Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Portsmouth

For one person, living is cheaper in Portsmouth: $2,765 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

195

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
134

Cost of Living Index in Portsmouth
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Portsmouth Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Portsmouth

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,765

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Portsmouth

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

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $2,765 in Portsmouth, rent included.

London $4,086
Portsmouth $2,765

A couple spends around $5,891 per month in London vs $3,781 in Portsmouth, rent included.

London $5,891
Portsmouth $3,781

A family of three spends $7,696 per month in London vs $4,798 in Portsmouth, rent included.

London $7,696
Portsmouth $4,798

London costs about 48% more than Portsmouth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Portsmouth sit above the global median – London by 200%, Portsmouth by 103%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.55 £19.98

$20.08 £15.12

32.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £80.5

$66.5 £50.0

61.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 £8.12

$10.54 £7.93

2.28%

Cappuccino

$5.71 £4.30

$4.78 £3.60

19.46%

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

$3.01 £2.26

$2.74 £2.07

9.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 £1.72

$2.31 £1.74

-0.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.08 £6.84

$6.28 £4.73

44.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 £6.07

$5.85 £4.40

37.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 £1.43

$1.39 £1.05

36.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 £1.53

$1.61 £1.21

26.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 £1.84

$3.67 £2.76

-33.24%

Eggs

$5.07 £3.82

$3.46 £2.60

46.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.71 £9.56

$13.49 £10.15

-5.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.61 £7.99

$8.16 £6.14

30.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.68 £13.31

$13.18 £9.92

34.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 £2.39

$3.89 £2.93

-18.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 £1.09

$1.93 £1.46

-24.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 £2.36

$2.92 £2.19

7.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.41 £2.57

$3.38 £2.54

0.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 £1.33

$1.67 £1.26

5.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 £1.08

$1.21 £0.91

18.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.41

$1.47 £1.11

27.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.91 £17.99

$22.69 £17.07

5.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.48 £10.14

$11.13 £8.38

21.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 £2.32

$3.13 £2.35

-1.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 £3.31

$2.16 £1.62

103.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.08 £3.07

$3.94 £2.96

3.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$252 £190

$86.3 £65.0

192.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 £4.32

$5.31 £4.00

8.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.35 £2.52

$1.54 £1.16

117.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.2 £43.07

$19.93 £15.00

187.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.57

$2.09 £1.57

-0.48%

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

$38.0K £28.6K

$38.5K £29.0K

-1.36%

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

$40.4K £30.4K

$41.1K £30.9K

-1.65%

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

$387 £291

$661 £497

-41.44%

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

$18.57 £13.98

$15.19 £11.43

22.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 £30.62

$43.05 £32.40

-5.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.6 £43.33

$34.53 £25.99

66.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 £14.87

$17.24 £12.97

14.56%

Cinema Ticket

$18.33 £13.79

$10.80 £8.13

69.72%

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

$2,957 £2,225

$1,602 £1,205

84.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.9K £27.0K

$20.0K £15.1K

79.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$119 £89.4

$91.2 £68.6

30.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 £42.35

$39.80 £29.96

41.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 £98.5

$100 £75.6

30.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 £124

$119 £89.9

37.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,811 £2,116

$1,493 £1,124

88.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,291 £1,724

$1,092 £822

109.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,185 £3,902

$2,146 £1,615

141.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,805 £2,864

$1,669 £1,256

128.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.7K £13.3K

$4,574 £3,442

286.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,405 £6,325

$3,680 £2,770

128.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,070 £3,816

$3,397 £2,556

49.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

5.16

-7.17%

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

Last update for London: October 26, 2026

Last update for Portsmouth: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.1%

Portsmouth

$1.1K 39.5% 52.4% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$446 10.9%

Portsmouth

$719 26% 61.1% $273

Eating Out

London

$396 9.7%

Portsmouth

$313 11.3% 21% $83

Groceries & Markets

London

$356 8.7%

Portsmouth

$312 11.3% 12.3% $44

Getting Around

London

$291 7.1%

Portsmouth

$115 4.2% 60.5% $176

Clothing & Footwear

London

$212 5.2%

Portsmouth

$158 5.7% 25.5% $54

Sport & Entertainment

London

$94 2.3%

Portsmouth

$56 2% 40.4% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,811 in London versus $1,493 in Portsmouth. 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 49% higher in London. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London versus $66 in Portsmouth. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $356 vs $312 – making Portsmouth the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇬🇧 Portsmouth

🕒 Local time

21:36 9:36 PM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

198,974

💱 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

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Between locations

London Portsmouth 100 km

From you

London
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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 Portsmouth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,086 in London, $2,765 in Portsmouth – Portsmouth comes out roughly 32% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,129 per month in London and $4,147 in Portsmouth. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Portsmouth, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,493 there versus $2,811 in London.

Groceries cost about 14% more in London, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London and $66 in Portsmouth. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Portsmouth costs $2,765 versus $4,086 in London. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Portsmouth. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.