Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Romford

For one person, living is cheaper in Romford: $2,694 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 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
130

Cost of Living Index in Romford
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Romford Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Romford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,694

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Romford

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

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $2,694 in Romford, rent included.

London $4,086
Romford $2,694

A couple spends around $5,891 per month in London vs $4,132 in Romford, rent included.

London $5,891
Romford $4,132

A family of three spends $7,696 per month in London vs $5,571 in Romford, rent included.

London $7,696
Romford $5,571

London costs about 52% more than Romford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Romford sit above the global median – London by 200%, Romford by 98%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.55 £19.98

$24.10 £18.14

10.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £80.5

$105 £79.2

1.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 £8.12

$10.55 £7.94

2.18%

Cappuccino

$5.71 £4.30

$4.84 £3.64

17.98%

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

$3.01 £2.26

$2.70 £2.03

11.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 £1.72

$1.84 £1.38

24.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.08 £6.84

$7.67 £5.77

18.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 £6.07

$6.72 £5.06

20.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 £1.43

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 £1.53

$1.82 £1.37

11.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 £1.84

$2.61 £1.96

-6.13%

Eggs

$5.07 £3.82

$4.90 £3.69

3.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.71 £9.56

$9.62 £7.24

32.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.61 £7.99

$9.37 £7.05

13.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.68 £13.31

$15.91 £11.97

11.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 £2.39

$3.02 £2.28

4.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 £1.09

$1.42 £1.07

2.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 £2.36

$3.39 £2.55

-7.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.41 £2.57

$3.42 £2.58

-0.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 £1.33

$1.80 £1.35

-1.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 £1.08

$1.28 £0.97

11.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.41

$1.82 £1.37

2.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.91 £17.99

$23.19 £17.46

3.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.48 £10.14

$13.05 £9.82

3.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 £2.32

$3.22 £2.43

-4.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 £3.31

$4.09 £3.08

7.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.08 £3.07

$4.70 £3.54

-13.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$252 £190

$95.6 £71.9

163.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 £4.32

$5.75 £4.32

-0.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.35 £2.52

$2.60 £1.95

28.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.2 £43.07

$25.72 £19.36

122.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.57

$2.13 £1.61

-2.35%

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

$38.0K £28.6K

$38.7K £29.1K

-1.80%

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

$40.4K £30.4K

$40.3K £30.4K

0.16%

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

$387 £291

$377 £284

2.69%

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

$18.57 £13.98

$18.56 £13.97

0.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 £30.62

$42.28 £31.82

-3.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.6 £43.33

$50.7 £38.14

13.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 £14.87

Cinema Ticket

$18.33 £13.79

$16.99 £12.78

7.89%

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

$2,957 £2,225

$2,606 £1,961

13.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.9K £27.0K

$36.3K £27.4K

-1.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$119 £89.4

$90.2 £67.9

31.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 £42.35

$47.96 £36.10

17.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 £98.5

$94.0 £70.7

39.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 £124

$125 £94.3

31.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,811 £2,116

$1,900 £1,430

48.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,291 £1,724

$1,194 £899

91.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,185 £3,902

$3,265 £2,457

58.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,805 £2,864

$2,312 £1,740

64.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.7K £13.3K

$5,068 £3,814

248.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,405 £6,325

$3,873 £2,915

116.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,070 £3,816

$2,773 £2,087

82.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

-4.20%

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

Last update for London: October 26, 2026

Last update for Romford: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.1%

Romford

$1.2K 44.3% 47.9% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$446 10.9%

Romford

$438 16.3% 1.9% $8.6

Eating Out

London

$396 9.7%

Romford

$352 13.1% 11% $44

Groceries & Markets

London

$356 8.7%

Romford

$331 12.3% 6.9% $25

Getting Around

London

$291 7.1%

Romford

$133 4.9% 54.3% $158

Clothing & Footwear

London

$212 5.2%

Romford

$161 6% 24% $51

Sport & Entertainment

London

$94 2.3%

Romford

$85 3.1% 10.2% $9.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,811 in London versus $1,900 in Romford. 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 83% higher in London. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London versus $105 in Romford. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $356 vs $331 – making Romford the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇬🇧 Romford

🕒 Local time

18:59 6:59 PM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

95,894

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Romford 23 km

From you

London
Romford

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 Romford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,086 in London, $2,694 in Romford – roughly 52% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,129 per month in London and $4,040 in Romford. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Romford, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,900 there versus $2,811 in London.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,086 in London and $2,694 in Romford. That’s a gap of about 52%.

Kindergarten costs $2,957 per month in London and $2,606 in Romford. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Romford, where all-in costs run around $2,694, than in London at $4,086. In Romford it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Romford – 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 Romford. 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.