Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Recife and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Recife: $916 a month against $4,048 in London, rent and utilities included – about $37,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Recife
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Recife Living Index
196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Recife

🇧🇷 Brazil

$916

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,048

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $916 per month in Recife vs $4,048 in London, rent included.

Recife $916
London $4,048

A couple spends around $1,519 per month in Recife vs $5,903 in London, rent included.

Recife $1,519
London $5,903

A family of three spends $2,121 per month in Recife vs $7,758 in London, rent included.

Recife $2,121
London $7,758

Recife is about 77% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Recife sits 32% below the global median, while London is 199% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.12 R$27.98

$26.36 £19.59

-80.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.34 R$188

$109 £80.7

-68.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.98 R$49.04

$10.71 £7.96

-16.15%

Cappuccino

$2.33 R$12.71

$5.59 £4.15

-58.32%

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

$1.03 R$5.62

$3.00 £2.23

-65.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 R$3.20

$2.22 £1.65

-73.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 R$7.90

$9.65 £7.17

-84.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 R$15.74

$8.26 £6.14

-65.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 R$7.01

$1.97 £1.46

-35.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 R$8.24

$2.09 £1.55

-27.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 R$8.07

$2.59 £1.93

-42.86%

Eggs

$1.82 R$9.93

$5.37 £3.99

-66.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.55 R$35.76

$13.12 £9.75

-50.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.20 R$22.93

$11.03 £8.20

-61.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.31 R$39.95

$17.73 £13.18

-58.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 R$7.18

$3.17 £2.36

-58.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.76

$1.38 £1.03

-10.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.69 R$3.74

$2.82 £2.10

-75.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.18 R$6.42

$3.36 £2.50

-64.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 R$7.11

$1.70 £1.26

-23.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.68

$1.78 £1.32

-41.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 R$2.63

$1.49 £1.11

-67.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 R$4.29

$1.82 £1.35

-56.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.68 R$9.19

$23.85 £17.73

-92.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.21 R$39.41

$13.44 £9.99

-46.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 R$5.88

$3.11 £2.31

-65.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 R$7.99

$4.49 £3.34

-67.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 R$4.14

$4.13 £3.07

-81.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.75 R$250

$266 £198

-82.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.97 R$5.29

$5.98 £4.45

-83.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 R$3.29

$3.39 £2.52

-82.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.78 R$26.11

$56.6 £42.03

-91.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 R$6.46

$2.21 £1.64

-46.61%

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

$21.4K R$116.8K

$38.3K £28.4K

-44.13%

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

$31.0K R$169.6K

$41.0K £30.5K

-24.33%

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

$108 R$592

$372 £277

-70.90%

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

$12.52 R$68.4

$18.66 £13.87

-32.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.99 R$87.4

$40.53 £30.13

-60.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.82 R$114

$56.0 £41.63

-62.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.19 R$176

$17.10 £12.71

88.25%

Cinema Ticket

$8.32 R$45.44

$17.95 £13.34

-53.65%

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

$257 R$1,401

$2,946 £2,189

-91.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K R$59.3K

$47.6K £35.4K

-77.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.83 R$229

$116 £86.4

-64.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.43 R$248

$56.9 £42.29

-20.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.2 R$378

$128 £95.1

-45.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.5 R$418

$154 £114

-50.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$544 R$2,969

$2,935 £2,182

-81.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$303 R$1,655

$2,258 £1,678

-86.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$807 R$4,408

$5,250 £3,902

-84.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$747 R$4,080

$3,859 £2,868

-80.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,862 R$10.2K

$17.2K £12.8K

-89.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,066 R$5,827

$8,278 £6,153

-87.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$554 R$3,027

$5,621 £4,177

-90.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.75

4.78

145.82%

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

Last update for Recife: November 1, 2026

Last update for London: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Recife

$303 33.1%

London

$2.3K 55.8% 646% $2K

Groceries & Markets

Recife

$166 18.2%

London

$360 8.9% 117% $194

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Recife

$137 14.9%

London

$432 10.7% 215% $295

Eating Out

Recife

$115 12.6%

London

$396 9.8% 243% $280

Clothing & Footwear

Recife

$105 11.4%

London

$205 5.1% 95.3% $100

Getting Around

Recife

$53 5.8%

London

$305 7.6% 479% $253

Sport & Entertainment

Recife

$37 4.1%

London

$92 2.3% 145% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $544 in Recife versus $2,935 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 in London are about 10 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Recife versus $109 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $166 vs $360 – making Recife the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Recife

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

23:47 11:47 PM

02:47 2:47 AM

3 h ahead of Recife

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,488,920

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.13 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.743 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Recife London 7,410 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Recife
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

Recife vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $916 in Recife, $4,048 in London – Recife comes out roughly 77% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,375 per month in Recife and $6,072 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Recife, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $544 there versus $2,935 in London.

Groceries cost about 117% more in London, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Recife and $109 in London. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $916 in Recife and $4,048 in London. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $916 in Recife to $4,048 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Recife. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.