Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Redwood City, CA and London

For one person, living is cheaper in London: $3,986 a month against $4,197 in Redwood City, CA, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

203

Cost of Living Index in Redwood City, CA
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Redwood City, CA Living Index
194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Redwood City, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,197

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,197 per month in Redwood City, CA vs $3,986 in London, rent included.

Redwood City, CA $4,197
London $3,986

A couple spends around $6,241 per month in Redwood City, CA vs $5,791 in London, rent included.

Redwood City, CA $6,241
London $5,791

A family of three spends $8,286 per month in Redwood City, CA vs $7,595 in London, rent included.

Redwood City, CA $8,286
London $7,595

Redwood City, CA costs about 5% more than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Redwood City, CA and London sit above the global median – Redwood City, CA by 211%, London by 195%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.04 $25.04

$25.93 £19.45

-3.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$110 $110

$107 £79.9

3.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.44 $13.44

$10.71 £8.03

25.49%

Cappuccino

$5.64 $5.64

$5.47 £4.11

3.11%

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

$3.23 $3.23

$2.97 £2.23

8.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$2.20 £1.65

20.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.20 $8.20

$9.13 £6.85

-10.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.87 $8.87

$7.94 £5.96

11.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.86 £1.40

-17.74%

White Bread (500g)

$5.37 $5.37

$2.07 £1.55

159.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$2.42 £1.81

100.83%

Eggs

$7.74 $7.74

$5.09 £3.82

52.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.07 $15.07

$12.87 £9.66

17.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 $10.63

$10.43 £7.82

1.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.61 $19.61

$16.87 £12.66

16.24%

Apples (1kg)

$6.25 $6.25

$3.11 £2.33

100.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.40 £1.05

103.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$3.08 £2.31

45.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.22 $6.22

$3.27 £2.45

90.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$1.58 £1.19

89.24%

Onion (1kg)

$3.65 $3.65

$1.74 £1.31

109.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.40 £1.05

98.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.80 £1.35

45.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.85 $11.85

$23.28 £17.46

-49.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.28 $20.28

$13.03 £9.77

55.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$3.17 £2.38

-16.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 $3.41

$4.42 £3.32

-22.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.78 $4.78

$4.07 £3.05

17.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.25 $4.25

$5.58 £4.18

-23.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 $1.21

$3.36 £2.52

-63.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.38 $38.38

$56.8 £42.58

-32.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 $1.57

$2.13 £1.60

-26.29%

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

$37.4K $37.4K

$38.2K £28.6K

-2.02%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$40.9K £30.7K

-35.12%

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

$237 $237

$372 £279

-36.27%

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

$53.7 $53.7

$17.82 £13.37

201.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.5 $69.5

$40.37 £30.29

72.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$239 $239

$60.0 £44.99

298.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.93 $29.93

$21.29 £15.97

40.58%

Cinema Ticket

$17.91 $17.91

$17.74 £13.31

0.96%

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

$2,907 $2,907

$2,864 £2,149

1.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$43.0K $43.0K

$35.3K £26.5K

21.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.86 $45.86

$114 £85.5

-59.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.04 $25.04

$54.3 £40.71

-53.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 $98.8

$124 £93.2

-20.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$163 £122

-30.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,248 $4,248

$2,869 £2,152

48.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,521 $2,521

$2,233 £1,675

12.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,692 $5,692

$5,266 £3,951

8.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,469 $4,469

$3,778 £2,835

18.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,020

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,008 $8,008

$5,037 £3,779

59.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

4.74

43.88%

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

Last update for Redwood City, CA: 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

Redwood City, CA

$2.5K 60.1%

London

$2.2K 56% 11.4% $288

Groceries & Markets

Redwood City, CA

$493 11.8%

London

$349 8.8% 29.2% $144

Eating Out

Redwood City, CA

$390 9.3%

London

$388 9.7% 0.8% $3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Redwood City, CA

$360 8.6%

London

$430 10.8% 19.4% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Redwood City, CA

$275 6.6%

London

$95 2.4% 65.3% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Redwood City, CA

$128 3%

London

$205 5.1% 60.7% $77

Getting Around

Redwood City, CA

$29 * 0.7%

London

$285 7.2% 870% $256

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,248 in Redwood City, CA 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 59% higher in Redwood City, CA, 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 $110 in Redwood City, CA versus $107 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $493 vs $349 – making London the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Redwood City, CA

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

18:46 6:46 PM

02:46 2:46 AM

8 h ahead of Redwood City, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

88,314

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Redwood City, CA London 8,630 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Redwood City, CA
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

Redwood City, CA vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,197 in Redwood City, CA, $3,986 in London – roughly 5% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,295 per month in Redwood City, CA 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 London, 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 $4,197 in Redwood City, CA and $3,986 in London. That's a gap of about 5%.

Kindergarten costs $2,907 per month in Redwood City, CA and $2,864 in London. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,197 in Redwood City, CA and $3,986 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 $3,986 in London to $4,197 in Redwood City, CA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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