Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sandnes and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Sandnes: $2,639 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in London outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Sandnes
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,639
/mo nomad
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,986
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,639 per month in Sandnes vs $3,986 in London, rent included.

  • Sandnes $2,639
  • London $3,986

A couple spends around $4,091 per month in Sandnes vs $5,791 in London, rent included.

  • Sandnes $4,091
  • London $5,791

A family of three spends $5,543 per month in Sandnes vs $7,595 in London, rent included.

  • Sandnes $5,543
  • London $7,595

Sandnes is about 34% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sandnes and London sit above the global median – Sandnes by 95%, London by 195%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sandnes
London
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$25.33 NOK 238
$25.93 £19.45
-2.31%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$94.9 NOK 893
$107 £79.9
-10.90%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$15.41 NOK 145
$10.71 £8.03
43.88%
Cappuccino
$5.58 NOK 52.6
$5.47 £4.11
2.01%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.37 NOK 31.70
$2.97 £2.23
13.47%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.95 NOK 27.75
$2.20 £1.65
34.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$13.54 NOK 128
$9.13 £6.85
48.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$11.92 NOK 112
$7.94 £5.96
50.13%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sandnes
London
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.33 NOK 21.91
$1.86 £1.40
25.27%
White Bread (500g)
$3.34 NOK 31.43
$2.07 £1.55
61.35%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.47 NOK 23.23
$2.42 £1.81
2.07%
Eggs
$4.92 NOK 46.31
$5.09 £3.82
-3.34%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.26 NOK 125
$12.87 £9.66
3.03%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$15.84 NOK 149
$10.43 £7.82
51.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$31.72 NOK 299
$16.87 £12.66
88.03%
Apples (1kg)
$3.45 NOK 32.44
$3.11 £2.33
10.93%
Banana (1kg)
$2.82 NOK 26.52
$1.40 £1.05
101.43%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.09 NOK 29.12
$3.08 £2.31
0.32%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.72 NOK 44.41
$3.27 £2.45
44.34%
Potato (1kg)
$2.54 NOK 23.89
$1.58 £1.19
60.76%
Onion (1kg)
$2.36 NOK 22.17
$1.74 £1.31
35.63%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.82 NOK 26.54
$1.40 £1.05
101.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.25 NOK 21.17
$1.80 £1.35
25.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$16.35 NOK 154
$23.28 £17.46
-29.77%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.37 NOK 154
$13.03 £9.77
25.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.23 NOK 30.37
$3.17 £2.38
1.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.13 NOK 38.89
$4.42 £3.32
-6.56%
🚌 Getting Around
Sandnes
London
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.65 NOK 43.81
$4.07 £3.05
14.25%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$82.1 NOK 773
$247 £185
-66.72%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.00 NOK 56.5
$5.58 £4.18
7.53%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.68 NOK 15.82
$3.36 £2.52
-50.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$47.92 NOK 451
$56.8 £42.57
-15.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.21 NOK 20.81
$2.13 £1.60
3.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$43.3K NOK 407.2K
$38.2K £28.6K
13.28%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.6K NOK 363.0K
$40.9K £30.7K
-5.71%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sandnes
London
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$245 NOK 2,309
$372 £279
-34.08%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.40 NOK 324
$17.82 £13.37
93.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$83.6 NOK 787
$40.37 £30.29
107.08%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sandnes
London
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.45 NOK 428
$60.0 £44.99
-24.21%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$52.2 NOK 491
$21.29 £15.97
145.00%
Cinema Ticket
$18.81 NOK 177
$17.74 £13.31
6.03%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sandnes
London
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$284 NOK 2,675
$2,864 £2,149
-90.08%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,372 NOK 88.2K
$35.3K £26.5K
-73.47%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sandnes
London
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$123 NOK 1,159
$114 £85.5
8.01%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.5 NOK 560
$54.3 £40.71
9.62%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$119 NOK 1,121
$124 £93.2
-4.13%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$186 NOK 1,751
$163 £122
14.09%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sandnes
London
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,304 NOK 12.3K
$2,869 £2,152
-54.56%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$947 NOK 8,916
$2,233 £1,675
-57.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,964 NOK 18.5K
$5,266 £3,950
-62.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,754 NOK 16.5K
$3,778 £2,834
-53.58%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,896 NOK 64.9K
$18.3K £13.8K
-62.38%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,065 NOK 38.3K
$8,024 £6,019
-49.34%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sandnes
London
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,612 NOK 34.0K
$5,037 £3,778
-28.28%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.22
4.74
10.13%

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

Last update for Sandnes: October 11, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Sandnes
$947
London
$2.2K 136% $1.3K
Groceries & Markets
Sandnes
$478
London
$349 26.9% $129
Eating Out
Sandnes
$433
London
$388 10.4% $45
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sandnes
$363
London
$430 18.4% $67
Clothing & Footwear
Sandnes
$220
London
$205 6.6% $14
Getting Around
Sandnes
$115
London
$285 148% $170
Sport & Entertainment
Sandnes
$83
London
$95 14.9% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,304 in Sandnes 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 39% 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 $95.0 in Sandnes versus $107 in London. Groceries tell a different story – $478 in Sandnes vs $349 in London – so London wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇳🇴 Sandnes
🇬🇧 London
🕒 Local time
20:47 8:47 PM
19:47 7:47 PM
1 h behind Sandnes
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
83,958
8,908,083 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sandnes London 930 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Sandnes
  • 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
Sandnes vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Sandnes and in London compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,639 in Sandnes, $3,986 in London – roughly 51% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in Sandnes compared to London?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,958 per month in Sandnes and $5,979 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Sandnes and London?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Sandnes, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 37% cheaper in London – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $95.0 in Sandnes and $107 in London. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is feasible on a $2,500 budget?
$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,639 in Sandnes and $3,986 in London. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
How does quality of life compare between Sandnes and London?
It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,639 in Sandnes to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Sandnes or London safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Sandnes and London?
If budget matters most, go with Sandnes. 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.

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