Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Swindon

For one person, living is cheaper in Swindon: $2,768 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 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
133

Cost of Living Index in Swindon
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Swindon Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Swindon

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,768

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Swindon

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

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $2,768 in Swindon, rent included.

London $4,086
Swindon $2,768

A couple spends around $5,891 per month in London vs $3,814 in Swindon, rent included.

London $5,891
Swindon $3,814

A family of three spends $7,696 per month in London vs $4,861 in Swindon, rent included.

London $7,696
Swindon $4,861

London costs about 48% more than Swindon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Swindon sit above the global median – London by 200%, Swindon by 103%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.55 £19.98

$20.27 £15.25

30.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £80.5

$63.0 £47.42

69.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 £8.12

$10.72 £8.07

0.56%

Cappuccino

$5.71 £4.30

$4.79 £3.61

19.21%

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

$3.01 £2.26

$3.12 £2.35

-3.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 £1.72

$1.60 £1.21

43.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.08 £6.84

$5.72 £4.30

58.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 £6.07

$4.62 £3.48

74.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 £1.43

$1.67 £1.26

13.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 £1.53

$1.96 £1.47

3.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 £1.84

$1.87 £1.41

31.02%

Eggs

$5.07 £3.82

$4.49 £3.38

12.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.71 £9.56

$9.48 £7.14

34.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.61 £7.99

$9.18 £6.91

15.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.68 £13.31

$14.45 £10.88

22.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 £2.39

$3.11 £2.34

1.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 £1.09

$2.47 £1.86

-41.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 £2.36

$4.08 £3.07

-23.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.41 £2.57

$4.24 £3.19

-19.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$2.02 £1.52

-17.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 £1.33

$1.73 £1.31

2.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 £1.08

$1.97 £1.48

-27.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.41

$1.72 £1.29

8.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.91 £17.99

$23.34 £17.57

2.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.48 £10.14

$15.27 £11.49

-11.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 £2.32

$3.86 £2.91

-20.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 £3.31

$3.82 £2.88

14.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.08 £3.07

$4.09 £3.08

-0.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$252 £190

$98.9 £74.5

154.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 £4.32

$6.79 £5.11

-15.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.35 £2.52

$1.69 £1.27

98.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.2 £43.07

$21.54 £16.21

165.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.57

$2.03 £1.53

2.46%

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

$38.0K £28.6K

$39.0K £29.4K

-2.66%

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

$40.4K £30.4K

$40.8K £30.7K

-1.01%

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

$387 £291

$636 £479

-39.14%

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

$18.57 £13.98

$16.23 £12.21

14.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 £30.62

$44.50 £33.49

-8.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.6 £43.33

$34.18 £25.73

68.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 £14.87

$23.11 £17.39

-14.54%

Cinema Ticket

$18.33 £13.79

$17.61 £13.25

4.09%

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

$2,957 £2,225

$1,966 £1,480

50.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.9K £27.0K

$5,376 £4,046

567.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$119 £89.4

$89.0 £67.0

33.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 £42.35

$43.92 £33.06

28.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 £98.5

$81.8 £61.6

60.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 £124

$85.5 £64.4

92.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,811 £2,116

$1,262 £950

122.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,291 £1,724

$1,085 £817

111.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,185 £3,902

$2,027 £1,526

155.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,805 £2,864

$1,698 £1,278

124.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.7K £13.3K

$5,289 £3,981

233.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,405 £6,325

$3,741 £2,816

124.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,070 £3,816

$2,969 £2,235

70.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

5.59

-14.31%

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

Last update for London: October 26, 2026

Last update for Swindon: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.1%

Swindon

$1.1K 39.2% 52.6% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$446 10.9%

Swindon

$697 25.2% 56.1% $250

Eating Out

London

$396 9.7%

Swindon

$309 11.2% 22.1% $88

Groceries & Markets

London

$356 8.7%

Swindon

$343 12.4% 3.6% $13

Getting Around

London

$291 7.1%

Swindon

$131 4.7% 55.1% $160

Clothing & Footwear

London

$212 5.2%

Swindon

$135 4.9% 36.2% $77

Sport & Entertainment

London

$94 2.3%

Swindon

$69 2.5% 26.4% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,811 in London versus $1,262 in Swindon. 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 71% higher in London. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London versus $63 in Swindon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $356 vs $343 – making Swindon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇬🇧 Swindon

🕒 Local time

22:10 10:10 PM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

183,638

💱 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 Swindon 110 km

From you

London
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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 Swindon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,086 in London, $2,768 in Swindon – Swindon comes out roughly 32% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,129 per month in London and $4,152 in Swindon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Swindon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,262 there versus $2,811 in London.

Groceries cost about 4% more in London, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London and $63 in Swindon. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

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