Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Tres Cantos

For one person, living is cheaper in Tres Cantos: $1,640 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $28,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,986
/mo nomad
Tres Cantos
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,640
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Tres Cantos

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

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $1,640 in Tres Cantos, rent included.

  • London $3,986
  • Tres Cantos $1,640

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $2,406 in Tres Cantos, rent included.

  • London $5,791
  • Tres Cantos $2,406

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $3,171 in Tres Cantos, rent included.

  • London $7,595
  • Tres Cantos $3,171

London costs about 143% more than Tres Cantos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Tres Cantos sit above the global median – London by 195%, Tres Cantos by 22%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
London
Tres Cantos
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$25.93 £19.45
$16.59 €14.76
56.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$107 £79.9
$56.7 €50.4
87.93%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.71 £8.03
$11.00 €9.78
-2.64%
Cappuccino
$5.47 £4.11
$2.34 €2.08
133.76%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 £2.23
$2.56 €2.28
16.02%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.20 £1.65
$1.87 €1.66
17.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.13 £6.85
$3.39 €3.01
169.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.94 £5.96
$3.55 €3.16
123.66%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
Tres Cantos
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.86 £1.40
$1.18 €1.05
57.63%
White Bread (500g)
$2.07 £1.55
$1.48 €1.32
39.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.42 £1.81
$1.62 €1.44
49.38%
Eggs
$5.09 £3.82
$3.35 €2.98
51.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.87 £9.66
$13.36 €11.88
-3.67%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.43 £7.82
$7.96 €7.08
31.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.87 £12.66
$15.53 €13.81
8.63%
Apples (1kg)
$3.11 £2.33
$2.56 €2.28
21.48%
Banana (1kg)
$1.40 £1.05
$2.01 €1.79
-30.35%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.08 £2.31
$1.91 €1.70
61.26%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.27 £2.45
$2.58 €2.29
26.74%
Potato (1kg)
$1.58 £1.19
$1.79 €1.59
-11.73%
Onion (1kg)
$1.74 £1.31
$1.99 €1.77
-12.56%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.40 £1.05
$1.33 €1.18
5.26%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.80 £1.35
$0.68 €0.60
164.71%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.28 £17.46
$6.32 €5.62
268.35%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.03 £9.77
$5.55 €4.94
134.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.17 £2.38
$1.18 €1.05
168.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 £3.32
$2.23 €1.99
98.21%
🚌 Getting Around
London
Tres Cantos
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.07 £3.05
$1.65 €1.46
146.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$247 £185
$32.40 €28.82
661.60%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.58 £4.18
$3.99 €3.55
39.85%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.36 £2.52
$1.42 €1.26
136.62%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$56.8 £42.58
$23.12 €20.56
145.46%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.13 £1.60
$1.76 €1.56
21.02%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.2K £28.6K
$35.9K €31.9K
6.38%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.9K £30.7K
$28.6K €25.4K
43.17%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
Tres Cantos
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$372 £279
$143 €127
161.16%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.82 £13.37
$18.25 €16.23
-2.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.37 £30.29
$29.50 €26.24
36.85%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
Tres Cantos
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.0 £44.99
$44.25 €39.36
35.53%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.29 £15.97
$15.66 €13.93
35.95%
Cinema Ticket
$17.74 £13.31
$8.91 €7.92
99.10%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
Tres Cantos
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,864 £2,149
$467 €415
513.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$35.3K £26.5K
$8,395 €7,467
320.83%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
Tres Cantos
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$114 £85.5
$86.7 €77.1
31.53%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.3 £40.71
$35.97 €31.99
50.88%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$124 £93.2
$91.3 €81.2
36.12%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$163 £122
$114 €102
42.65%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
Tres Cantos
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,869 £2,152
$884 €786
224.52%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,233 £1,675
$692 €616
222.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,266 £3,951
$1,350 €1,201
289.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,778 £2,835
$1,004 €893
276.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$18.3K £13.8K
$3,352 €2,982
446.93%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,024 £6,020
$2,235 €1,988
258.96%
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
Tres Cantos
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,037 £3,779
$3,300 €2,935
52.64%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.74
3.3
43.64%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Tres Cantos: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
London
$2.2K
Tres Cantos
$692 69% $1.5K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
$430
Tres Cantos
$190 55.8% $240
Eating Out
London
$388
Tres Cantos
$236 39.2% $152
Groceries & Markets
London
$349
Tres Cantos
$263 24.8% $87
Getting Around
London
$285
Tres Cantos
$50 82.5% $235
Clothing & Footwear
London
$205
Tres Cantos
$148 28% $57
Sport & Entertainment
London
$95
Tres Cantos
$62 35% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,869 in London versus $884 in Tres Cantos. 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 53% 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 $57.0 in Tres Cantos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $263 – making Tres Cantos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 London
🇪🇸 Tres Cantos
🕒 Local time
12:51 12:51 PM
13:51 1:51 PM
1 h ahead of London
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,908,083 Capital
51,453
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • London Tres Cantos 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • London
  • Tres Cantos

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 Tres Cantos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in London and in Tres Cantos compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $3,986 in London, $1,640 in Tres Cantos – roughly 143% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in London compared to Tres Cantos?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $2,461 in Tres Cantos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between London and Tres Cantos?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Tres Cantos, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 33% more in London, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London and $57.0 in Tres Cantos. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tres Cantos, where all-in costs run around $1,640, than in London at $3,986. In Tres Cantos it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between London and Tres Cantos?
It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,640 in Tres Cantos to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is London or Tres Cantos safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between London and Tres Cantos?
If budget matters most, go with Tres Cantos. 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.

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