Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Somalia and the United Kingdom

Name: United Kingdom
Address: GB

For one person, living is cheaper in Somalia: $620 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $22,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Somalia
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Somalia Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index

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🇸🇴 Somalia

$620

/mo nomad

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Somalia and in the United Kingdom

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Somalia and in the United Kingdom actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $620 per month in Somalia vs $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

Somalia $620
United Kingdom $2,462

A couple spends around $924 per month in Somalia vs $3,600 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

Somalia $924
United Kingdom $3,600

A family of three spends $1,229 per month in Somalia vs $4,738 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

Somalia $1,229
United Kingdom $4,738

The regional cost range is wider in the United Kingdom ($1,126–$4,646) than in Somalia ($70–$616), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Somalia is roughly 75% lower than in the United Kingdom on average.

Somalia sits 54% below the global median, while the United Kingdom is 81% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.06 SOS 1,740

$21.48 £16.04

-85.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.28 SOS 8,677

$85.7 £64.0

-82.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.14 SOS 2,918

$10.61 £7.92

-51.56%

Cappuccino

$1.53 SOS 870

$4.91 £3.67

-68.84%

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

$1.01 SOS 571

$2.66 £1.99

-62.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 SOS 252

$1.87 £1.39

-76.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.14 SOS 6,329

$6.63 £4.95

68.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$14.81 SOS 8,410

$6.84 £5.11

116.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 SOS 755

$1.68 £1.25

-20.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 SOS 635

$1.72 £1.28

-34.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.88 SOS 502

$2.17 £1.62

-59.45%

Eggs

$2.16 SOS 1,226

$4.00 £2.99

-46.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.81 SOS 2,733

$9.42 £7.03

-48.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.55 SOS 2,585

$9.19 £6.86

-50.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.60 SOS 2,610

$14.77 £11.03

-68.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 SOS 1,203

$2.97 £2.21

-28.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 SOS 707

$1.62 £1.21

-22.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 SOS 1,032

$2.85 £2.13

-36.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 SOS 662

$3.52 £2.63

-67.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 SOS 719

$1.83 £1.37

-30.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 SOS 910

$1.61 £1.20

-0.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 SOS 556

$1.25 £0.93

-21.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 SOS 405

$1.66 £1.24

-57.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$0.98 SOS 557

$23.65 £17.66

-95.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.06 SOS 1,168

$10.50 £7.84

-80.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 SOS 1,169

$2.98 £2.23

-30.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 SOS 1,128

$3.51 £2.62

-43.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 SOS 163

$3.98 £2.97

-92.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.00 SOS 6,815

$107 £80.2

-88.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 SOS 840

$5.18 £3.87

-71.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 SOS 327

$2.35 £1.75

-75.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.47 SOS 1,971

$26.84 £20.04

-87.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 SOS 528

$1.99 £1.48

-53.27%

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

$10.1K SOS 5.8M

$39.4K £29.5K

-74.30%

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

$9,146 SOS 5.2M

$40.5K £30.2K

-77.41%

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

$111 SOS 63.0K

$327 £244

-66.10%

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

$6.82 SOS 3,872

$18.21 £13.60

-62.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.60 SOS 22.5K

$43.60 £32.56

-9.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.71 SOS 15.7K

$42.36 £31.63

-34.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$1.97 SOS 1,116

$18.22 £13.60

-89.19%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.34

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

$39.61 SOS 22.5K

$1,868 £1,395

-97.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$290 SOS 164.9K

$22.6K £16.9K

-98.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.84 SOS 7,290

$92.9 £69.4

-86.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.14 SOS 9,736

$45.92 £34.29

-62.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$17.10 SOS 9,711

$102 £75.9

-83.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$26.01 SOS 14.8K

$102 £76.3

-74.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$124 SOS 70.6K

$1,342 £1,002

-90.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$78.4 SOS 44.5K

$1,073 £801

-92.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$373 SOS 212.1K

$2,231 £1,666

-83.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$184 SOS 104.4K

$1,742 £1,301

-89.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,674 SOS 2.7M

$5,601 £4,182

-16.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,699 SOS 2.1M

$4,265 £3,185

-13.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$274 SOS 155.4K

$3,349 £2,501

-91.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

181.95%

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

Last update for Somalia: October 26, 2026

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Somalia

$157 25.4%

United Kingdom

$389 15.8% 147% $232

Groceries & Markets

Somalia

$157 25.3%

United Kingdom

$307 12.5% 96.2% $151

Eating Out

Somalia

$149 24.1%

United Kingdom

$328 13.3% 119% $178

Accommodation & Living

Somalia

$78 12.7%

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6% 1269% $995

Clothing & Footwear

Somalia

$33 5.3%

United Kingdom

$154 6.3% 369% $121

Sport & Entertainment

Somalia

$28 * 4.5%

United Kingdom

$70 2.9% 153% $42

Getting Around

Somalia

$18 2.8%

United Kingdom

$140 5.7% 701% $123

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

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $115 in Somalia vs $1,287 in the United Kingdom. For reference, capital cities sit at $192 in Mogadishu and $2,811 in London.

Average salary: $297 in Somalia vs $3,251 in the United Kingdom. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 1019% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 295% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 742% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are about 11 times higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇸🇴 Somalia

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🕒 Local time

15:29 3:29 PM

12:29 12:29 PM

3 h behind Somalia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,031,386

67,326,569

💱 Currency

Somali Shilling SOS Sh

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD

1,000 SOS = 1.58 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to SOS – Somali Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇴 Somali Shilling (Sh)

Somali Shilling exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 568 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 634 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.58 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to SOS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Somalia United Kingdom 6,930 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Somalia
United Kingdom

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

Somalia vs United Kingdom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Somalia is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 75% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United Kingdom: a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 versus $115 in Somalia.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Somalia – part of why living there is about 75% cheaper overall.

Somalia is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.