Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Reading Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Reading

😐 Solo nomad: London is 27.5% more expensive than Reading without rent, and 46.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: London is 26.5% more expensive than Reading without rent, and 39.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
London
Reading
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$27.69 £20.74
$26.91 £20.16
2.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$108 £80.8
$95.0 £71.2
13.50%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.95 £8.20
$10.20 £7.64
7.35%
Cappuccino
$5.08 £3.80
$4.91 £3.67
3.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 £2.13
$3.48 £2.60
-18.39%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.88 £1.41
$2.84 £2.13
-33.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.95 £6.70
$8.21 £6.15
9.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.87 £5.90
$6.82 £5.11
15.40%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
Reading
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 £1.29
$1.42 £1.06
21.13%
White Bread (500g)
$2.15 £1.61
$1.30 £0.97
65.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.55 £1.91
$2.74 £2.05
-6.93%
Eggs
$4.78 £3.58
$3.55 £2.66
34.65%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.44 £8.57
$10.17 £7.62
12.49%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.86 £6.64
$8.30 £6.22
6.75%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.91 £11.17
$12.80 £9.59
16.48%
Apples (1kg)
$3.47 £2.60
$2.96 £2.21
17.23%
Banana (1kg)
$2.00 £1.50
$1.51 £1.13
32.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.22 £2.41
$2.79 £2.09
15.41%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.51 £2.63
$3.35 £2.51
4.78%
Potato (1kg)
$1.69 £1.27
$1.49 £1.11
13.42%
Onion (1kg)
$1.78 £1.34
$1.39 £1.04
28.06%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.37 £1.03
$1.02 £0.76
34.31%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.89 £1.41
$1.58 £1.18
19.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.35 £17.49
$20.12 £15.07
16.05%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.82 £9.60
$13.72 £10.28
-6.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.18 £2.38
$2.24 £1.68
41.96%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.96 £2.96
$3.50 £2.62
13.14%
🚌 Getting Around
London
Reading
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.98 £2.98
$2.66 £1.99
49.62%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$247 £185
$88.0 £66.0
180.05%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.90 £4.42
$6.07 £4.55
-2.80%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 £2.49
$1.76 £1.32
89.20%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$41.43 £31.03
$15.02 £11.25
175.83%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.89 £1.41
$1.93 £1.45
-2.07%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.5K £28.8K
$38.0K £28.4K
1.37%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.7K £29.7K
$42.0K £31.5K
-5.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
Reading
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$321 £241
$229 £172
40.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.64 £14.71
$19.40 £14.53
1.24%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.95 £32.17
$43.49 £32.58
-1.24%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
Reading
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$65.5 £49.05
$48.31 £36.18
35.56%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.63 £16.95
$19.87 £14.88
13.89%
Cinema Ticket
$20.32 £15.22
$13.63 £10.21
49.08%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
Reading
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,492 £1,867
$1,914 £1,434
30.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$28.6K £21.4K
$25.5K £19.1K
12.24%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
Reading
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$119 £89.2
$81.7 £61.2
45.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.83 £37.32
$48.87 £36.61
1.96%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$128 £96.0
$111 £83.1
15.63%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$157 £118
$100.0 £74.9
57.12%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
Reading
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,047 £2,282
$1,772 £1,327
71.91%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,254 £1,688
$1,393 £1,044
61.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,536 £4,146
$2,963 £2,219
86.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,683 £2,758
$2,373 £1,778
55.18%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$20.1K £15.1K
$7,052 £5,282
185.19%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$10.7K £8,034
$5,683 £4,256
88.76%
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
Reading
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,024 £3,763
$3,600 £2,696
39.56%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.05
5.53
-8.68%

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

Last update for London: March 1, 2026

Last update for Reading: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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