Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mahabad and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Mahabad: $522 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $41,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Mahabad
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Mahabad Living Index
194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Mahabad

🇮🇷 Iran

$522

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mahabad 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 Mahabad and in London actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $522 per month in Mahabad vs $3,986 in London, rent included.

Mahabad $522
London $3,986

A couple spends around $849 per month in Mahabad vs $5,791 in London, rent included.

Mahabad $849
London $5,791

A family of three spends $1,177 per month in Mahabad vs $7,595 in London, rent included.

Mahabad $1,177
London $7,595

Mahabad is about 87% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mahabad sits 61% below the global median, while London is 195% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.97 $2.97

$25.93 £19.45

-88.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.06 $17.06

$107 £79.9

-83.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.06 $4.06

$10.71 £8.03

-62.09%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.80 $0.80

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 $1.08

Cappuccino

$1.13 $1.13

$5.47 £4.11

-79.34%

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

$0.52 $0.52

$2.97 £2.23

-82.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 $0.94

$2.20 £1.65

-57.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

Milk (1 liter)

$0.65 $0.65

$1.86 £1.40

-65.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.51 $0.51

$2.07 £1.55

-75.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 $2.07

$2.42 £1.81

-14.46%

Eggs

$1.18 $1.18

$5.09 £3.82

-76.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$12.87 £9.66

-66.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.21 $3.21

$10.43 £7.82

-69.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.58 $7.58

$16.87 £12.66

-55.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.00 $1.00

$3.11 £2.33

-67.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.40 £1.05

10.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.86 $0.86

$3.08 £2.31

-72.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.61 $0.61

$3.27 £2.45

-81.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 $0.54

$1.58 £1.19

-65.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 $0.47

$1.74 £1.31

-72.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 $0.53

$1.40 £1.05

-62.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.26 $0.26

$1.80 £1.35

-85.56%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.92 $0.92

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 $0.52

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 $1.34

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.14 $2.14

$23.28 £17.46

-90.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 $0.15

$4.07 £3.05

-96.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.76 $8.76

$247 £185

-96.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 $0.44

$5.58 £4.18

-92.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 $0.29

$3.36 £2.52

-91.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.87 $2.87

$56.8 £42.57

-94.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.10 $0.10

$2.13 £1.60

-95.31%

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

$47.7K $47.7K

$38.2K £28.6K

24.99%

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

$47.6K $47.6K

$40.9K £30.7K

16.50%

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

$12.32 $12.32

$372 £279

-96.69%

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

$1.58 $1.58

$17.82 £13.37

-91.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$3.76 $3.76

$40.37 £30.29

-90.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.63 $18.63

$60.0 £44.99

-68.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.75 $11.75

$21.29 £15.97

-44.81%

Cinema Ticket

$1.97 $1.97

$17.74 £13.31

-88.90%

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

$106 $106

$2,864 £2,149

-96.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,234 $2,234

$35.3K £26.5K

-93.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.20 $23.20

$114 £85.5

-79.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.48 $28.48

$54.3 £40.71

-47.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.3 $96.3

$124 £93.2

-22.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.4 $71.4

$163 £122

-56.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$264 $264

$2,869 £2,152

-90.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$211 $211

$2,233 £1,675

-90.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$728 $728

$5,266 £3,950

-86.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$408 $408

$3,778 £2,834

-89.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,131 $1,131

$18.3K £13.8K

-93.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$530 $530

$8,024 £6,019

-93.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$253 $253

$5,037 £3,778

-94.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

24.3

4.74

412.66%

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

Last update for Mahabad: October 10, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mahabad

$211 40.5%

London

$2.2K 56% 957% $2K

Groceries & Markets

Mahabad

$105 20.1%

London

$349 8.8% 233% $245

Clothing & Footwear

Mahabad

$99 18.9%

London

$205 5.1% 108% $106

Eating Out

Mahabad

$55 10.6%

London

$388 9.7% 600% $332

Sport & Entertainment

Mahabad

$23 4.3%

London

$95 2.4% 323% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mahabad

$18 3.4%

London

$430 10.8% 2337% $413

Getting Around

Mahabad

$11 2.2%

London

$285 7.2% 2433% $274

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $264 in Mahabad 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 1892% 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 $17.00 in Mahabad versus $107 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $105 vs $349 – making Mahabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Mahabad

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

13:03 1:03 PM

10:33 10:33 AM

2 h 30 min behind Mahabad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

208,541

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

USD USD

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, EUR to USD – USD Converter

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

USD exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

GBP to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Mahabad London 3,930 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Mahabad
London

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Mahabad vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $522 in Mahabad, $3,986 in London – roughly 664% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $783 per month in Mahabad 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 Mahabad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 233% 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 $17.00 in Mahabad and $107 in London. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mahabad, where all-in costs run around $522, than in London at $3,986. In Mahabad 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 $522 in Mahabad 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 Mahabad. 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.