Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and San Sebastian

Name: San Sebastian
Address: San Sebastian, ES

For one person, living is cheaper in San Sebastian: $1,948 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $24,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
95

Cost of Living Index in San Sebastian
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San Sebastian Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

San Sebastian

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,948

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in San Sebastian

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

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $1,948 in San Sebastian, rent included.

London $3,986
San Sebastian $1,948

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $2,889 in San Sebastian, rent included.

London $5,791
San Sebastian $2,889

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $3,830 in San Sebastian, rent included.

London $7,595
San Sebastian $3,830

London costs about 105% more than San Sebastian, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and San Sebastian sit above the global median – London by 195%, San Sebastian by 44%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$16.76 €14.90

54.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$60.6 €53.9

75.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$10.58 €9.41

1.23%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$2.08 €1.85

162.98%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$2.87 €2.55

3.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$1.62 €1.44

35.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$3.44 €3.06

165.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$3.62 €3.22

119.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.13 €1.01

64.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.06 €0.94

95.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$1.75 €1.56

38.29%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$3.72 €3.31

36.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$22.34 €19.87

-42.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$8.17 €7.27

27.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$21.10 €18.77

-20.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$2.51 €2.24

23.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$2.36 €2.10

-40.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$3.34 €2.97

-7.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$2.90 €2.58

12.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$2.06 €1.83

-23.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.98 €1.76

-12.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.18 €1.05

18.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.61 €0.54

195.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$6.07 €5.40

283.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$7.39 €6.58

76.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$1.08 €0.96

193.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$1.83 €1.63

141.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$2.11 €1.88

92.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

$33.85 €30.11

628.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$6.57 €5.85

-15.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$0.91 €0.81

269.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$22.70 €20.19

150.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$1.70 €1.51

25.29%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$36.2K €32.2K

5.52%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$28.7K €25.5K

42.46%

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

$372 £279

$136 €121

172.88%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$20.40 €18.15

-12.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$35.36 €31.45

14.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$42.41 €37.73

41.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

$19.95 €17.75

6.72%

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$8.44 €7.50

110.19%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$453 €403

532.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$13.7K €12.2K

157.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$72.5 €64.5

57.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$31.46 €27.99

72.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$74.7 €66.5

66.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$134 €119

21.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$1,407 €1,252

103.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$954 €849

134.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,951

$2,239 €1,992

135.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,835

$1,522 €1,354

148.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

$9,603 €8,541

90.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,020

$4,748 €4,223

69.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,779

$3,027 €2,693

66.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

2.92

62.33%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for San Sebastian: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

San Sebastian

$954 49% 57.3% $1.3K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

San Sebastian

$192 9.9% 55.4% $238

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

San Sebastian

$233 12% 39.8% $154

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

San Sebastian

$316 16.2% 9.7% $34

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

San Sebastian

$53 2.7% 81.3% $232

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

San Sebastian

$141 7.2% 31.4% $64

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

San Sebastian

$59 3% 37.9% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,869 in London versus $1,407 in San Sebastian. 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 66% 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 $61.0 in San Sebastian. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $316 – making San Sebastian the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇪🇸 San Sebastian

🕒 Local time

19:44 7:44 PM

20:44 8:44 PM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

188,743

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

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).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

London San Sebastian 920 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

London
San Sebastian

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 San Sebastian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,986 in London, $1,948 in San Sebastian – roughly 105% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $2,922 in San Sebastian. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Sebastian, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in London, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London and $61.0 in San Sebastian. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in San Sebastian, where all-in costs run around $1,948, than in London at $3,986. In San Sebastian it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,948 in San Sebastian to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.

If budget matters most, go with San Sebastian. 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.