Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Vac

For one person, living is cheaper in Vac: $1,305 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $32,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

194

Cost of Living Index in London
Learn more

London Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Vac
Learn more

Vac Living Index

Jump to prices

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Vac

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,305

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Vac

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

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $1,305 in Vac, rent included.

London $3,986
Vac $1,305

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $2,214 in Vac, rent included.

London $5,791
Vac $2,214

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $3,123 in Vac, rent included.

London $7,595
Vac $3,123

London costs about 205% more than Vac, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

London sits 195% above the global median, while Vac is 3% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$19.39 Ft 6,266

33.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$110 Ft 35.5K

-3.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$9.14 Ft 2,952

17.18%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$2.41 Ft 780

126.97%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$1.51 Ft 488

96.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$1.21 Ft 392

81.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$2.23 Ft 719

309.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$2.27 Ft 732

249.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.31 Ft 425

41.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.49 Ft 480

38.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$2.25 Ft 727

7.56%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$3.15 Ft 1,016

61.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$8.68 Ft 2,805

48.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$6.01 Ft 1,942

73.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$16.06 Ft 5,188

5.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$1.79 Ft 579

73.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$2.08 Ft 673

-32.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$2.05 Ft 663

50.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$2.40 Ft 776

36.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.59 Ft 513

-0.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.10 Ft 355

58.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.37 Ft 444

2.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.45 Ft 144

300.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$7.64 Ft 2,468

204.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$4.96 Ft 1,603

162.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$0.89 Ft 289

256.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$2.14 Ft 691

106.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$1.07 Ft 346

280.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

$25.11 Ft 8,114

882.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$3.38 Ft 1,092

65.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$1.40 Ft 453

140.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.57

$17.86 Ft 5,772

217.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$1.92 Ft 620

10.94%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$27.9K Ft 9.0M

36.93%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$33.9K Ft 11.0M

20.57%

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

$372 £279

$152 Ft 49.1K

144.95%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$23.32 Ft 7,535

-23.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$20.92 Ft 6,759

92.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$49.14 Ft 15.9K

22.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

$19.67 Ft 6,354

8.24%

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$8.90 Ft 2,874

99.33%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$251 Ft 81.1K

1041.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$7,896 Ft 2.6M

347.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$90.3 Ft 29.2K

26.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$31.40 Ft 10.1K

72.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$85.7 Ft 27.7K

44.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$102 Ft 33.0K

59.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$519 Ft 167.8K

452.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$393 Ft 126.8K

468.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,950

$824 Ft 266.1K

539.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,834

$760 Ft 245.6K

397.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

$3,105 Ft 1.0M

490.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,019

$2,588 Ft 836.1K

210.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,778

$1,418 Ft 458.0K

255.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

6.67

-28.94%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Vac: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Vac

$393 30.1% 82.4% $1.8K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Vac

$196 15% 54.4% $234

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Vac

$238 18.2% 38.6% $149

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Vac

$232 17.8% 33.6% $117

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Vac

$40 3.1% 86.1% $246

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Vac

$139 10.7% 32.1% $66

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Vac

$67 5.1% 29.9% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,869 in London versus $519 in Vac. 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 255% 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 $110 in Vac. Groceries tell a different story – $349 in London vs $232 in Vac – so Vac wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇭🇺 Vac

🕒 Local time

04:23 4:23 AM

05:23 5:23 AM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

34,001

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

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).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Vac 1,440 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

London
Vac

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 Vac: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,986 in London, $1,305 in Vac – roughly 205% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $1,957 in Vac. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 51% 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 $107 in London and $110 in Vac. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Vac, where all-in costs run around $1,305, than in London at $3,986. In Vac 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 $1,305 in Vac to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Vac. 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.