Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mali and the United Kingdom

Name: United Kingdom
Address: GB

For one person, living is cheaper in Mali: $904 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index

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🇲🇱 Mali

$904

/mo nomad

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mali and in the United Kingdom

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $904 in Mali versus $2,462 in the United Kingdom.

Mali $904
United Kingdom $2,462

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,481 in Mali versus $3,600 in the United Kingdom.

Mali $1,481
United Kingdom $3,600

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,058 in Mali versus $4,738 in the United Kingdom.

Mali $2,058
United Kingdom $4,738

Internal cost variation is higher in the United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,126 to $4,646, compared to $86–$894 in Mali. City choice carries more weight in the United Kingdom.

Living in Mali costs about 63% less than in the United Kingdom on average.

Mali (34% below) and the United Kingdom (81% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.47 F CFA 4,952

$21.48 £16.02

-60.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.49 F CFA 21.3K

$85.7 £63.9

-57.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.25 F CFA 4,825

$10.61 £7.91

-22.24%

Cappuccino

$1.71 F CFA 1,002

$4.91 £3.66

-65.17%

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

$0.89 F CFA 519

$2.66 £1.98

-66.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 F CFA 416

$1.87 £1.39

-62.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 F CFA 1,368

$6.63 £4.94

-64.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$21.20 F CFA 12.4K

$6.84 £5.10

209.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 F CFA 1,137

$1.68 £1.25

15.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.80 F CFA 2,224

$1.72 £1.28

120.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.62

Eggs

$6.05 F CFA 3,540

$4.00 £2.98

51.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.84 F CFA 10.4K

$9.42 £7.02

89.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.36 F CFA 10.2K

$9.19 £6.85

88.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 F CFA 7,778

$14.77 £11.01

-9.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 F CFA 1,819

$2.97 £2.21

4.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 F CFA 853

$1.62 £1.21

-9.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 F CFA 1,697

$2.85 £2.13

1.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.32 F CFA 1,355

$3.52 £2.63

-34.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 F CFA 975

$1.83 £1.37

-8.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 F CFA 923

$1.61 £1.20

-1.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.11 F CFA 62.7

$1.25 £0.93

-91.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 F CFA 1,696

$1.66 £1.24

74.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.01 F CFA 592

$23.65 £17.63

-95.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.83

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 F CFA 853

$2.98 £2.22

-51.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 F CFA 762

$3.51 £2.62

-62.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.97

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.86

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 F CFA 714

$2.35 £1.75

-48.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.84 £20.01

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 F CFA 635

$1.99 £1.48

-45.23%

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

$39.4K £29.4K

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

$40.5K £30.2K

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

$147 F CFA 86.2K

$327 £244

-54.94%

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

$18.21 £13.58

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.0 F CFA 38.0K

$43.60 £32.51

49.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.1 F CFA 41.0K

$42.36 £31.58

65.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 £13.58

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.32

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

$76.9 F CFA 45.0K

$1,868 £1,393

-95.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £16.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 £69.3

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.92 £34.24

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £75.8

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.2

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$172 F CFA 100.3K

$1,342 £1,001

-87.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$79.5 F CFA 46.5K

$1,073 £800

-92.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 F CFA 295.9K

$2,231 £1,664

-77.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 F CFA 173.4K

$1,742 £1,299

-82.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.1K F CFA 5.9M

$5,601 £4,176

80.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$843 F CFA 493.3K

$4,265 £3,180

-80.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$257 F CFA 150.1K

$3,349 £2,497

-92.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

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

Last update for Mali: October 25, 2026

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mali

–

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mali

–

United Kingdom

$389 15.8%

Eating Out

Mali

–

United Kingdom

$328 13.3%

Groceries & Markets

Mali

–

United Kingdom

$307 12.5%

Clothing & Footwear

Mali

–

United Kingdom

$154 6.3%

Getting Around

Mali

–

United Kingdom

$140 5.7%

Sport & Entertainment

Mali

–

United Kingdom

$70 2.9%

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $176 in Mali, $1,287 in the United Kingdom. Capital cities: $176 in Bamako vs $2,811 in London.

National salary averages: $264 in Mali, $3,251 in the United Kingdom. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 631% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 131% more in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are about 12 times higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇲🇱 Mali

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🕒 Local time

00:54 12:54 AM

Same time as Mali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,250,833

67,326,569

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.746 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.836 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to XOF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mali United Kingdom 4,380 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Mali
United Kingdom

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

Mali vs United Kingdom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $904 per month in Mali and $2,462 in the United Kingdom, Mali comes out about 63% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 in the United Kingdom and $176 in Mali. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: Mali wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.