Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Rota

For one person, living is cheaper in Rota: $1,647 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $28,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,986
/mo nomad
Rota
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,647
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Rota

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

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $1,647 in Rota, rent included.

  • London $3,986
  • Rota $1,647

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $2,427 in Rota, rent included.

  • London $5,791
  • Rota $2,427

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $3,208 in Rota, rent included.

  • London $7,595
  • Rota $3,208

London costs about 142% more than Rota, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Rota sit above the global median – London by 195%, Rota by 22%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
London
Rota
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$25.93 £19.45
$16.78 €14.92
54.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$107 £79.9
$61.7 €54.9
72.69%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.71 £8.03
$12.52 €11.14
-14.46%
Cappuccino
$5.47 £4.11
$2.20 €1.96
148.64%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 £2.23
$2.71 €2.41
9.59%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.20 £1.65
$1.90 €1.69
15.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.13 £6.85
$3.45 €3.07
164.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.94 £5.96
$4.45 €3.96
78.43%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
Rota
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.86 £1.40
$1.23 €1.10
51.22%
White Bread (500g)
$2.07 £1.55
$1.43 €1.27
44.76%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.42 £1.81
$1.74 €1.55
39.08%
Eggs
$5.09 £3.82
$3.33 €2.96
52.85%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.87 £9.66
$15.21 €13.53
-15.38%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.43 £7.82
$8.00 €7.12
30.37%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.87 £12.66
$15.12 €13.45
11.57%
Apples (1kg)
$3.11 £2.33
$2.54 €2.26
22.44%
Banana (1kg)
$1.40 £1.05
$1.96 €1.75
-28.57%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.08 £2.31
$1.74 €1.55
77.01%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.27 £2.45
$2.46 €2.19
32.93%
Potato (1kg)
$1.58 £1.19
$1.63 €1.45
-3.07%
Onion (1kg)
$1.74 £1.31
$2.06 €1.83
-15.53%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.40 £1.05
$1.21 €1.07
15.70%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.80 £1.35
$0.66 €0.59
172.73%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.28 £17.46
$6.45 €5.74
260.93%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.03 £9.77
$6.85 €6.09
90.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.17 £2.38
$1.20 €1.07
164.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 £3.32
$2.30 €2.05
92.17%
🚌 Getting Around
London
Rota
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.07 £3.05
$1.62 €1.44
151.23%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$247 £185
$33.00 €29.36
647.76%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.58 £4.18
$1.90 €1.69
193.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.36 £2.52
$1.19 €1.06
182.35%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$56.8 £42.58
$22.73 €20.22
149.67%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.13 £1.60
$1.78 €1.58
19.66%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.2K £28.6K
$35.5K €31.6K
7.48%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.9K £30.7K
$29.4K €26.2K
39.04%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
Rota
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$372 £279
$161 €143
130.93%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.82 £13.37
$10.68 €9.50
66.85%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.37 £30.29
$24.55 €21.84
64.44%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
Rota
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.0 £44.99
$44.81 €39.86
33.83%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.29 £15.97
$15.66 €13.93
35.95%
Cinema Ticket
$17.74 £13.31
$9.55 €8.49
85.76%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
Rota
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,864 £2,149
$835 €742
243.17%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$35.3K £26.5K
$9,861 €8,771
258.26%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
Rota
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$114 £85.5
$87.9 €78.2
29.75%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.3 £40.71
$39.30 €34.96
38.09%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$124 £93.2
$83.8 €74.6
48.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$163 £122
$108 €96.2
50.70%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
Rota
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,869 £2,152
$896 €797
220.14%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,233 £1,675
$685 €609
226.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,266 £3,951
$1,349 €1,200
290.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,778 £2,835
$1,006 €895
275.57%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$18.3K £13.8K
$3,230 €2,873
467.65%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,024 £6,020
$2,174 €1,934
269.00%
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
Rota
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,037 £3,779
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.74
3.32
42.77%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Rota: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
London
$2.2K
Rota
$685 69.3% $1.5K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
$430
Rota
$196 54.4% $234
Eating Out
London
$388
Rota
$243 37.3% $145
Groceries & Markets
London
$349
Rota
$268 23.4% $82
Getting Around
London
$285
Rota
$47 83.4% $238
Clothing & Footwear
London
$205
Rota
$144 29.9% $61
Sport & Entertainment
London
$95
Rota
$64 33% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,869 in London versus $896 in Rota. 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 $107 in London versus $62.0 in Rota. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $268 – making Rota the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 London
🇪🇸 Rota
🕒 Local time
00:20 12:20 AM
01:20 1:20 AM
1 h ahead of London
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,908,083 Capital
29,675
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • London Rota 1,730 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • London
  • Rota

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 Rota: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in London and in Rota compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $3,986 in London, $1,647 in Rota – roughly 142% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in London compared to Rota?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $2,470 in Rota. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between London and Rota?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Rota, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 31% more in London, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London and $62.0 in Rota. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rota, where all-in costs run around $1,647, than in London at $3,986. In Rota it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between London and Rota?
It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,647 in Rota to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is London or Rota safer for residents?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
How do I decide between London and Rota?
If budget matters most, go with Rota. 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.

London vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?