Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Surat

For one person, living is cheaper in Surat: $806 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $39,400 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Surat
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Surat Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Surat

🇮🇳 India

$806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Surat

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

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $806 in Surat, rent included.

London $4,086
Surat $806

A couple spends around $5,816 per month in London vs $826 in Surat, rent included.

London $5,816
Surat $826

A family of three spends $7,546 per month in London vs $847 in Surat, rent included.

London $7,546
Surat $847

London costs about 407% more than Surat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

London sits 205% above the global median, while Surat is 40% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.62 £20.11

$3.18 ₹307

737.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.3

$10.40 ₹1,006

934.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 £7.85

$3.14 ₹304

230.89%

Cappuccino

$5.79 £4.38

$1.83 ₹177

216.39%

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

$3.01 £2.27

$0.36 ₹34.38

736.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.63

$0.15 ₹14.56

1333.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.35 £7.06

$2.92 ₹282

220.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 £5.93

$3.19 ₹309

145.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 £1.35

$0.73 ₹70.9

145.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 £1.56

$0.47 ₹45.50

338.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 £1.74

$0.66 ₹63.5

250.00%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.82

$0.95 ₹91.5

431.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 £9.50

$4.34 ₹420

189.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 £8.05

$2.73 ₹265

290.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 £12.94

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$1.70 ₹164

78.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.07

$0.62 ₹59.6

127.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.31

$0.80 ₹77.4

281.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.56

$0.54 ₹52.2

525.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$0.35 ₹33.56

377.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.31

$0.43 ₹41.73

302.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.07

$0.48 ₹46.59

193.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.35

$0.30 ₹28.89

496.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.22 £17.55

$5.12 ₹495

353.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 £9.82

$7.60 ₹735

70.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.40

$1.86 ₹180

70.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 £3.33

$3.01 ₹291

46.51%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.06 ₹586

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 £2.93

$0.22 ₹21.19

1659.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$250 £189

$5.27 ₹510

4644.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 £4.31

$0.59 ₹57.2

867.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 £2.51

$0.22 ₹21.32

1413.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.9 £43.76

$1.07 ₹103

5312.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.54

$1.13 ₹110

80.53%

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

$37.5K £28.4K

$12.1K ₹1.2M

209.05%

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

$40.9K £30.9K

$18.3K ₹1.8M

123.08%

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

$376 £284

$36.72 ₹3,554

924.21%

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

$17.88 £13.51

$3.64 ₹353

391.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.01 £30.24

$7.44 ₹720

437.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 £46.22

$18.59 ₹1,799

228.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 £15.93

$5.16 ₹499

308.33%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.57

$2.88 ₹278

523.26%

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

$2,865 £2,165

$33.35 ₹3,227

8491.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.7K

$891 ₹86.2K

3866.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.7

$22.51 ₹2,179

415.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 £40.87

$24.53 ₹2,374

120.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 £95.7

$40.90 ₹3,958

209.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 £120

$32.42 ₹3,137

391.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,853 £2,156

$216 ₹20.9K

1220.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 £1,739

$499 ₹48.3K

361.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,201 £3,931

$375 ₹36.3K

1288.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,723 £2,813

$201 ₹19.5K

1751.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.0K £14.4K

$660 ₹63.8K

2781.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,881 £5,955

$309 ₹29.9K

2451.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,818 £3,641

$313 ₹30.3K

1438.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

9.17

-49.29%

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

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Last update for Surat: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.5%

Surat

$499 61.3% 78.3% $1.8K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$434 10.7%

Surat

$48 5.9% 89% $386

Eating Out

London

$397 9.7%

Surat

$80 9.8% 79.9% $317

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.6%

Surat

$101 12.4% 71.1% $248

Getting Around

London

$288 7.1%

Surat

$7.8 1% 97.3% $280

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5%

Surat

$54 6.7% 73.6% $151

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Surat

$24 3% 74.9% $73

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,853 in London versus $216 in Surat. 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 1438% 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 $108 in London versus $10.00 in Surat. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $101 – making Surat the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇮🇳 Surat

🕒 Local time

08:18 8:18 AM

12:48 12:48 PM

4 h 30 min ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

6,936,534

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

London Surat 7,010 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

London
Surat

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 Surat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,086 in London, $806 in Surat – roughly 407% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,129 per month in London and $1,209 in Surat. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 246% 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 $108 in London and $10.00 in Surat. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Surat, where all-in costs run around $806, than in London at $4,086. In Surat 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 $806 in Surat to $4,086 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Surat. 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.