Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Sebastian and London

For one person, living is cheaper in San Sebastian: $1,948 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $24,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in San Sebastian
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San Sebastian Living Index
194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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San Sebastian

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,948

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,948 per month in San Sebastian vs $3,986 in London, rent included.

San Sebastian $1,948
London $3,986

A couple spends around $2,889 per month in San Sebastian vs $5,791 in London, rent included.

San Sebastian $2,889
London $5,791

A family of three spends $3,830 per month in San Sebastian vs $7,595 in London, rent included.

San Sebastian $3,830
London $7,595

San Sebastian is about 51% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both San Sebastian and London sit above the global median – San Sebastian by 44%, London by 195%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.76 €14.90

$25.93 £19.45

-35.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.6 €53.9

$107 £79.9

-43.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.58 €9.41

$10.71 £8.03

-1.21%

Cappuccino

$2.08 €1.85

$5.47 £4.11

-61.97%

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

$2.87 €2.55

$2.97 £2.23

-3.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 €1.44

$2.20 £1.65

-26.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$9.13 £6.85

-62.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 €3.22

$7.94 £5.96

-54.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.86 £1.40

-39.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 €0.94

$2.07 £1.55

-48.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.42 £1.81

-27.69%

Eggs

$3.72 €3.31

$5.09 £3.82

-26.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.34 €19.87

$12.87 £9.66

73.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.17 €7.27

$10.43 £7.82

-21.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 €18.77

$16.87 £12.66

25.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 €2.24

$3.11 £2.33

-19.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.40 £1.05

68.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 €2.97

$3.08 £2.31

8.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.90 €2.58

$3.27 £2.45

-11.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.58 £1.19

30.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.74 £1.31

13.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.40 £1.05

-15.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 €0.54

$1.80 £1.35

-66.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.07 €5.40

$23.28 £17.46

-73.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.39 €6.58

$13.03 £9.77

-43.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.96

$3.17 £2.38

-65.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 €1.63

$4.42 £3.32

-58.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.11 €1.88

$4.07 £3.05

-48.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.85 €30.11

$247 £185

-86.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.57 €5.85

$5.58 £4.18

17.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 €0.81

$3.36 £2.52

-72.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.70 €20.19

$56.8 £42.58

-60.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.51

$2.13 £1.60

-20.19%

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

$36.2K €32.2K

$38.2K £28.6K

-5.23%

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

$28.7K €25.5K

$40.9K £30.7K

-29.80%

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

$136 €121

$372 £279

-63.35%

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

$20.40 €18.15

$17.82 £13.37

14.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.36 €31.45

$40.37 £30.29

-12.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.41 €37.73

$60.0 £44.99

-29.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.95 €17.75

$21.29 £15.97

-6.29%

Cinema Ticket

$8.44 €7.50

$17.74 £13.31

-52.42%

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

$453 €403

$2,864 £2,149

-84.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.7K €12.2K

$35.3K £26.5K

-61.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 €64.5

$114 £85.5

-36.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.46 €27.99

$54.3 £40.71

-42.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.7 €66.5

$124 £93.2

-39.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €119

$163 £122

-18.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 €1,252

$2,869 £2,152

-50.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$954 €849

$2,233 £1,675

-57.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,239 €1,992

$5,266 £3,951

-57.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,522 €1,354

$3,778 £2,835

-59.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,603 €8,541

$18.3K £13.8K

-47.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,748 €4,223

$8,024 £6,020

-40.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,027 €2,693

$5,037 £3,779

-39.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.92

4.74

-38.40%

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

Last update for San Sebastian: October 12, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Sebastian

$954 49%

London

$2.2K 56% 134% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

San Sebastian

$316 16.2%

London

$349 8.8% 10.7% $34

Eating Out

San Sebastian

$233 12%

London

$388 9.7% 66.2% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Sebastian

$192 9.9%

London

$430 10.8% 124% $238

Clothing & Footwear

San Sebastian

$141 7.2%

London

$205 5.1% 45.8% $64

Sport & Entertainment

San Sebastian

$59 3%

London

$95 2.4% 61% $36

Getting Around

San Sebastian

$53 2.7%

London

$285 7.2% 435% $232

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,407 in San Sebastian 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 66% 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 $61.0 in San Sebastian versus $107 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $316 vs $349 – making San Sebastian the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 San Sebastian

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

19:45 7:45 PM

18:45 6:45 PM

1 h behind San Sebastian

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,743

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

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Highest

Between locations

San Sebastian London 920 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

San Sebastian
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

San Sebastian vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,948 in San Sebastian, $3,986 in London – roughly 105% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,922 per month in San Sebastian 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 San Sebastian, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% 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 $61.0 in San Sebastian 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 San Sebastian, where all-in costs run around $1,948, than in London at $3,986. In San Sebastian 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 $1,948 in San Sebastian 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 San Sebastian. 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.