Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Southend-on-Sea

For one person, living is cheaper in Southend-on-Sea: $2,289 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $20,400 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
112

Cost of Living Index in Southend-on-Sea
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Southend-on-Sea Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Southend-on-Sea

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Southend-on-Sea

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 Southend-on-Sea actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $2,289 in Southend-on-Sea, rent included.

London $3,986
Southend-on-Sea $2,289

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $3,534 in Southend-on-Sea, rent included.

London $5,791
Southend-on-Sea $3,534

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $4,779 in Southend-on-Sea, rent included.

London $7,595
Southend-on-Sea $4,779

London costs about 74% more than Southend-on-Sea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Southend-on-Sea sit above the global median – London by 195%, Southend-on-Sea by 70%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$19.89 £14.92

30.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$83.2 £62.5

27.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$9.17 £6.88

16.79%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$4.37 £3.28

25.17%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$2.65 £1.99

12.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$1.91 £1.44

15.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$7.05 £5.29

29.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$4.64 £3.48

71.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.46 £1.10

27.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.40 £1.05

47.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$1.35 £1.01

79.26%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$4.13 £3.10

23.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$7.82 £5.87

64.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$6.51 £4.89

60.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$15.04 £11.28

12.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$3.02 £2.26

2.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.35 £1.01

3.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$2.01 £1.51

53.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$2.60 £1.95

25.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.78 £1.33

-11.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.83 £1.37

-4.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$0.89 £0.67

57.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.58 £1.18

13.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$22.06 £16.55

5.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$10.13 £7.60

28.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$3.32 £2.49

-4.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$3.29 £2.47

34.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$2.72 £2.04

49.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

$46.26 £34.70

433.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$5.77 £4.33

-3.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$2.70 £2.03

24.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$48.18 £36.15

17.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$2.06 £1.54

3.40%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$38.1K £28.6K

0.28%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$40.5K £30.4K

0.86%

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

$372 £279

$177 £133

110.49%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$18.31 £13.74

-2.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$42.18 £31.65

-4.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$3.92 £2.94

352.55%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$1,959 £1,470

46.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$19.6K £14.7K

79.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$85.1 £63.8

34.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$46.31 £34.74

17.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$92.7 £69.6

33.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$105 £78.6

55.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$1,359 £1,020

111.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$1,247 £935

79.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,951

$2,334 £1,751

125.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,835

$2,372 £1,780

59.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

$4,640 £3,481

295.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,020

$3,970 £2,978

102.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,779

$3,700 £2,776

36.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

5.04

-5.95%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Southend-on-Sea: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Southend-on-Sea

$1.2K 54.5% 44.2% $986

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Southend-on-Sea

$237 10.4% 44.9% $193

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Southend-on-Sea

$302 13.2% 22.1% $86

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Southend-on-Sea

$271 11.8% 22.5% $79

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Southend-on-Sea

$76 3.3% 73.2% $209

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Southend-on-Sea

$148 6.5% 27.8% $57

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Southend-on-Sea

$7.8 * 0.3% 91.8% $88

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,869 in London versus $1,359 in Southend-on-Sea. 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 36% 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 $83.0 in Southend-on-Sea. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $271 – making Southend-on-Sea the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇬🇧 Southend-on-Sea

🕒 Local time

04:45 4:45 AM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

181,808

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Southend-on-Sea 58 km

From you

London
Southend-on-Sea

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 Southend-on-Sea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,986 in London, $2,289 in Southend-on-Sea – roughly 74% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $3,434 in Southend-on-Sea. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 29% 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 $83.0 in Southend-on-Sea. 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 Southend-on-Sea, where all-in costs run around $2,289, than in London at $3,986. In Southend-on-Sea 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 $2,289 in Southend-on-Sea to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Southend-on-Sea. 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.