Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sunderland and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Sunderland: $1,845 a month against $2,359 in London, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Sunderland
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Sunderland Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Sunderland

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,845

/mo nomad

London

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,359

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,845 in Sunderland versus $2,359 in London.

Sunderland $1,845
London $2,359

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,755 in Sunderland versus $3,355 in London.

Sunderland $2,755
London $3,355

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,665 in Sunderland versus $4,351 in London.

Sunderland $3,665
London $4,351

Living in Sunderland costs roughly 22% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sunderland 36% above, London 74% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.54 £13.91

$21.18 CA$29.94

-12.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.2 £52.7

$63.1 CA$89.2

11.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.87 £6.66

$12.23 CA$17.29

-27.47%

Cappuccino

$5.02 £3.77

$3.67 CA$5.19

36.78%

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

$2.32 £1.74

$2.18 CA$3.08

6.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 £1.47

$2.18 CA$3.08

-10.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.63 £3.48

$6.55 CA$9.27

-29.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 £3.23

$6.28 CA$8.88

-31.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 £1.08

$1.98 CA$2.79

-27.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 £1.03

$2.69 CA$3.80

-49.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 £1.80

$3.91 CA$5.53

-38.62%

Eggs

$3.52 £2.64

$3.67 CA$5.19

-4.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.72 £7.29

$10.16 CA$14.37

-4.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.99 £6.74

$11.60 CA$16.40

-22.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 £10.76

$14.91 CA$21.08

-3.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 £2.44

$4.35 CA$6.15

-25.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 £1.39

$1.24 CA$1.76

49.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 £2.19

$3.75 CA$5.30

-22.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.79 £2.84

$4.02 CA$5.69

-5.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 £1.34

$3.05 CA$4.31

-41.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 £1.11

$3.04 CA$4.29

-51.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 £0.90

$2.55 CA$3.61

-52.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 £1.13

$1.52 CA$2.15

-1.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.99 £17.25

$11.81 CA$16.70

94.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 £7.65

$12.91 CA$18.25

-21.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.57 £2.68

$2.44 CA$3.46

46.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 £2.62

$2.84 CA$4.01

22.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.08 £1.56

$2.27 CA$3.21

-8.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$119 £89.6

$79.4 CA$112

50.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 £3.30

$2.53 CA$3.57

73.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.71 CA$2.42

-9.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.14 £21.11

$21.96 CA$31.05

28.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.57

$1.24 CA$1.76

68.55%

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

$38.3K £28.8K

$27.0K CA$38.2K

42.03%

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

$40.5K £30.4K

$22.8K CA$32.2K

77.88%

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

$248 £186

$139 CA$197

78.38%

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

$16.93 £12.70

$39.70 CA$56.1

-57.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 £31.74

$57.0 CA$80.5

-25.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.70 £30.53

$37.60 CA$53.2

8.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.01 £9.01

$29.03 CA$41.04

-58.63%

Cinema Ticket

$10.66 £8.00

$10.48 CA$14.82

1.72%

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

$819 £614

$410 CA$580

99.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K £13.2K

$20.3K CA$28.6K

-13.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.1 £68.4

$53.0 CA$75.0

71.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.14 £35.37

$39.23 CA$55.5

20.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 £81.4

$81.1 CA$115

33.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.7 £71.1

$89.7 CA$127

5.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$792 £594

$1,297 CA$1,834

-38.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$595 £446

$1,172 CA$1,656

-49.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,356 £1,017

$2,066 CA$2,920

-34.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$957 £718

$1,682 CA$2,378

-43.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,510 CA$4,962

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,683 CA$5,207

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,663 £2,748

$3,092 CA$4,371

18.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.15

4.72

9.11%

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

Last update for Sunderland: October 20, 2026

Last update for London: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sunderland

$595 32.2%

London

$1.2K 49.7% 96.9% $577

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sunderland

$307 16.7%

London

$236 10% 23.3% $72

Groceries & Markets

Sunderland

$303 16.4%

London

$362 15.3% 19.3% $59

Eating Out

Sunderland

$284 15.4%

London

$313 13.3% 10.1% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Sunderland

$154 8.3%

London

$118 5% 23% $35

Getting Around

Sunderland

$140 7.6%

London

$100 4.2% 28.9% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Sunderland

$62 3.4%

London

$59 2.5% 5.6% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $792 in Sunderland and $1,297 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sunderland pays 18% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $70.0 in Sunderland vs $63.0 in London. Groceries flip the comparison at $303 vs $362, with Sunderland cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Sunderland

🇨🇦 London

🕒 Local time

05:36 5:36 AM

00:36 12:36 AM

5 h behind Sunderland

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

275,300

383,822

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

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Between locations

Sunderland London 5,650 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sunderland
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

Sunderland vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sunderland is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 28% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 18% higher in Sunderland, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $792 in Sunderland versus $1,297 in London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,845 per month in Sunderland versus $2,359 in London – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sunderland runs roughly 50% less than in London. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,845 in Sunderland versus $2,359 in London, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Sunderland but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Sunderland the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sunderland is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in London, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sunderland and London are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Sunderland gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.