Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Scarborough, United Kingdom

For one person, living is cheaper in Scarborough: $2,122 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $23,600 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
102

Cost of Living Index in Scarborough
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Scarborough Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Scarborough

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,122

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Scarborough

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

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $2,122 in Scarborough, rent included.

London $4,086
Scarborough $2,122

A couple spends around $5,891 per month in London vs $3,085 in Scarborough, rent included.

London $5,891
Scarborough $3,085

A family of three spends $7,696 per month in London vs $4,048 in Scarborough, rent included.

London $7,696
Scarborough $4,048

London costs about 93% more than Scarborough, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Scarborough sit above the global median – London by 200%, Scarborough by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.55 £19.83

$15.36 £11.48

72.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$68.8 £51.4

55.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 £8.06

$12.17 £9.09

-11.42%

Cappuccino

$5.71 £4.27

$3.43 £2.56

66.47%

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

$3.01 £2.25

$2.09 £1.56

44.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 £1.71

$0.97 £0.73

136.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.08 £6.78

$4.77 £3.56

90.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 £6.03

$4.37 £3.26

84.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 £1.42

$1.25 £0.94

52.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 £1.52

$1.42 £1.06

42.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 £1.83

$1.06 £0.79

131.13%

Eggs

$5.07 £3.79

$3.57 £2.67

42.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.71 £9.49

$7.93 £5.93

60.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.61 £7.93

$7.09 £5.30

49.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.68 £13.21

$14.07 £10.51

25.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 £2.37

$3.29 £2.46

-3.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 £1.08

$2.10 £1.57

-30.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 £2.34

$2.70 £2.01

15.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.41 £2.55

$2.12 £1.58

60.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.25

$1.76 £1.32

-5.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 £1.32

$1.64 £1.23

7.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 £1.07

$1.21 £0.90

18.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.40

$2.00 £1.50

-6.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.91 £17.86

$22.39 £16.73

6.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.48 £10.07

$9.36 £6.99

44.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 £2.30

$3.51 £2.62

-12.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 £3.28

$3.61 £2.70

21.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.08 £3.04

$3.27 £2.45

24.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$252 £188

$85.8 £64.1

194.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 £4.29

$5.54 £4.14

3.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.35 £2.50

$4.94 £3.69

-32.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.2 £42.76

$32.72 £24.45

74.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$1.86 £1.39

11.83%

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

$38.0K £28.4K

$36.6K £27.4K

3.75%

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

$40.4K £30.2K

$38.6K £28.9K

4.55%

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

$387 £289

$346 £259

11.70%

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

$18.57 £13.88

$25.63 £19.15

-27.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 £30.40

$33.33 £24.90

22.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.6 £43.01

$66.1 £49.38

-12.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 £14.76

$12.60 £9.41

56.75%

Cinema Ticket

$18.33 £13.69

$10.65 £7.96

72.11%

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

$2,957 £2,209

$1,588 £1,187

86.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.9K £26.8K

$14.5K £10.8K

147.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$119 £88.7

$66.5 £49.71

78.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 £42.03

$35.50 £26.52

58.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 £97.8

$109 £81.1

20.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 £123

$115 £85.8

43.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,811 £2,100

$873 £653

221.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,291 £1,712

$830 £620

175.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,185 £3,874

$1,532 £1,145

238.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,805 £2,843

$1,367 £1,021

178.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.7K £13.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,405 £6,279

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,070 £3,788

$908 £678

458.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

5.53

-13.38%

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

Last update for London: October 26, 2026

Last update for Scarborough: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.1%

Scarborough

$830 39.1% 63.8% $1.5K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$446 10.9%

Scarborough

$405 19.1% 9.2% $41

Eating Out

London

$396 9.7%

Scarborough

$245 11.6% 38% $151

Groceries & Markets

London

$356 8.7%

Scarborough

$278 13.1% 21.8% $77

Getting Around

London

$291 7.1%

Scarborough

$129 6.1% 55.6% $162

Clothing & Footwear

London

$212 5.2%

Scarborough

$146 6.9% 30.8% $65

Sport & Entertainment

London

$94 2.3%

Scarborough

$87 4.1% 7.3% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,811 in London versus $873 in Scarborough. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in London are about 5.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London versus $69 in Scarborough. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $356 vs $278 – making Scarborough the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇬🇧 Scarborough

🕒 Local time

12:31 12:31 PM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

61,749

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

London Scarborough 310 km

From you

London
Scarborough

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 Scarborough: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,086 in London, $2,122 in Scarborough – Scarborough comes out roughly 48% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,129 per month in London and $3,184 in Scarborough. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Scarborough, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $873 there versus $2,811 in London.

Groceries cost about 28% more in London, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London and $69 in Scarborough. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Scarborough, where all-in costs run around $2,122, than in London at $4,086. In Scarborough it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Scarborough – 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 Scarborough. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.