Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lubumbashi and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Lubumbashi: $1,228 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $33,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Lubumbashi
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Lubumbashi Living Index
194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Lubumbashi

🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo

$1,228

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lubumbashi and in London

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lubumbashi and in London actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,228 per month in Lubumbashi vs $3,986 in London, rent included.

Lubumbashi $1,228
London $3,986

A couple spends around $2,727 per month in Lubumbashi vs $5,791 in London, rent included.

Lubumbashi $2,727
London $5,791

A family of three spends $4,226 per month in Lubumbashi vs $7,595 in London, rent included.

Lubumbashi $4,226
London $7,595

Lubumbashi is about 69% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Lubumbashi sits 9% below the global median, while London is 195% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.91 CDF 22.5K

$25.93 £19.45

-61.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.1 CDF 224.6K

$107 £79.9

-6.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.92 CDF 22.5K

$10.71 £8.03

-7.38%

Cappuccino

$4.03 CDF 9,131

$5.47 £4.11

-26.33%

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

$1.08 CDF 2,458

$2.97 £2.23

-63.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.99 CDF 4,508

$9.13 £6.85

-78.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 CDF 5,756

$7.94 £5.96

-68.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 CDF 4,446

$1.86 £1.40

5.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 CDF 2,764

$2.07 £1.55

-41.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.18 CDF 7,204

$2.42 £1.81

31.40%

Eggs

$2.10 CDF 4,761

$5.09 £3.82

-58.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.77 CDF 33.5K

$12.87 £9.66

14.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 CDF 17.4K

$10.43 £7.82

-26.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.52 CDF 35.2K

$16.87 £12.66

-8.00%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 CDF 11.2K

$3.11 £2.33

59.49%

Banana (1kg)

$3.07 CDF 6,960

$1.40 £1.05

119.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.88 CDF 11.1K

$3.08 £2.31

58.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.98 CDF 6,745

$3.27 £2.45

-8.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 CDF 5,810

$1.58 £1.19

62.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CDF 6,020

$1.74 £1.31

52.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 CDF 2,220

$1.40 £1.05

-30.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 CDF 2,774

$1.80 £1.35

-32.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.07 CDF 9,227

$23.28 £17.46

-82.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.73 CDF 28.8K

$13.03 £9.77

-2.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 CDF 2,600

$3.17 £2.38

-63.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 CDF 4,719

$4.42 £3.32

-52.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 CDF 2,289

$4.07 £3.05

-75.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.47 CDF 10.1K

$5.58 £4.18

-19.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.87 CDF 22.4K

$56.8 £42.58

-82.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 CDF 3,361

$2.13 £1.60

-30.52%

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

$25.1K CDF 56.8M

$38.2K £28.6K

-34.39%

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

$30.6K CDF 69.3M

$40.9K £30.7K

-25.24%

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

$99.9 CDF 226.3K

$372 £279

-73.16%

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

$20.13 CDF 45.6K

$17.82 £13.37

12.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.3 CDF 136.6K

$40.37 £30.29

49.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.6 CDF 166.8K

$60.0 £44.99

22.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

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

$132 CDF 297.9K

$2,864 £2,149

-95.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,456 CDF 10.1M

$35.3K £26.5K

-87.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.35 CDF 50.6K

$114 £85.5

-80.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.55 CDF 51.1K

$54.3 £40.71

-58.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.1 CDF 133.9K

$124 £93.2

-52.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.5 CDF 196.0K

$163 £122

-46.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$862 CDF 2.0M

$2,869 £2,152

-69.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$376 CDF 851.7K

$2,233 £1,675

-83.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,522 CDF 5.7M

$5,266 £3,951

-52.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,051 CDF 4.6M

$3,778 £2,835

-45.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,012 CDF 2.3M

$18.3K £13.8K

-94.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$499 CDF 1.1M

$8,024 £6,020

-93.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,064 CDF 2.4M

$5,037 £3,779

-78.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

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

Last update for Lubumbashi: October 13, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lubumbashi

$376 30.6%

London

$2.2K 56% 494% $1.9K

Groceries & Markets

Lubumbashi

$327 26.6%

London

$349 8.8% 6.9% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lubumbashi

$180 14.7%

London

$430 10.8% 139% $250

Eating Out

Lubumbashi

$177 * 14.4%

London

$388 9.7% 119% $211

Clothing & Footwear

Lubumbashi

$86 7%

London

$205 5.1% 139% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Lubumbashi

$74 * 6%

London

$95 2.4% 29.7% $22

Getting Around

Lubumbashi

$8.5 * 0.7%

London

$285 7.2% 3254% $277

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $862 in Lubumbashi versus $2,869 in London. 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 373% 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 $99.0 in Lubumbashi versus $107 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $327 vs $349 – making Lubumbashi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇩 Lubumbashi

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

08:57 8:57 AM

07:57 7:57 AM

1 h behind Lubumbashi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,139,064

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Congolese Franc CDF Fr

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CDF = 4.41 USD

10,000 CDF = 3.93 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to CDF – Congolese Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇩 Congolese Franc (Fr)

Congolese Franc exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 2,265 CDF (10,000 CDF = 4.41 USD). 1 EUR = 2,547 CDF (10,000 CDF = 3.93 EUR).

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).

USD to CDF in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lubumbashi London 7,510 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Lubumbashi
London

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

Lubumbashi vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,228 in Lubumbashi, $3,986 in London – roughly 225% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,842 per month in Lubumbashi and $5,979 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,228 in Lubumbashi and $3,986 in London. That's a gap of about 225%.

Kindergarten costs $132 per month in Lubumbashi and $2,864 in London. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lubumbashi, where all-in costs run around $1,228, than in London at $3,986. In Lubumbashi 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 $1,228 in Lubumbashi to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Lubumbashi. 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.