Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Preston

For one person, living is cheaper in Preston: $2,114 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $23,700 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
101

Cost of Living Index in Preston
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Preston Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Preston

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,114

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Preston

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

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $2,114 in Preston, rent included.

London $4,086
Preston $2,114

A couple spends around $5,891 per month in London vs $3,021 in Preston, rent included.

London $5,891
Preston $3,021

A family of three spends $7,696 per month in London vs $3,928 in Preston, rent included.

London $7,696
Preston $3,928

London costs about 93% more than Preston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Preston sit above the global median – London by 200%, Preston by 55%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.55 £19.82

$15.89 £11.86

67.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$74.3 £55.5

44.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 £8.05

$9.20 £6.87

17.17%

Cappuccino

$5.71 £4.27

$4.24 £3.17

34.67%

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

$3.01 £2.25

$2.31 £1.72

30.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 £1.71

$1.83 £1.37

25.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.08 £6.78

$5.39 £4.03

68.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 £6.02

$5.20 £3.88

55.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 £1.42

$1.49 £1.11

27.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 £1.51

$1.43 £1.07

41.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 £1.83

$1.60 £1.20

53.13%

Eggs

$5.07 £3.79

$3.59 £2.68

41.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.71 £9.49

$5.30 £3.96

139.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.61 £7.92

$9.53 £7.12

11.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.68 £13.20

$12.68 £9.47

39.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 £2.37

$2.59 £1.93

22.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 £1.08

$1.72 £1.28

-15.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 £2.34

$2.57 £1.92

21.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.41 £2.55

$3.96 £2.96

-13.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.25

$2.06 £1.54

-18.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 £1.32

$2.25 £1.68

-21.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 £1.07

$1.17 £0.88

22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.39

$1.65 £1.23

13.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.91 £17.85

$21.56 £16.10

10.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.48 £10.06

$9.14 £6.82

47.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 £2.30

$3.18 £2.37

-3.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 £3.28

$3.25 £2.43

35.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.08 £3.04

$3.92 £2.93

4.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$252 £188

$98.5 £73.5

156.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 £4.29

$2.60 £1.94

120.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.35 £2.50

$2.10 £1.57

59.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.2 £42.73

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$1.99 £1.48

4.52%

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

$38.0K £28.4K

$37.9K £28.3K

0.24%

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

$40.4K £30.2K

$41.1K £30.7K

-1.78%

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

$387 £289

$439 £328

-11.86%

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

$18.57 £13.87

$14.86 £11.10

24.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 £30.38

$43.51 £32.49

-6.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.6 £42.99

$41.40 £30.91

39.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 £14.75

$16.80 £12.54

17.56%

Cinema Ticket

$18.33 £13.68

$17.83 £13.31

2.80%

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

$2,957 £2,208

$1,512 £1,129

95.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.9K £26.8K

$8,738 £6,524

310.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$119 £88.7

$75.7 £56.5

56.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 £42.01

$26.16 £19.53

115.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 £97.7

$65.4 £48.82

100.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 £123

$66.4 £49.58

147.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,811 £2,099

$969 £724

190.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,291 £1,711

$767 £573

198.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,185 £3,871

$1,608 £1,201

222.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,805 £2,841

$1,211 £904

214.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.7K £13.2K

$3,634 £2,713

386.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,405 £6,275

$2,379 £1,776

253.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,070 £3,786

$2,994 £2,235

69.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

4.93

-2.84%

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

Last update for London: October 26, 2026

Last update for Preston: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.1%

Preston

$767 36.3% 66.5% $1.5K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$446 10.9%

Preston

$497 23.5% 11.5% $51

Eating Out

London

$396 9.7%

Preston

$260 12.3% 34.5% $137

Groceries & Markets

London

$356 8.7%

Preston

$281 13.3% 21.1% $75

Getting Around

London

$291 7.1%

Preston

$127 6% 56.3% $164

Clothing & Footwear

London

$212 5.2%

Preston

$105 5% 50.3% $107

Sport & Entertainment

London

$94 2.3%

Preston

$77 3.6% 18.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,811 in London versus $969 in Preston. 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 69% 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 $74 in Preston. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $356 vs $281 – making Preston the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇬🇧 Preston

🕒 Local time

01:59 1:59 AM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

114,300

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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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 Preston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,086 in London, $2,114 in Preston – Preston comes out roughly 48% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,129 per month in London and $3,172 in Preston. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Preston, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $969 there versus $2,811 in London.

Groceries cost about 27% more in London, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London and $74 in Preston. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Preston, where all-in costs run around $2,114, than in London at $4,086. In Preston it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Preston – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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