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

$2,411 €2,144

660.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,020

$1,991 €1,771

303.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,779

$3,056 €2,718

64.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

3.81

24.41%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Pau: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Pau

$392 27.2% 82.4% $1.8K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Pau

$151 10.5% 64.9% $279

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Pau

$266 18.5% 31.4% $122

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Pau

$389 27% 11.3% $40

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Pau

$31 * 2.1% 89.3% $255

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Pau

$146 10.1% 28.9% $59

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Pau

$66 4.6% 30.4% $29

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 $733 in Pau. 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 65% 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 $48.00 in Pau. Groceries tell a different story – $349 in London vs $389 in Pau – so London wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇫🇷 Pau

🕒 Local time

00:20 12:20 AM

01:20 1:20 AM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

77,066

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

London Pau 910 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

London
Pau

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 Pau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,986 in London, $1,441 in Pau – roughly 177% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $2,161 in Pau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 11% cheaper in London – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London and $48.00 in Pau. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Pau, where all-in costs run around $1,441, than in London at $3,986. In Pau 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 $1,441 in Pau to $3,986 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 Pau. 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.