Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Varkaus

For one person, living is cheaper in Varkaus: $1,899 a month against $4,048 in London, rent and utilities included – about $25,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

London, United Kingdom
Varkaus, Finland
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$4,048
/mo nomad
Varkaus
🇫🇮 Finland
$1,899
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Varkaus

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

A single person spends $4,048 per month in London vs $1,899 in Varkaus, rent included.

  • London $4,048
  • Varkaus $1,899

A couple spends around $5,903 per month in London vs $3,014 in Varkaus, rent included.

  • London $5,903
  • Varkaus $3,014

A family of three spends $7,758 per month in London vs $4,128 in Varkaus, rent included.

  • London $7,758
  • Varkaus $4,128

London costs about 113% more than Varkaus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Varkaus sit above the global median – London by 199%, Varkaus by 40%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
London
Varkaus
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.36 £19.59
$15.36 €13.68
71.61%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$109 £80.7
$102 €90.6
6.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.71 £7.96
$12.24 €10.90
-12.50%
Cappuccino
$5.59 £4.15
$5.33 €4.75
4.88%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 £2.23
$3.57 €3.18
-15.97%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 £1.65
$2.85 €2.54
-22.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.65 £7.17
$8.69 €7.74
11.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.26 £6.14
$8.31 €7.40
-0.60%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
Varkaus
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.97 £1.46
$1.40 €1.25
40.71%
White Bread (500g)
$2.09 £1.55
$3.09 €2.75
-32.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.59 £1.93
$3.64 €3.24
-28.85%
Eggs
$5.37 £3.99
$4.00 €3.56
34.25%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.12 £9.75
$10.68 €9.51
22.85%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.03 £8.20
$16.59 €14.77
-33.51%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.73 £13.17
$20.92 €18.63
-15.25%
Apples (1kg)
$3.17 £2.36
$2.66 €2.36
19.17%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 £1.03
$2.09 €1.86
-33.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.82 £2.10
$3.55 €3.16
-20.56%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.36 £2.50
$4.84 €4.31
-30.58%
Potato (1kg)
$1.70 £1.26
$1.24 €1.10
37.10%
Onion (1kg)
$1.78 £1.32
$1.88 €1.67
-5.32%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.49 £1.11
$2.39 €2.13
-37.66%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 £1.35
$1.88 €1.68
-3.19%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.85 £17.72
$12.36 €11.00
92.96%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.44 £9.98
$13.35 €11.89
0.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.11 £2.31
$3.69 €3.28
-15.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.49 £3.34
$5.07 €4.52
-11.44%
🚌 Getting Around
London
Varkaus
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.13 £3.07
$3.41 €3.03
21.11%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$266 £198
$66.1 €58.8
302.69%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.98 £4.44
$9.61 €8.56
-37.77%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.39 £2.52
$1.76 €1.57
92.61%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$56.6 £42.03
$51.1 €45.54
10.58%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.21 £1.64
$2.33 €2.07
-5.15%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.3K £28.4K
$36.9K €32.9K
3.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.0K £30.5K
$37.4K €33.3K
9.66%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
Varkaus
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$372 £277
$107 €95.6
246.90%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.66 £13.87
$26.91 €23.96
-30.66%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.53 £30.12
$28.94 €25.77
40.05%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
Varkaus
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.0 £41.63
$43.40 €38.65
29.08%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.10 £12.71
$22.35 €19.90
-23.49%
Cinema Ticket
$17.95 £13.34
$17.79 €15.84
0.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
Varkaus
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,946 £2,189
$725 €646
306.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$47.6K £35.4K
$12.4K €11.1K
283.36%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
Varkaus
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$116 £86.4
$121 €108
-3.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$56.9 £42.28
$56.5 €50.3
0.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$128 £95.1
$88.9 €79.2
43.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$154 £114
$176 €157
-12.62%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
Varkaus
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,935 £2,182
$787 €701
273.03%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,258 £1,678
$638 €568
253.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,250 £3,901
$1,248 €1,112
320.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,859 £2,868
$1,055 €940
265.65%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$17.2K £12.8K
$4,070 €3,624
322.23%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,278 £6,152
$2,174 €1,936
280.69%
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
Varkaus
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,621 £4,177
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.78
3.59
33.15%

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

Last update for London: November 1, 2026

Last update for Varkaus: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
London
$2.3K
Varkaus
$638 71.7% $1.6K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
$432
Varkaus
$163 62.2% $268
Eating Out
London
$396
Varkaus
$309 21.8% $86
Groceries & Markets
London
$360
Varkaus
$412 14.5% $52
Getting Around
London
$305
Varkaus
$98 67.9% $207
Clothing & Footwear
London
$205
Varkaus
$199 2.8% $5.7
Sport & Entertainment
London
$92
Varkaus
$79 14.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,935 in London versus $787 in Varkaus. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $109 in London versus $102 in Varkaus. Groceries tell a different story – $360 in London vs $412 in Varkaus – so London wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇬🇧 London
🇫🇮 Varkaus
🕒 Local time
17:37 5:37 PM
19:37 7:37 PM
2 h ahead of London
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,908,083 Capital
20,257
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.743 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.835 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • London Varkaus 2,060 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • London
  • Varkaus

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 Varkaus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in London and in Varkaus compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $4,048 in London, $1,899 in Varkaus – Varkaus comes out roughly 53% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in London compared to Varkaus?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,072 per month in London and $2,849 in Varkaus. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between London and Varkaus?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Varkaus, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $787 there versus $2,935 in London.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 13% cheaper in London – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $109 in London and $102 in Varkaus. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Varkaus, where all-in costs run around $1,899, than in London at $4,048. In Varkaus it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: London or Varkaus?
Families tend to lean toward Varkaus – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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