Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Surrey, United Kingdom

For one person, living is cheaper in Surrey: $3,025 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

195

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
148

Cost of Living Index in Surrey
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Surrey Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Surrey

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,025

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Surrey

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

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $3,025 in Surrey, rent included.

London $4,086
Surrey $3,025

A couple spends around $5,891 per month in London vs $4,456 in Surrey, rent included.

London $5,891
Surrey $4,456

A family of three spends $7,696 per month in London vs $5,887 in Surrey, rent included.

London $7,696
Surrey $5,887

London costs about 35% more than Surrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Surrey sit above the global median – London by 200%, Surrey by 122%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.55 £19.98

$23.47 £17.66

13.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £80.5

$59.5 £44.75

79.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 £8.12

$9.62 £7.24

12.06%

Cappuccino

$5.71 £4.30

$4.77 £3.59

19.71%

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

$3.01 £2.26

$2.26 £1.70

33.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 £1.72

$1.48 £1.11

54.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.08 £6.84

$6.54 £4.92

38.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 £6.07

$6.15 £4.63

31.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 £1.43

$1.31 £0.99

45.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 £1.53

$2.10 £1.58

-3.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 £1.84

$1.60 £1.21

53.13%

Eggs

$5.07 £3.82

$4.15 £3.13

22.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.71 £9.56

$8.62 £6.49

47.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.61 £7.99

$9.33 £7.02

13.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.68 £13.31

$16.52 £12.43

7.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 £2.39

$3.19 £2.40

-0.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 £1.09

$1.48 £1.12

-2.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 £2.36

$2.03 £1.53

54.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.41 £2.57

$3.26 £2.45

4.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$1.38 £1.04

21.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 £1.33

$1.79 £1.35

-1.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 £1.08

$1.40 £1.06

2.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.41

$1.17 £0.88

59.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.91 £17.99

$23.32 £17.55

2.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.48 £10.14

$10.47 £7.88

28.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 £2.32

$2.22 £1.67

38.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 £3.31

$2.50 £1.88

75.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.08 £3.07

$3.90 £2.93

4.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$252 £190

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 £4.32

$5.22 £3.93

9.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.35 £2.52

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.2 £43.07

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.57

$1.93 £1.45

7.77%

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

$38.0K £28.6K

$38.1K £28.7K

-0.38%

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

$40.4K £30.4K

$41.0K £30.8K

-1.38%

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

$387 £291

$263 £198

47.30%

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

$18.57 £13.98

$13.29 £10.00

39.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 £30.62

$35.87 £27.00

13.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.6 £43.33

$52.7 £39.69

9.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 £14.87

$18.44 £13.88

7.10%

Cinema Ticket

$18.33 £13.79

$13.07 £9.84

40.24%

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

$2,957 £2,225

$2,137 £1,609

38.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.9K £27.0K

$29.9K £22.5K

20.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$119 £89.4

$52.7 £39.69

125.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 £42.35

$40.02 £30.12

40.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 £98.5

$87.4 £65.8

49.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 £124

$93.0 £70.0

76.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,811 £2,116

$1,945 £1,463

44.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,291 £1,724

$1,864 £1,403

22.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,185 £3,902

$3,308 £2,489

56.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,805 £2,864

$3,400 £2,559

11.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.7K £13.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,405 £6,325

$7,255 £5,460

15.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,070 £3,816

$4,565 £3,436

11.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

5.4

-11.30%

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

Last update for London: October 26, 2026

Last update for Surrey: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.1%

Surrey

$1.9K 61.6% 18.6% $427

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$446 10.9%

Surrey

$312 10.3% 30.1% $134

Eating Out

London

$396 9.7%

Surrey

$334 11% 15.7% $62

Groceries & Markets

London

$356 8.7%

Surrey

$293 9.7% 17.6% $63

Getting Around

London

$291 7.1%

Surrey

$21 * 0.7% 92.9% $270

Clothing & Footwear

London

$212 5.2%

Surrey

$123 4.1% 42% $89

Sport & Entertainment

London

$94 2.3%

Surrey

$79 2.6% 16.3% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,811 in London versus $1,945 in Surrey. 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 11% 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 $59 in Surrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $356 vs $293 – making Surrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇬🇧 Surrey

🕒 Local time

15:50 3:50 PM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

585

💱 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

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Between locations

London Surrey 30 km

From you

London
Surrey

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 Surrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,086 in London, $3,025 in Surrey – roughly 35% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,129 per month in London and $4,538 in Surrey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Surrey, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,945 there versus $2,811 in London.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,086 in London and $3,025 in Surrey. That’s a gap of about 35%.

Kindergarten costs $2,957 per month in London and $2,137 in Surrey. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,086 in London and $3,025 in Surrey. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Surrey – 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 Surrey. 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.