Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Wakefield, United Kingdom

For one person, living is cheaper in Wakefield: $2,026 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $24,700 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
98

Cost of Living Index in Wakefield
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Wakefield Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Wakefield

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,026

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Wakefield

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

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $2,026 in Wakefield, rent included.

London $4,086
Wakefield $2,026

A couple spends around $5,891 per month in London vs $3,215 in Wakefield, rent included.

London $5,891
Wakefield $3,215

A family of three spends $7,696 per month in London vs $4,405 in Wakefield, rent included.

London $7,696
Wakefield $4,405

London costs about 102% more than Wakefield, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Wakefield sit above the global median – London by 200%, Wakefield by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.55 £19.95

$19.79 £14.87

34.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £80.4

$82.1 £61.7

30.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 £8.11

$9.87 £7.42

9.22%

Cappuccino

$5.71 £4.29

$4.41 £3.32

29.48%

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

$3.01 £2.26

$2.34 £1.76

28.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 £1.72

$1.33 £1.00

72.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.08 £6.83

$6.10 £4.58

48.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 £6.06

$5.22 £3.92

54.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 £1.43

$1.49 £1.12

27.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 £1.52

$1.92 £1.44

5.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 £1.84

$2.61 £1.96

-6.13%

Eggs

$5.07 £3.81

$4.20 £3.15

20.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.71 £9.55

$7.88 £5.92

61.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.61 £7.97

$8.27 £6.22

28.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.68 £13.29

$13.78 £10.36

28.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 £2.38

$2.97 £2.23

6.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 £1.09

$1.43 £1.08

1.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 £2.35

$2.65 £1.99

18.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.41 £2.56

$2.98 £2.24

14.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.25

$1.75 £1.32

-4.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 £1.33

$1.64 £1.23

7.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 £1.08

$1.19 £0.89

20.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.40

$1.40 £1.06

33.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.91 £17.97

$22.91 £17.22

4.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.48 £10.13

$10.70 £8.04

25.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 £2.32

$3.31 £2.49

-6.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 £3.30

$3.33 £2.50

31.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.08 £3.06

$3.40 £2.56

20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$252 £190

$106 £79.3

139.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 £4.32

$5.45 £4.10

5.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.35 £2.52

$1.43 £1.07

134.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.2 £43.01

$15.75 £11.83

263.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.57

$2.09 £1.57

-0.48%

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

$38.0K £28.6K

$38.6K £29.0K

-1.66%

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

$40.4K £30.4K

$40.4K £30.3K

0.12%

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

$387 £291

$351 £264

10.28%

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

$18.57 £13.96

$15.63 £11.75

18.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 £30.58

$42.67 £32.07

-4.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.6 £43.27

$35.67 £26.80

61.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 £14.85

$27.03 £20.32

-26.93%

Cinema Ticket

$18.33 £13.77

$14.07 £10.58

30.28%

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

$2,957 £2,222

$1,584 £1,190

86.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.9K £27.0K

$24.2K £18.2K

48.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$119 £89.3

$86.9 £65.3

36.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 £42.29

$54.2 £40.72

3.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 £98.4

$93.2 £70.0

40.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 £124

$90.1 £67.7

82.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,811 £2,113

$1,011 £760

178.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,291 £1,722

$687 £517

233.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,185 £3,897

$2,118 £1,592

144.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,805 £2,860

$1,552 £1,167

145.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.7K £13.3K

$3,991 £2,999

342.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,405 £6,317

$2,665 £2,003

215.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,070 £3,811

$2,512 £1,888

101.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

4.77

0.42%

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

Last update for London: October 26, 2026

Last update for Wakefield: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.1%

Wakefield

$687 33.9% 70% $1.6K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$446 10.9%

Wakefield

$409 20.2% 8.3% $37

Eating Out

London

$396 9.7%

Wakefield

$296 14.6% 25.1% $100

Groceries & Markets

London

$356 8.7%

Wakefield

$291 14.4% 18.1% $64

Getting Around

London

$291 7.1%

Wakefield

$132 6.5% 54.7% $159

Clothing & Footwear

London

$212 5.2%

Wakefield

$146 7.2% 31.1% $66

Sport & Entertainment

London

$94 2.3%

Wakefield

$64 3.2% 32.3% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,811 in London versus $1,011 in Wakefield. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in London are about 2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London versus $82 in Wakefield. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $356 vs $291 – making Wakefield the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇬🇧 Wakefield

🕒 Local time

14:04 2:04 PM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

322,300

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Wakefield 260 km

From you

London
Wakefield

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 Wakefield: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,086 in London, $2,026 in Wakefield – roughly 102% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,129 per month in London and $3,039 in Wakefield. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Wakefield, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,011 there versus $2,811 in London.

Groceries cost about 22% 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 $82 in Wakefield. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Wakefield, where all-in costs run around $2,026, than in London at $4,086. In Wakefield it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Wakefield – 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 Wakefield. 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.