Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Southampton and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Southampton: $2,661 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Southampton
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Southampton Living Index
194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Southampton

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,661

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,661 per month in Southampton vs $3,986 in London, rent included.

Southampton $2,661
London $3,986

A couple spends around $3,866 per month in Southampton vs $5,791 in London, rent included.

Southampton $3,866
London $5,791

A family of three spends $5,072 per month in Southampton vs $7,595 in London, rent included.

Southampton $5,072
London $7,595

Southampton is about 33% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Southampton and London sit above the global median – Southampton by 97%, London by 195%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.39 £19.80

$25.93 £19.45

1.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.6 £67.2

$107 £79.9

-15.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.04 £8.28

$10.71 £8.03

3.08%

Cappuccino

$5.19 £3.90

$5.47 £4.11

-5.12%

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

$2.98 £2.24

$2.97 £2.23

0.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 £1.61

$2.20 £1.65

-2.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.70 £5.78

$9.13 £6.85

-15.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.80 £5.10

$7.94 £5.96

-14.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 £1.48

$1.86 £1.40

6.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 £1.27

$2.07 £1.55

-18.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.85 £2.14

$2.42 £1.81

17.77%

Eggs

$4.30 £3.22

$5.09 £3.82

-15.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.41 £7.06

$12.87 £9.66

-26.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.60 £7.20

$10.43 £7.82

-7.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 £10.47

$16.87 £12.66

-17.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 £2.19

$3.11 £2.33

-6.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 £1.32

$1.40 £1.05

25.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 £2.14

$3.08 £2.31

-7.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.49 £2.62

$3.27 £2.45

6.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 £1.36

$1.58 £1.19

14.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.74 £1.31

-10.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 £0.91

$1.40 £1.05

-12.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 £1.28

$1.80 £1.35

-5.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.17 £15.88

$23.28 £17.46

-9.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.82 £8.12

$13.03 £9.77

-16.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.93 £2.19

$3.17 £2.38

-7.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 £2.59

$4.42 £3.32

-21.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 £2.29

$4.07 £3.05

-25.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.0 £64.5

$247 £185

-65.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.26 £3.19

$5.58 £4.18

-23.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 £1.46

$3.36 £2.52

-42.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.83 £23.88

$56.8 £42.57

-43.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.60

$2.13 £1.60

0.47%

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

$38.7K £29.0K

$38.2K £28.6K

1.21%

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

$41.0K £30.8K

$40.9K £30.7K

0.32%

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

$322 £241

$372 £279

-13.55%

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

$29.00 £21.76

$17.82 £13.37

62.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.6 £39.46

$40.37 £30.29

30.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.24 £31.69

$60.0 £44.99

-29.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 £12.29

$21.29 £15.97

-23.06%

Cinema Ticket

$15.65 £11.74

$17.74 £13.31

-11.78%

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

$1,565 £1,174

$2,864 £2,149

-45.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K £13.5K

$35.3K £26.5K

-49.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 £77.7

$114 £85.5

-9.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 £38.18

$54.3 £40.71

-6.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.6

$124 £93.2

-17.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 £96.5

$163 £122

-21.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,512 £1,135

$2,869 £2,152

-47.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 £904

$2,233 £1,675

-46.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,404 £1,803

$5,266 £3,950

-54.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,917 £1,438

$3,778 £2,834

-49.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,790 £4,343

$18.3K £13.8K

-68.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,444 £4,084

$8,024 £6,019

-32.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,299 £2,475

$5,037 £3,778

-34.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.96

4.74

4.64%

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

Last update for Southampton: 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

Southampton

$1.2K 45.3%

London

$2.2K 56% 85.4% $1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Southampton

$403 15.2%

London

$430 10.8% 6.7% $27

Eating Out

Southampton

$379 14.3%

London

$388 9.7% 2.2% $8.4

Groceries & Markets

Southampton

$315 11.8%

London

$349 8.8% 11.1% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Southampton

$173 6.5%

London

$205 5.1% 18.3% $32

Getting Around

Southampton

$112 4.2%

London

$285 7.2% 154% $173

Sport & Entertainment

Southampton

$74 2.8%

London

$95 2.4% 29.8% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,512 in Southampton 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 53% 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 $90.0 in Southampton versus $107 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $315 vs $349 – making Southampton the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Southampton

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

17:16 5:16 PM

Same time as Southampton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

228,600

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Southampton London 110 km

From you

Southampton
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

Southampton vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,661 in Southampton, $3,986 in London – roughly 50% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,991 per month in Southampton 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 Southampton, 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 $90.0 in Southampton and $107 in London. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,661 in Southampton and $3,986 in London. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Southampton has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,661 in Southampton to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Southampton. 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.