Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Tehran

For one person, living is cheaper in Tehran: $625 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $41,500 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Tehran
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Tehran Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Tehran

🇮🇷 Iran

$625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Tehran

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

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $625 in Tehran, rent included.

London $4,086
Tehran $625

A couple spends around $5,816 per month in London vs $1,071 in Tehran, rent included.

London $5,816
Tehran $1,071

A family of three spends $7,546 per month in London vs $1,516 in Tehran, rent included.

London $7,546
Tehran $1,516

London costs about 553% more than Tehran, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

London sits 205% above the global median, while Tehran is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.62 £20.12

$3.66 $3.66

627.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.3

$17.96 $17.96

499.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 £7.86

$3.96 $3.96

162.37%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.69 $0.69

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

Cappuccino

$5.79 £4.38

$1.39 $1.39

316.55%

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

$3.01 £2.27

$0.49 $0.49

514.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.63

$1.65 $1.65

30.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.35 £7.07

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 £5.93

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 £1.35

$0.70 $0.70

155.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 £1.56

$0.62 $0.62

232.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 £1.74

$3.48 $3.48

-33.62%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.82

$1.23 $1.23

310.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 £9.50

$4.29 $4.29

193.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 £8.05

$3.45 $3.45

208.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 £12.95

$10.40 $10.40

64.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$1.40 $1.40

116.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.07

$1.87 $1.87

-24.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.31

$1.20 $1.20

154.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.56

$0.67 $0.67

404.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$0.54 $0.54

209.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.31

$0.47 $0.47

268.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.07

$0.58 $0.58

143.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.35

$0.28 $0.28

539.29%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.77 $0.77

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 $0.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.22 £17.55

$2.56 $2.56

807.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 £9.82

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.41

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 £3.34

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 £2.93

$0.11 $0.11

3418.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$250 £189

$5.46 $5.46

4479.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 £4.31

$0.52 $0.52

998.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 £2.51

$0.29 $0.29

1048.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.9 £43.77

$3.02 $3.02

1817.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.54

$0.10 $0.10

1940.00%

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

$37.5K £28.4K

$50.0K $50.0K

-24.96%

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

$40.9K £30.9K

$44.5K $44.5K

-8.15%

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

$376 £284

$12.91 $12.91

2813.17%

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

$17.88 £13.51

$1.64 $1.64

990.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.01 £30.25

$3.79 $3.79

955.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 £46.23

$24.40 $24.40

150.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 £15.93

$13.24 $13.24

59.14%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.57

$1.96 $1.96

815.82%

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

$2,865 £2,166

$106 $106

2591.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.7K

$2,548 $2,548

1287.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.7

$26.42 $26.42

339.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 £40.88

$37.23 $37.23

45.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 £95.7

$117 $117

8.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 £120

$75.0 $75.0

112.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,853 £2,157

$420 $420

579.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 £1,740

$267 $267

761.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,201 £3,932

$941 $941

452.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,723 £2,814

$637 $637

484.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.0K £14.4K

$1,238 $1,238

1436.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,881 £5,957

$708 $708

1012.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,818 £3,642

$211 $211

2183.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

24.79

-81.24%

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

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Last update for Tehran: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.5%

Tehran

$267 42.4% 88.4% $2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$434 10.7%

Tehran

$18 2.9% 95.8% $416

Eating Out

London

$397 9.7%

Tehran

$66 10.5% 83.2% $330

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.6%

Tehran

$128 20.3% 63.4% $222

Getting Around

London

$288 7.1%

Tehran

$7.9 1.3% 97.3% $280

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5%

Tehran

$115 18.2% 44% $90

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Tehran

$28 4.5% 70.8% $69

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,853 in London versus $420 in Tehran. 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 2184% 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 $18.00 in Tehran. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $128 – making Tehran the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇮🇷 Tehran

🕒 Local time

11:24 11:24 AM

13:54 1:54 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

8,000,000 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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 = 0.847 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

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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 Tehran: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,086 in London, $625 in Tehran – roughly 553% 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 $938 in Tehran. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 173% 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 $18.00 in Tehran. 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 Tehran, where all-in costs run around $625, than in London at $4,086. In Tehran 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 $625 in Tehran to $4,086 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Tehran. 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.