Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surprise, AZ and Canterbury

For one person, living is cheaper in Surprise, AZ: $1,244 a month against $2,998 in Canterbury, rent and utilities included – about $21,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Surprise, AZ
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Surprise, AZ Living Index
143

Cost of Living Index in Canterbury
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Canterbury Living Index

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Surprise, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$1,244

/mo nomad

Canterbury

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,998

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Surprise, AZ and in Canterbury

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Surprise, AZ versus $2,998 in Canterbury.

Surprise, AZ $1,244
Canterbury $2,998

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,511 in Surprise, AZ versus $4,289 in Canterbury.

Surprise, AZ $3,511
Canterbury $4,289

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,778 in Surprise, AZ versus $5,580 in Canterbury.

Surprise, AZ $5,778
Canterbury $5,580

Living in Surprise, AZ costs roughly 59% less than in Canterbury, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Surprise, AZ is 9% below, Canterbury is 120% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.95 $19.95

$22.46 £16.78

-11.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 $84.8

$79.4 £59.3

6.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.71 $9.71

$10.61 £7.92

-8.48%

Cappuccino

$5.93 $5.93

$5.26 £3.93

12.74%

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

$3.03 $3.03

$3.02 £2.26

0.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$2.52 £1.89

7.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.08 $6.08

$7.87 £5.88

-22.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.82 $7.82

$6.72 £5.02

16.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.63 £1.22

-52.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.87 $3.87

$2.33 £1.74

66.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.51 £1.88

31.08%

Eggs

$4.31 $4.31

$5.73 £4.28

-24.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.32 $13.32

$11.75 £8.78

13.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.60 $9.60

$9.29 £6.94

3.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.98 $14.98

$24.31 £18.16

-38.38%

Apples (1kg)

$5.32 $5.32

$3.73 £2.78

42.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 $1.91

$2.50 £1.87

-23.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$3.65 £2.73

15.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$4.80 £3.59

-45.21%

Potato (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$3.60 £2.69

-6.11%

Onion (1kg)

$3.21 $3.21

$2.72 £2.03

18.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 $1.48

$2.56 £1.91

-42.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 $1.63

$3.08 £2.30

-47.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.24 $11.24

$24.15 £18.04

-53.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.97 $13.97

$15.74 £11.76

-11.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$3.94 £2.94

-55.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 $3.07

$4.08 £3.05

-24.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.11 £3.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$187 £139

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.79 $2.79

$6.55 £4.89

-57.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 $1.35

$2.69 £2.01

-49.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.82 $32.82

$39.61 £29.59

-17.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$2.00 £1.50

-44.50%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$39.3K £29.4K

-10.91%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$41.1K £30.7K

-38.71%

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

$227 $227

$420 £314

-46.00%

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

$60.2 $60.2

$38.40 £28.69

56.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.8 $65.8

$52.9 £39.49

24.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 $58.9

$47.92 £35.80

22.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.93 £28.33

Cinema Ticket

$11.18 $11.18

$19.91 £14.87

-43.85%

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

$1,020 $1,020

$1,853 £1,384

-44.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K $22.9K

$26.2K £19.5K

-12.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.8 $51.8

$79.1 £59.1

-34.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.57 $45.57

$50.9 £38.05

-10.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.6 $71.6

$122 £91.2

-41.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.7 $72.7

$135 £101

-46.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 £1,061

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,230 £919

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,070 $2,070

$2,225 £1,662

-7.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,015 $3,015

$1,906 £1,424

58.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,440 £4,064

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,584 $1,584

$4,366 £3,262

-63.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,325 $4,325

$2,891 £2,159

49.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

5.51

20.33%

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

Last update for Surprise, AZ: October 26, 2026

Last update for Canterbury: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surprise, AZ

$363 29.2%

Canterbury

$422 14.1% 16.4% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surprise, AZ

$353 28.4%

Canterbury

$511 17.1% 44.9% $158

Eating Out

Surprise, AZ

$329 26.4%

Canterbury

$350 11.7% 6.3% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Surprise, AZ

$109 8.7%

Canterbury

$174 5.8% 60.1% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Surprise, AZ

$81 6.5%

Canterbury

$88 2.9% 7.9% $6.5

Getting Around

Surprise, AZ

$9.5 * 0.8%

Canterbury

$223 7.4% 2242% $213

Accommodation & Living

Surprise, AZ

- * 0%

Canterbury

$1.2K 41%

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

Cost Breakdown

Surprise, AZ pays 50% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $85 in Surprise, AZ vs $79 in Canterbury. Groceries flip the comparison at $363 vs $422, with Surprise, AZ cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Surprise, AZ

🇬🇧 Canterbury

🕒 Local time

00:32 12:32 AM

07:32 7:32 AM

7 h ahead of Surprise, AZ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

143,148

43,400

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

GBP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Surprise, AZ Canterbury 8,560 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Surprise, AZ
Canterbury

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

Surprise, AZ vs Canterbury: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surprise, AZ wins on cost – living expenses run 59% lower than in Canterbury. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Surprise, AZ the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 50% higher in Surprise, AZ, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Canterbury. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,244 per month in Surprise, AZ versus $2,998 in Canterbury – Surprise, AZ is about 59% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,244 in Surprise, AZ versus $2,998 in Canterbury, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Surprise, AZ but tight or insufficient in Canterbury. The gap between the two cities makes Surprise, AZ the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.