Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pau and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Pau: $1,441 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $30,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Pau
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Pau Living Index
194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Pau

🇫🇷 France

$1,441

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,441 per month in Pau vs $3,986 in London, rent included.

Pau $1,441
London $3,986

A couple spends around $2,269 per month in Pau vs $5,791 in London, rent included.

Pau $2,269
London $5,791

A family of three spends $3,097 per month in Pau vs $7,595 in London, rent included.

Pau $3,097
London $7,595

Pau is about 64% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Pau and London sit above the global median – Pau by 7%, London by 195%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.89 €15.02

$25.93 £19.45

-34.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.83 €42.54

$107 £79.9

-55.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.18 €9.94

$10.71 £8.03

4.39%

Cappuccino

$3.82 €3.40

$5.47 £4.11

-30.16%

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

$2.51 €2.23

$2.97 £2.23

-15.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.20 £1.65

-30.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.55 €4.94

$9.13 £6.85

-39.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 €3.37

$7.94 £5.96

-52.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.86 £1.40

-37.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 €1.97

$2.07 £1.55

6.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 €1.37

$2.42 £1.81

-35.95%

Eggs

$5.49 €4.88

$5.09 £3.82

7.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.38 €18.13

$12.87 £9.66

58.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.79 €10.49

$10.43 £7.82

13.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.95 €22.20

$16.87 £12.66

47.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 €3.33

$3.11 £2.33

20.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.40 £1.05

60.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 €1.81

$3.08 £2.31

-33.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.32 €2.95

$3.27 £2.45

1.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.58 £1.19

6.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 €1.97

$1.74 £1.31

27.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.40 £1.05

-9.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 €0.61

$1.80 £1.35

-61.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.50 €11.12

$23.28 £17.46

-46.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.92 €8.82

$13.03 £9.77

-23.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.35 €3.87

$3.17 £2.38

37.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.49 €4.88

$4.42 £3.32

24.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.32 €1.18

$4.07 £3.05

-67.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.30 €22.51

$247 £185

-89.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.80

$2.13 £1.60

-4.69%

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

$35.0K €31.1K

$38.2K £28.6K

-8.42%

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

$35.8K €31.9K

$40.9K £30.7K

-12.44%

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

$86.9 €77.3

$372 £279

-76.64%

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

$31.04 €27.61

$17.82 £13.37

74.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.92 €29.28

$40.37 £30.29

-18.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.10 €37.44

$60.0 £44.99

-29.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

Cinema Ticket

$12.19 €10.84

$17.74 £13.31

-31.29%

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

$382 €339

$2,864 £2,149

-86.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,369 €3,886

$35.3K £26.5K

-87.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 €98.3

$114 £85.5

-3.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.30 €29.62

$54.3 £40.71

-38.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.7 €80.7

$124 £93.2

-27.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 €79.4

$163 £122

-45.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 €652

$2,869 £2,152

-74.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$392 €349

$2,233 £1,675

-82.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 €956

$5,266 £3,951

-79.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$708 €630

$3,778 £2,835

-81.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,411 €2,144

$18.3K £13.8K

-86.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,991 €1,771

$8,024 £6,020

-75.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,056 €2,718

$5,037 £3,779

-39.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

4.74

-19.62%

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

Last update for Pau: 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

Pau

$392 27.2%

London

$2.2K 56% 469% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Pau

$389 27%

London

$349 8.8% 10.2% $40

Eating Out

Pau

$266 18.5%

London

$388 9.7% 45.7% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pau

$151 10.5%

London

$430 10.8% 185% $279

Clothing & Footwear

Pau

$146 10.1%

London

$205 5.1% 40.7% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Pau

$66 4.6%

London

$95 2.4% 43.6% $29

Getting Around

Pau

$31 * 2.1%

London

$285 7.2% 833% $255

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $733 in Pau 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 65% 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 $48.00 in Pau versus $107 in London. Groceries tell a different story – $389 in Pau vs $349 in London – so London wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Pau

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

16:09 4:09 PM

15:09 3:09 PM

1 h behind Pau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,066

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Pau London 910 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Pau
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

Pau vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,441 in Pau, $3,986 in London – roughly 177% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,161 per month in Pau 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 Pau, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 11% cheaper in London – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Pau and $107 in London. 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 Pau, where all-in costs run around $1,441, than in London at $3,986. In Pau 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 $1,441 in Pau 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 Pau. 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.