Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Solihull

For one person, living is cheaper in Solihull: $2,518 a month against $4,049 in London, rent and utilities included – about $18,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$4,049
/mo nomad
Solihull
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,518
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Solihull

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

A single person spends $4,049 per month in London vs $2,518 in Solihull, rent included.

  • London $4,049
  • Solihull $2,518

A couple spends around $5,827 per month in London vs $3,719 in Solihull, rent included.

  • London $5,827
  • Solihull $3,719

A family of three spends $7,605 per month in London vs $4,921 in Solihull, rent included.

  • London $7,605
  • Solihull $4,921

London costs about 61% more than Solihull, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Solihull sit above the global median – London by 199%, Solihull by 86%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
London
Solihull
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$27.09 £20.33
$27.07 £20.30
0.07%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$104 £78.3
$80.0 £60.0
30.49%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.86 £8.15
$10.47 £7.85
3.72%
Cappuccino
$5.60 £4.20
$4.90 £3.68
14.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.05 £2.29
$2.50 £1.88
22.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 £1.71
$2.10 £1.58
8.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.23 £6.92
$5.68 £4.26
62.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.95 £5.96
$5.59 £4.19
42.22%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
Solihull
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.83 £1.37
$1.50 £1.13
22.00%
White Bread (500g)
$2.05 £1.54
$1.85 £1.39
10.81%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.47 £1.86
$1.76 £1.32
40.34%
Eggs
$5.12 £3.84
$4.05 £3.04
26.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.89 £9.67
$9.28 £6.96
38.90%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.84 £8.14
$8.24 £6.18
31.55%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.03 £12.78
$12.59 £9.45
35.27%
Apples (1kg)
$3.07 £2.30
$3.30 £2.47
-6.97%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 £1.03
$1.55 £1.17
-10.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.99 £2.24
$1.83 £1.37
63.39%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.39 £2.54
$3.52 £2.64
-3.69%
Potato (1kg)
$1.60 £1.20
$1.43 £1.07
11.89%
Onion (1kg)
$1.80 £1.35
$1.55 £1.16
16.13%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.41 £1.06
$1.30 £0.97
8.46%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.81 £1.36
$1.26 £0.95
43.65%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.92 £17.94
$23.39 £17.55
2.27%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.54 £10.16
$8.55 £6.41
58.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.23 £2.42
$2.22 £1.67
45.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.39 £3.29
$1.94 £1.46
126.29%
🚌 Getting Around
London
Solihull
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.92 £2.94
$2.70 £2.02
45.19%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$243 £182
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.58 £4.18
$4.11 £3.09
35.77%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.27 £2.46
$3.91 £2.93
-16.37%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$58.4 £43.81
$31.77 £23.84
83.82%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.08 £1.56
$2.07 £1.55
0.48%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.8K £29.1K
$38.7K £29.0K
0.32%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.6K £30.5K
$40.9K £30.7K
-0.66%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
Solihull
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$380 £285
$343 £258
10.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.62 £13.97
$17.19 £12.89
8.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.45 £30.35
$46.22 £34.67
-12.48%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
Solihull
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$61.3 £45.95
$46.27 £34.72
32.38%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.41 £16.07
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$18.09 £13.57
$11.17 £8.38
61.95%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
Solihull
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,905 £2,180
$1,446 £1,085
100.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$35.5K £26.6K
$24.4K £18.3K
45.71%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
Solihull
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$116 £87.3
$84.9 £63.7
37.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.5 £40.89
$54.1 £40.58
0.78%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$128 £95.8
$109 £81.4
17.64%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$167 £125
$111 £83.6
49.72%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
Solihull
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,852 £2,140
$1,049 £787
172.03%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,269 £1,702
$1,207 £906
87.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,250 £3,939
$2,134 £1,601
145.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,752 £2,815
$2,138 £1,604
75.48%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$18.5K £13.9K
$5,479 £4,111
237.99%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,100 £6,077
$3,599 £2,700
125.04%
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
Solihull
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,109 £3,833
$4,759 £3,570
7.36%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.74
5.21
-9.02%

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

Last update for London: October 19, 2026

Last update for Solihull: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
London
$2.3K
Solihull
$1.2K 46.8% $1.1K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
$439
Solihull
$407 7.4% $32
Eating Out
London
$400
Solihull
$365 8.8% $35
Groceries & Markets
London
$353
Solihull
$274 22.4% $79
Getting Around
London
$280
Solihull
$34 * 87.7% $246
Clothing & Footwear
London
$209
Solihull
$162 22.9% $48
Sport & Entertainment
London
$97
Solihull
$69 29.6% $29

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,852 in London versus $1,049 in Solihull. 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 7% 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 $104 in London versus $80.0 in Solihull. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $353 vs $274 – making Solihull the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 London
🇬🇧 Solihull
🕒 Local time
17:57 5:57 PM
17:57 5:57 PM
Same time as London
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,908,083 Capital
206,091
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
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  • London Solihull 150 km
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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 Solihull: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in London and in Solihull compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $4,049 in London, $2,518 in Solihull – roughly 61% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in London compared to Solihull?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,073 per month in London and $3,776 in Solihull. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between London and Solihull?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Solihull, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: London or Solihull?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,049 in London and $2,518 in Solihull. That's a gap of about 61%.
What is the difference in childcare costs between London and Solihull?
Kindergarten costs $2,905 per month in London and $1,446 in Solihull. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Solihull, where all-in costs run around $2,518, than in London at $4,049. In Solihull 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 Solihull?
It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,518 in Solihull to $4,049 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is London or Solihull 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 Solihull?
If budget matters most, go with Solihull. 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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