Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tehran and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Tehran: $625 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $41,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Tehran
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Tehran Living Index
196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Tehran

🇮🇷 Iran

$625

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $625 per month in Tehran vs $4,086 in London, rent included.

Tehran $625
London $4,086

A couple spends around $1,071 per month in Tehran vs $5,816 in London, rent included.

Tehran $1,071
London $5,816

A family of three spends $1,516 per month in Tehran vs $7,546 in London, rent included.

Tehran $1,516
London $7,546

Tehran is about 85% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Tehran sits 53% below the global median, while London is 205% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 $3.66

$26.62 £20.12

-86.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.96 $17.96

$108 £81.3

-83.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.96 $3.96

$10.39 £7.86

-61.89%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.69 $0.69

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

Cappuccino

$1.39 $1.39

$5.79 £4.38

-75.99%

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

$0.49 $0.49

$3.01 £2.27

-83.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$2.15 £1.63

-23.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.35 £7.07

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 £5.93

Milk (1 liter)

$0.70 $0.70

$1.79 £1.35

-60.89%

White Bread (500g)

$0.62 $0.62

$2.06 £1.56

-69.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.31 £1.74

50.65%

Eggs

$1.23 $1.23

$5.05 £3.82

-75.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$12.57 £9.50

-65.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 $3.45

$10.66 £8.05

-67.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.40 $10.40

$17.13 £12.95

-39.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$3.03 £2.29

-53.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.41 £1.07

32.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.20 $1.20

$3.05 £2.31

-60.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.67 $0.67

$3.38 £2.56

-80.18%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 $0.54

$1.67 £1.26

-67.66%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 $0.47

$1.73 £1.31

-72.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 $0.58

$1.41 £1.07

-58.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 $0.28

$1.79 £1.35

-84.36%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.77 $0.77

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 $0.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.56 $2.56

$23.22 £17.55

-88.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 £9.82

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.41

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 £3.34

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.11 $0.11

$3.87 £2.93

-97.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.46 $5.46

$250 £189

-97.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.52 $0.52

$5.71 £4.31

-90.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 $0.29

$3.33 £2.51

-91.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 $3.02

$57.9 £43.77

-94.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.10 $0.10

$2.04 £1.54

-95.10%

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

$50.0K $50.0K

$37.5K £28.4K

33.26%

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

$44.5K $44.5K

$40.9K £30.9K

8.88%

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

$12.91 $12.91

$376 £284

-96.57%

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

$1.64 $1.64

$17.88 £13.51

-90.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$3.79 $3.79

$40.01 £30.25

-90.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.40 $24.40

$61.2 £46.23

-60.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.24 $13.24

$21.07 £15.93

-37.16%

Cinema Ticket

$1.96 $1.96

$17.95 £13.57

-89.08%

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

$106 $106

$2,865 £2,166

-96.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,548 $2,548

$35.3K £26.7K

-92.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.42 $26.42

$116 £87.7

-77.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.23 $37.23

$54.1 £40.88

-31.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$127 £95.7

-7.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.0 $75.0

$159 £120

-52.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$420 $420

$2,853 £2,157

-85.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$267 $267

$2,301 £1,740

-88.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$941 $941

$5,201 £3,932

-81.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$637 $637

$3,723 £2,814

-82.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,238 $1,238

$19.0K £14.4K

-93.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$708 $708

$7,881 £5,957

-91.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$211 $211

$4,818 £3,642

-95.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

24.79

4.65

433.12%

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

Last update for Tehran: October 4, 2026

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tehran

$267 42.4%

London

$2.3K 56.5% 761% $2K

Groceries & Markets

Tehran

$128 20.3%

London

$349 8.6% 173% $222

Clothing & Footwear

Tehran

$115 18.2%

London

$205 5% 78.6% $90

Eating Out

Tehran

$66 10.5%

London

$397 9.7% 497% $330

Sport & Entertainment

Tehran

$28 4.5%

London

$97 2.4% 243% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tehran

$18 2.9%

London

$434 10.7% 2266% $416

Getting Around

Tehran

$7.9 1.3%

London

$288 7.1% 3553% $280

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $420 in Tehran versus $2,853 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 2184% 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 $18.00 in Tehran versus $108 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $128 vs $349 – making Tehran the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Tehran

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

09:49 9:49 AM

07:19 7:19 AM

2 h 30 min behind Tehran

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000,000 Capital

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

USD USD

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, EUR to USD – USD Converter

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

USD exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

GBP to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Tehran London 4,400 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Tehran vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $625 in Tehran, $4,086 in London – roughly 553% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $938 per month in Tehran and $6,129 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tehran, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 173% 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 $18.00 in Tehran and $108 in London. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Tehran, where all-in costs run around $625, than in London at $4,086. In Tehran it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $625 in Tehran to $4,086 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Tehran. 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.