Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Paulista

For one person, living is cheaper in Paulista: $740 a month against $4,048 in London, rent and utilities included – about $39,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

London, United Kingdom
Paulista, Brazil
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$4,048
/mo nomad
Paulista
🇧🇷 Brazil
$740
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Paulista

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

A single person spends $4,048 per month in London vs $740 in Paulista, rent included.

  • London $4,048
  • Paulista $740

A couple spends around $5,903 per month in London vs $1,147 in Paulista, rent included.

  • London $5,903
  • Paulista $1,147

A family of three spends $7,758 per month in London vs $1,554 in Paulista, rent included.

  • London $7,758
  • Paulista $1,554

London costs about 447% more than Paulista, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

London sits 199% above the global median, while Paulista is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
London
Paulista
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.36 £19.68
$6.67 R$36.72
295.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$109 £81.1
$14.68 R$80.8
639.58%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.71 £8.00
$7.55 R$41.55
41.85%
Cappuccino
$5.59 £4.17
$1.49 R$8.18
275.17%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 £2.24
$0.98 R$5.37
206.12%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 £1.66
$0.38 R$2.11
484.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.65 £7.20
$1.73 R$9.51
457.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.26 £6.16
$3.25 R$17.91
154.15%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
Paulista
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.97 £1.47
$0.97 R$5.35
103.09%
White Bread (500g)
$2.09 £1.56
$1.69 R$9.28
23.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.59 £1.94
$0.96 R$5.27
169.79%
Eggs
$5.37 £4.01
$2.00 R$11.03
168.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.12 £9.79
$2.68 R$14.75
389.55%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.03 £8.23
$2.86 R$15.73
285.66%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.73 £13.23
$5.33 R$29.36
232.65%
Apples (1kg)
$3.17 £2.37
$1.91 R$10.50
65.97%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 £1.03
$0.92 R$5.08
50.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.82 £2.11
$0.83 R$4.60
239.76%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.36 £2.51
$1.05 R$5.78
220.00%
Potato (1kg)
$1.70 £1.27
$1.32 R$7.26
28.79%
Onion (1kg)
$1.78 £1.33
$0.73 R$3.99
143.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.49 £1.11
$0.39 R$2.13
282.05%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 £1.36
$0.85 R$4.66
114.12%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.85 £17.80
$2.03 R$11.19
1074.88%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.44 £10.03
$3.50 R$19.29
284.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.11 £2.32
$1.44 R$7.94
115.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.49 £3.35
$2.98 R$16.40
50.67%
🚌 Getting Around
London
Paulista
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.13 £3.08
$0.92 R$5.07
348.91%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$266 £199
$42.62 R$235
524.07%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.98 £4.46
$1.81 R$9.94
230.39%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.39 £2.53
$1.14 R$6.26
197.37%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$56.6 £42.21
$2.90 R$15.98
1850.00%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.21 £1.65
$1.01 R$5.54
118.81%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.3K £28.6K
$13.0K R$71.6K
194.12%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.0K £30.6K
$27.9K R$153.3K
47.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
Paulista
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$372 £278
$42.50 R$234
776.14%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.66 £13.93
$21.66 R$119
-13.85%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.53 £30.26
$22.70 R$125
78.55%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
Paulista
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.0 £41.82
$24.07 R$132
132.74%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.10 £12.76
$25.70 R$141
-33.46%
Cinema Ticket
$17.95 £13.40
$5.74 R$31.58
212.72%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
Paulista
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,946 £2,199
$65.6 R$361
4392.89%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$47.6K £35.5K
$6,380 R$35.1K
646.38%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
Paulista
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$116 £86.8
$16.86 R$92.8
589.44%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$56.9 £42.47
$64.0 R$352
-11.11%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$128 £95.5
$45.64 R$251
180.28%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$154 £115
$55.7 R$306
176.41%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
Paulista
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,935 £2,191
$340 R$1,872
763.14%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,258 £1,686
$229 R$1,263
884.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,250 £3,919
$627 R$3,452
737.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,859 £2,881
$440 R$2,424
776.20%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$17.2K £12.8K
$1,564 R$8,609
998.59%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,278 £6,179
$1,161 R$6,392
612.84%
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
Paulista
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,621 £4,196
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.78
11
-56.55%

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

Last update for London: November 1, 2026

Last update for Paulista: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
London
$2.3K
Paulista
$229 89.8% $2K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
$432
Paulista
$87 79.9% $345
Eating Out
London
$396
Paulista
$114 71.1% $281
Groceries & Markets
London
$360
Paulista
$138 61.8% $223
Getting Around
London
$305
Paulista
$54 82.4% $252
Clothing & Footwear
London
$205
Paulista
$82 60% $123
Sport & Entertainment
London
$92
Paulista
$36 61.3% $56

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,935 in London versus $340 in Paulista. 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 $15 in Paulista. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $360 vs $138 – making Paulista the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 London
🇧🇷 Paulista
🕒 Local time
13:30 1:30 PM
10:30 10:30 AM
3 h behind London
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,908,083 Capital
342,167
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.838 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.5 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.18 BRL (1 BRL = 0.162 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • London Paulista 7,400 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • London
  • Paulista

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 Paulista: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in London and in Paulista compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $4,048 in London, $740 in Paulista – Paulista comes out roughly 82% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in London compared to Paulista?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,072 per month in London and $1,110 in Paulista. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between London and Paulista?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Paulista, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $340 there versus $2,935 in London.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 162% more in London, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $109 in London and $15 in Paulista. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Where should families live: London or Paulista?
Families tend to lean toward Paulista – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Where should expats move: London or Paulista?
For expats, Paulista is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 82% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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