Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Swansea

For one person, living is cheaper in Swansea: $2,196 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $22,700 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
106

Cost of Living Index in Swansea
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Swansea Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Swansea

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,196

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Swansea

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

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $2,196 in Swansea, rent included.

London $4,086
Swansea $2,196

A couple spends around $5,891 per month in London vs $3,130 in Swansea, rent included.

London $5,891
Swansea $3,130

A family of three spends $7,696 per month in London vs $4,065 in Swansea, rent included.

London $7,696
Swansea $4,065

London costs about 86% more than Swansea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Swansea sit above the global median – London by 200%, Swansea by 61%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.55 £19.82

$20.41 £15.24

30.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$63.1 £47.08

69.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 £8.05

$10.47 £7.82

2.96%

Cappuccino

$5.71 £4.27

$4.76 £3.56

19.96%

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

$3.01 £2.25

$2.36 £1.76

27.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 £1.71

$1.26 £0.94

81.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.08 £6.78

$5.89 £4.40

54.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 £6.02

$6.38 £4.77

26.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 £1.42

$1.34 £1.00

41.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 £1.51

$2.05 £1.53

-0.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 £1.83

$2.06 £1.54

18.93%

Eggs

$5.07 £3.79

$3.52 £2.62

44.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.71 £9.49

$7.78 £5.81

63.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.61 £7.92

$8.33 £6.22

27.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.68 £13.20

$12.87 £9.61

37.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 £2.37

$2.32 £1.73

36.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 £1.08

$1.24 £0.93

16.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 £2.34

$2.87 £2.14

9.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.41 £2.55

$3.57 £2.67

-4.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.25

$2.25 £1.68

-25.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 £1.32

$3.05 £2.28

-41.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 £1.07

$1.27 £0.95

12.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.39

$2.29 £1.71

-18.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.91 £17.85

$23.23 £17.34

2.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.48 £10.06

$10.63 £7.93

26.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 £2.30

$2.33 £1.74

32.19%

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

$4.12 £3.08

-0.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$252 £188

$97.1 £72.5

159.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 £4.29

$3.95 £2.95

45.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.35 £2.50

$2.68 £2.00

25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.2 £42.73

$33.33 £24.88

71.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$1.95 £1.46

6.67%

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

$38.0K £28.4K

$38.9K £29.1K

-2.37%

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

$40.4K £30.2K

$40.5K £30.2K

-0.17%

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

$387 £289

$306 £229

26.27%

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

$18.57 £13.87

$14.81 £11.06

25.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 £30.38

$43.20 £32.26

-5.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.6 £42.99

$33.28 £24.85

72.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 £14.75

$15.52 £11.59

27.26%

Cinema Ticket

$18.33 £13.68

$9.85 £7.36

86.09%

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

$2,957 £2,208

$1,777 £1,327

66.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.9K £26.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$119 £88.7

$89.7 £66.9

32.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 £42.01

$48.22 £36.01

16.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 £97.7

$122 £91.3

7.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 £123

$82.6 £61.6

99.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,811 £2,099

$1,112 £830

152.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,291 £1,711

$891 £665

157.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,185 £3,871

$1,500 £1,120

245.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,805 £2,841

$1,337 £999

184.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.7K £13.2K

$3,563 £2,660

395.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,405 £6,275

$2,615 £1,952

221.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,070 £3,786

$3,263 £2,436

55.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

6.04

-20.70%

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

Last update for London: October 26, 2026

Last update for Swansea: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.1%

Swansea

$891 40.6% 61.1% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$446 10.9%

Swansea

$364 16.6% 18.3% $82

Eating Out

London

$396 9.7%

Swansea

$309 14.1% 22.1% $88

Groceries & Markets

London

$356 8.7%

Swansea

$293 13.4% 17.5% $62

Getting Around

London

$291 7.1%

Swansea

$131 6% 55% $160

Clothing & Footwear

London

$212 5.2%

Swansea

$154 7% 27.2% $58

Sport & Entertainment

London

$94 2.3%

Swansea

$53 2.4% 43.8% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,811 in London versus $1,112 in Swansea. 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 55% 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 $63 in Swansea. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $356 vs $293 – making Swansea the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇬🇧 Swansea

🕒 Local time

15:28 3:28 PM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

239,000

💱 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 Swansea 260 km

From you

London
Swansea

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 Swansea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,086 in London, $2,196 in Swansea – Swansea comes out roughly 46% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,129 per month in London and $3,293 in Swansea. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Swansea, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,112 there versus $2,811 in London.

Groceries cost about 21% more in London, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London and $63 in Swansea. 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 $4,086 in London and $2,196 in Swansea. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Swansea costs $2,196 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 Swansea. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.