Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Stafford

For one person, living is cheaper in Stafford: $2,238 a month against $4,048 in London, rent and utilities included – about $21,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Stafford
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Stafford Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,048

/mo nomad

Stafford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,238

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Stafford

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

A single person spends $4,048 per month in London vs $2,238 in Stafford, rent included.

London $4,048
Stafford $2,238

A couple spends around $5,903 per month in London vs $3,350 in Stafford, rent included.

London $5,903
Stafford $3,350

A family of three spends $7,758 per month in London vs $4,461 in Stafford, rent included.

London $7,758
Stafford $4,461

London costs about 81% more than Stafford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Stafford sit above the global median – London by 199%, Stafford by 66%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.36 £19.55

$21.50 £15.95

22.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$109 £80.5

$75.0 £55.6

44.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £7.94

$10.54 £7.82

1.61%

Cappuccino

$5.59 £4.14

$4.71 £3.50

18.68%

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

$3.00 £2.23

$2.07 £1.53

44.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 £1.65

$1.75 £1.30

26.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.65 £7.16

$6.65 £4.93

45.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.26 £6.12

$5.21 £3.87

58.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 £1.46

$1.80 £1.33

9.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 £1.55

$1.55 £1.15

34.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 £1.92

$2.10 £1.56

23.33%

Eggs

$5.37 £3.98

$3.56 £2.64

50.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.12 £9.73

$10.25 £7.60

28.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.03 £8.18

$9.07 £6.73

21.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.73 £13.15

$12.79 £9.49

38.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 £2.35

$2.89 £2.14

9.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.75 £1.30

-21.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 £2.09

$3.67 £2.72

-23.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 £2.49

$3.43 £2.55

-2.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 £1.26

$2.07 £1.54

-17.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 £1.32

$1.81 £1.34

-1.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 £1.10

$1.18 £0.88

26.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 £1.35

$1.66 £1.23

9.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.85 £17.69

$21.78 £16.15

9.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.44 £9.96

$9.50 £7.04

41.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 £2.31

$3.39 £2.51

-8.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 £3.33

$3.87 £2.87

16.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.13 £3.06

$4.73 £3.50

-12.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$266 £197

$92.5 £68.6

187.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.98 £4.44

$2.75 £2.04

117.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.39 £2.51

$1.36 £1.01

149.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.6 £41.94

$25.75 £19.10

119.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 £1.64

$2.10 £1.56

5.24%

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

$38.3K £28.4K

$38.4K £28.5K

-0.37%

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

$41.0K £30.4K

$40.7K £30.2K

0.85%

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

$372 £276

$294 £218

26.69%

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

$18.66 £13.84

$20.19 £14.97

-7.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.53 £30.06

$42.52 £31.53

-4.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.0 £41.54

$40.64 £30.14

37.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.10 £12.68

$19.57 £14.51

-12.62%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.31

$15.81 £11.72

13.54%

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

$2,946 £2,184

$1,250 £927

135.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$47.6K £35.3K

$7,719 £5,724

516.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £86.2

$75.5 £56.0

53.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.9 £42.19

$47.03 £34.88

20.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 £94.9

$84.7 £62.8

51.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 £114

$98.2 £72.8

56.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,935 £2,177

$1,149 £852

155.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,258 £1,675

$926 £687

143.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,250 £3,893

$1,596 £1,184

228.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,859 £2,862

$1,639 £1,215

135.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.2K £12.7K

$3,986 £2,956

331.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,278 £6,139

$3,330 £2,470

148.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,621 £4,168

$2,998 £2,224

87.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.78

5.37

-10.99%

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

Last update for London: November 1, 2026

Last update for Stafford: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 55.8%

Stafford

$926 41.4% 59% $1.3K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$432 10.7%

Stafford

$357 15.9% 17.4% $75

Eating Out

London

$396 9.8%

Stafford

$319 14.3% 19.3% $76

Groceries & Markets

London

$360 8.9%

Stafford

$306 13.7% 15.2% $55

Getting Around

London

$305 7.6%

Stafford

$121 5.4% 60.4% $184

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Stafford

$137 6.1% 32.9% $67

Sport & Entertainment

London

$92 2.3%

Stafford

$72 3.2% 21.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,935 in London versus $1,149 in Stafford. 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 87% higher in London. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $109 in London versus $75 in Stafford. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $360 vs $306 – making Stafford the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇬🇧 Stafford

🕒 Local time

13:02 1:02 PM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

71,673

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

London Stafford 200 km

From you

London
Stafford

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 Stafford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,048 in London, $2,238 in Stafford – Stafford comes out roughly 45% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,072 per month in London and $3,357 in Stafford. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Stafford, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,149 there versus $2,935 in London.

Groceries cost about 18% more in London, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $109 in London and $75 in Stafford. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,048 in London and $2,238 in Stafford. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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