Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Sala

For one person, living is cheaper in Sala: $1,530 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $29,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,986
/mo nomad
Sala
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,530
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Sala

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

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $1,530 in Sala, rent included.

  • London $3,986
  • Sala $1,530

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $2,260 in Sala, rent included.

  • London $5,791
  • Sala $2,260

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $2,989 in Sala, rent included.

  • London $7,595
  • Sala $2,989

London costs about 161% more than Sala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Sala sit above the global median – London by 195%, Sala by 13%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
London
Sala
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$25.93 £19.45
$11.75 SEK 116
120.68%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$107 £79.9
$58.6 SEK 581
81.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.71 £8.03
$9.45 SEK 93.6
13.33%
Cappuccino
$5.47 £4.11
$3.17 SEK 31.39
72.56%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 £2.23
$1.75 SEK 17.38
69.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.20 £1.65
$2.15 SEK 21.35
2.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.13 £6.85
$6.94 SEK 68.7
31.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.94 £5.96
$6.93 SEK 68.7
14.57%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
Sala
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.86 £1.40
$1.66 SEK 16.45
12.05%
White Bread (500g)
$2.07 £1.55
$2.54 SEK 25.16
-18.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.42 £1.81
$3.48 SEK 34.45
-30.46%
Eggs
$5.09 £3.82
$5.29 SEK 52.5
-3.78%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.87 £9.66
$11.10 SEK 110
15.95%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.43 £7.82
$12.95 SEK 128
-19.46%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.87 £12.66
$22.02 SEK 218
-23.39%
Apples (1kg)
$3.11 £2.33
$2.87 SEK 28.42
8.36%
Banana (1kg)
$1.40 £1.05
$2.66 SEK 26.39
-47.37%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.08 £2.31
$2.59 SEK 25.65
18.92%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.27 £2.45
$4.79 SEK 47.50
-31.73%
Potato (1kg)
$1.58 £1.19
$1.46 SEK 14.46
8.22%
Onion (1kg)
$1.74 £1.31
$1.14 SEK 11.29
52.63%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.40 £1.05
$2.57 SEK 25.51
-45.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.80 £1.35
$1.01 SEK 10.02
78.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.28 £17.46
$6.88 SEK 68.2
238.37%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.03 £9.77
$6.10 SEK 60.5
113.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.17 £2.38
$1.89 SEK 18.76
67.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 £3.32
$1.76 SEK 17.47
151.14%
🚌 Getting Around
London
Sala
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.07 £3.05
$2.90 SEK 28.75
40.34%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$247 £185
$21.18 SEK 210
1065.06%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.58 £4.18
$5.90 SEK 58.5
-5.42%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.36 £2.52
$1.69 SEK 16.73
98.82%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$56.8 £42.58
$79.0 SEK 782
-28.14%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.13 £1.60
$1.73 SEK 17.13
23.12%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.2K £28.6K
$32.5K SEK 322.3K
17.39%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.9K £30.7K
$33.1K SEK 327.9K
23.58%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
Sala
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$372 £279
$177 SEK 1,752
110.51%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.82 £13.37
$19.96 SEK 198
-10.72%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.37 £30.29
$38.76 SEK 384
4.15%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
Sala
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.0 £44.99
$45.97 SEK 456
30.45%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.29 £15.97
$20.24 SEK 201
5.19%
Cinema Ticket
$17.74 £13.31
$16.13 SEK 160
9.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
Sala
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,864 £2,149
$213 SEK 2,111
1244.21%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$35.3K £26.5K
$1,194 SEK 11.8K
2859.15%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
Sala
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$114 £85.5
$44.45 SEK 440
156.51%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.3 £40.71
$34.80 SEK 345
55.95%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$124 £93.2
$51.9 SEK 514
139.52%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$163 £122
$54.0 SEK 535
202.13%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
Sala
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,869 £2,152
$705 SEK 6,989
306.73%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,233 £1,675
$501 SEK 4,966
345.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,266 £3,951
$930 SEK 9,217
466.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,778 £2,835
$684 SEK 6,782
452.04%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$18.3K £13.8K
$4,018 SEK 39.8K
356.29%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,024 £6,020
$2,838 SEK 28.1K
182.68%
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
Sala
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,037 £3,779
$2,422 SEK 24.0K
107.91%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.74
2.8
69.29%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sala: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
London
$2.2K
Sala
$501 77.6% $1.7K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
$430
Sala
$236 45.3% $195
Eating Out
London
$388
Sala
$225 42.1% $163
Groceries & Markets
London
$349
Sala
$360 3.1% $11
Getting Around
London
$285
Sala
$47 83.5% $238
Clothing & Footwear
London
$205
Sala
$83 59.4% $122
Sport & Entertainment
London
$95
Sala
$78 18% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,869 in London versus $705 in Sala. 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 108% 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 $59.0 in Sala. Groceries tell a different story – $349 in London vs $360 in Sala – so London wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇬🇧 London
🇸🇪 Sala
🕒 Local time
13:40 1:40 PM
14:40 2:40 PM
1 h ahead of London
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,908,083 Capital
22,994
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR 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).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • London Sala 1,400 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • London
  • Sala

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 Sala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in London and in Sala compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $3,986 in London, $1,530 in Sala – roughly 161% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in London compared to Sala?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $2,295 in Sala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between London and Sala?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Sala, 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?
Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in London – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London and $59.0 in Sala. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sala, where all-in costs run around $1,530, than in London at $3,986. In Sala 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 Sala?
It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,530 in Sala to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is London or Sala 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 Sala?
If budget matters most, go with Sala. 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.

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