Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Southampton

For one person, living is cheaper in Southampton: $2,655 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 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
128

Cost of Living Index in Southampton
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Southampton Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Southampton

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,655

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Southampton

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

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $2,655 in Southampton, rent included.

London $4,086
Southampton $2,655

A couple spends around $5,891 per month in London vs $3,818 in Southampton, rent included.

London $5,891
Southampton $3,818

A family of three spends $7,696 per month in London vs $4,981 in Southampton, rent included.

London $7,696
Southampton $4,981

London costs about 54% more than Southampton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Southampton sit above the global median – London by 200%, Southampton by 95%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.55 £19.82

$26.76 £19.98

-0.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$89.6 £66.9

19.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 £8.05

$11.12 £8.30

-3.06%

Cappuccino

$5.71 £4.27

$5.43 £4.05

5.16%

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

$3.01 £2.25

$2.98 £2.22

1.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 £1.71

$2.24 £1.67

2.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.08 £6.78

$7.46 £5.57

21.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 £6.02

$6.75 £5.04

19.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 £1.42

$1.99 £1.49

-4.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 £1.51

$1.72 £1.28

18.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 £1.83

$3.04 £2.27

-19.41%

Eggs

$5.07 £3.79

$4.42 £3.30

14.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.71 £9.49

$9.84 £7.35

29.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.61 £7.92

$9.68 £7.22

9.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.68 £13.20

$14.44 £10.78

22.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 £2.37

$2.86 £2.13

10.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 £1.08

$1.75 £1.31

-17.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 £2.34

$2.84 £2.12

10.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.41 £2.55

$3.39 £2.53

0.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.25

$1.84 £1.37

-9.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 £1.32

$1.58 £1.18

12.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 £1.07

$1.21 £0.90

18.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.39

$1.82 £1.36

2.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.91 £17.85

$21.33 £15.93

12.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.48 £10.06

$11.13 £8.31

21.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 £2.30

$2.96 £2.21

4.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 £3.28

$3.40 £2.54

29.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.08 £3.04

$3.32 £2.48

22.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$252 £188

$78.1 £58.3

223.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 £4.29

$4.31 £3.22

33.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.35 £2.50

$1.95 £1.46

71.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.2 £42.73

$32.03 £23.92

78.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$2.16 £1.61

-3.70%

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

$38.0K £28.4K

$38.2K £28.5K

-0.55%

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

$40.4K £30.2K

$40.9K £30.5K

-1.21%

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

$387 £289

$327 £244

18.35%

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

$18.57 £13.87

$29.33 £21.90

-36.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 £30.38

$53.3 £39.77

-23.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.6 £42.99

$37.74 £28.18

52.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 £14.75

$16.78 £12.53

17.70%

Cinema Ticket

$18.33 £13.68

$15.96 £11.91

14.85%

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

$2,957 £2,208

$1,886 £1,408

56.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.9K £26.8K

$18.3K £13.7K

95.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$119 £88.7

$106 £79.1

12.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 £42.01

$51.4 £38.34

9.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 £97.7

$102 £76.4

27.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 £123

$131 £97.7

25.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,811 £2,099

$1,520 £1,135

84.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,291 £1,711

$1,190 £888

92.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,185 £3,871

$2,360 £1,762

119.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,805 £2,841

$1,812 £1,353

110.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.7K £13.2K

$5,632 £4,206

213.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,405 £6,275

$4,849 £3,621

73.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,070 £3,786

$3,372 £2,518

50.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

4.96

-3.43%

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

Last update for London: October 26, 2026

Last update for Southampton: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.1%

Southampton

$1.2K 44.8% 48.1% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$446 10.9%

Southampton

$410 15.4% 8.2% $37

Eating Out

London

$396 9.7%

Southampton

$384 14.5% 3% $12

Groceries & Markets

London

$356 8.7%

Southampton

$320 12.1% 9.9% $35

Getting Around

London

$291 7.1%

Southampton

$105 4% 63.8% $186

Clothing & Footwear

London

$212 5.2%

Southampton

$176 6.6% 17.1% $36

Sport & Entertainment

London

$94 2.3%

Southampton

$70 2.6% 26.1% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,811 in London versus $1,520 in Southampton. 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 50% 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 $90 in Southampton. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $356 vs $320 – making Southampton the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇬🇧 Southampton

🕒 Local time

03:13 3:13 AM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

228,600

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Southampton 110 km

From you

London
Southampton

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 Southampton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,086 in London, $2,655 in Southampton – Southampton comes out roughly 35% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,129 per month in London and $3,982 in Southampton. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Southampton, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,520 there versus $2,811 in London.

Groceries cost about 11% more in London, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London and $90 in Southampton. 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 Southampton, where all-in costs run around $2,655, than in London at $4,086. In Southampton it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Southampton costs $2,655 versus $4,086 in London. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Southampton. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.