Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Warsaw

For one person, living is cheaper in Warsaw: $2,045 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $24,500 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
100

Cost of Living Index in Warsaw
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Warsaw Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Warsaw

🇵🇱 Poland

$2,045

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Warsaw

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

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $2,045 in Warsaw, rent included.

London $4,086
Warsaw $2,045

A couple spends around $5,816 per month in London vs $2,944 in Warsaw, rent included.

London $5,816
Warsaw $2,944

A family of three spends $7,546 per month in London vs $3,843 in Warsaw, rent included.

London $7,546
Warsaw $3,843

London costs about 100% more than Warsaw, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Warsaw sit above the global median – London by 205%, Warsaw by 53%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.62 £20.12

$11.46 zł 44.74

132.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.3

$61.2 zł 239

75.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 £7.86

$10.40 zł 40.58

-0.10%

Cappuccino

$5.79 £4.38

$4.36 zł 17.03

32.80%

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

$3.01 £2.27

$2.22 zł 8.65

35.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.63

$2.24 zł 8.73

-4.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.35 £7.07

$4.67 zł 18.24

100.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 £5.93

$5.20 zł 20.28

50.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.05 zł 4.11

70.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 £1.56

$1.54 zł 6.00

33.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 £1.74

$1.58 zł 6.15

46.20%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.82

$3.81 zł 14.88

32.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 £9.50

$8.71 zł 34.00

44.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 £8.05

$6.49 zł 25.34

64.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 £12.95

$14.86 zł 58.0

15.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$1.20 zł 4.70

152.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.07

$1.67 zł 6.51

-15.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.31

$1.64 zł 6.38

85.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.56

$4.25 zł 16.58

-20.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$0.92 zł 3.60

81.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.31

$0.87 zł 3.40

98.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.07

$1.48 zł 5.77

-4.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.35

$0.64 zł 2.51

179.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.22 £17.55

$6.37 zł 24.86

264.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 £9.82

$6.37 zł 24.84

103.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.41

$1.09 zł 4.25

191.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 £3.34

$1.63 zł 6.37

170.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 £2.93

$1.12 zł 4.35

245.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$250 £189

$28.30 zł 110

783.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 £4.31

$2.63 zł 10.24

117.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 £2.51

$1.26 zł 4.93

164.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.9 £43.77

$12.86 zł 50.2

350.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.54

$1.70 zł 6.64

20.00%

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

$37.5K £28.4K

$30.2K zł 118.0K

24.20%

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

$40.9K £30.9K

$29.7K zł 116.1K

37.51%

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

$376 £284

$352 zł 1,375

6.76%

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

$17.88 £13.51

$9.15 zł 35.71

95.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.01 £30.25

$16.14 zł 63.0

147.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 £46.23

$45.94 zł 179

33.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 £15.93

$28.38 zł 111

-25.76%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.57

$8.95 zł 34.93

100.56%

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

$2,865 £2,166

$600 zł 2,339

377.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.7K

$14.3K zł 55.7K

147.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.7

$112 zł 436

3.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 £40.88

$41.03 zł 160

31.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 £95.7

$107 zł 418

18.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 £120

$110 zł 431

44.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,853 £2,157

$1,177 zł 4,594

142.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 £1,740

$977 zł 3,812

135.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,201 £3,932

$2,096 zł 8,181

148.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,723 £2,814

$1,580 zł 6,166

135.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.0K £14.4K

$5,960 zł 23.3K

218.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,881 £5,957

$3,860 zł 15.1K

104.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,818 £3,642

$2,096 zł 8,178

129.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

6.62

-29.76%

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

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Last update for Warsaw: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.5%

Warsaw

$977 46.8% 57.6% $1.3K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$434 10.7%

Warsaw

$378 18.1% 13% $56

Eating Out

London

$397 9.7%

Warsaw

$227 10.9% 42.8% $170

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.6%

Warsaw

$234 11.2% 33% $115

Getting Around

London

$288 7.1%

Warsaw

$42 2% 85.5% $246

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5%

Warsaw

$167 8% 18.8% $38

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Warsaw

$64 3.1% 34.2% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,853 in London versus $1,177 in Warsaw. 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 130% 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 $61.0 in Warsaw. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $234 – making Warsaw the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇵🇱 Warsaw

🕒 Local time

02:58 2:58 AM

03:58 3:58 AM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

1,861,599 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1 PLN = 0.256 USD

1 PLN = 0.228 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, 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 = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.9 PLN (1 PLN = 0.256 USD). 1 EUR = 4.38 PLN (1 PLN = 0.228 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Warsaw 1,450 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

London
Warsaw

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 Warsaw: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,086 in London, $2,045 in Warsaw – roughly 100% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,129 per month in London and $3,067 in Warsaw. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 49% 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 $61.0 in Warsaw. 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 Warsaw, where all-in costs run around $2,045, than in London at $4,086. In Warsaw 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 $2,045 in Warsaw to $4,086 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 Warsaw. 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.