Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Timor-Leste and the United Kingdom

Name: United Kingdom
Address: GB

For one person, living is cheaper in Timor-Leste: $1,598 a month against $2,478 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Timor-Leste
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Timor-Leste Living Index
119

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

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🇹🇱 Timor-Leste

$1,598

/mo nomad

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,478

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Timor-Leste 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 Timor-Leste and in the United Kingdom actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,598 in Timor-Leste versus $2,478 in the United Kingdom.

Timor-Leste $1,598
United Kingdom $2,478

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,482 in Timor-Leste versus $3,608 in the United Kingdom.

Timor-Leste $2,482
United Kingdom $3,608

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,366 in Timor-Leste versus $4,739 in the United Kingdom.

Timor-Leste $3,366
United Kingdom $4,739

Internal cost variation is higher in Timor-Leste: monthly costs span $1,619 to $1,619, compared to $1,143–$4,049 in the United Kingdom. City choice carries more weight in Timor-Leste.

Living in Timor-Leste costs about 36% less than in the United Kingdom on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Timor-Leste 18% above, the United Kingdom 83% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.11 $5.11

$21.61 £16.21

-76.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.38 $35.38

$87.7 £65.8

-59.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.57 $6.57

$10.82 £8.12

-39.28%

Cappuccino

$3.95 $3.95

$4.77 £3.58

-17.19%

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

$1.80 $1.80

$2.64 £1.98

-31.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.88 £1.41

53.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.97 $2.97

$6.59 £4.94

-54.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 $3.89

$6.56 £4.92

-40.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.64 £1.23

39.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.65 £1.23

46.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 $0.97

$2.23 £1.68

-56.50%

Eggs

$2.64 $2.64

$4.06 £3.05

-34.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$9.64 £7.23

-79.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 $9.62

$9.14 £6.86

5.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.83 $15.83

$14.77 £11.08

7.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 $3.28

$2.92 £2.19

12.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.65 £1.24

12.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 $2.49

$2.80 £2.10

-11.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$3.32 £2.49

-30.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.81 £1.36

-33.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.56 £1.17

-23.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.24 £0.93

-30.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.66 £1.25

-38.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.03 $3.03

$23.79 £17.85

-87.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.86 $11.86

$10.46 £7.85

13.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$2.94 £2.21

-22.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 $2.81

$3.39 £2.54

-17.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 $0.24

$3.51 £2.63

-93.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.44 $42.44

$104 £78.3

-59.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 $3.60

$5.42 £4.06

-33.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.63 $3.63

$2.40 £1.80

51.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.61 $19.61

$27.06 £20.30

-27.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.96 £1.47

-27.55%

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

$20.1K $20.1K

$38.7K £29.0K

-48.04%

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

$18.0K $18.0K

$41.2K £30.9K

-56.47%

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

$147 $147

$323 £242

-54.35%

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

$26.97 $26.97

$18.55 £13.92

45.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.14 £31.61

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.1 $74.1

$46.76 £35.08

58.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.95 £13.47

Cinema Ticket

$6.06 $6.06

$13.85 £10.39

-56.25%

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

$1,527 $1,527

$1,725 £1,294

-11.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K $15.9K

$22.6K £16.9K

-29.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.1 $61.1

$92.8 £69.6

-34.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.83 $29.83

$46.58 £34.94

-35.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 $79.4

$102 £76.5

-22.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.1 $59.1

$102 £76.6

-42.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 $830

$1,348 £1,011

-38.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$745 $745

$1,098 £824

-32.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,689 $2,689

$2,160 £1,620

24.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 $1,533

$1,745 £1,309

-12.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,578 £4,184

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 £3,315

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,866 $4,866

$3,358 £2,519

44.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

5.32

0.94%

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

Last update for Timor-Leste: October 18, 2026

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Timor-Leste

$745 46.6%

United Kingdom

$1.1K 44.3% 47.3% $353

Groceries & Markets

Timor-Leste

$274 17.2%

United Kingdom

$305 12.3% 11.2% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Timor-Leste

$174 * 10.9%

United Kingdom

$384 15.5% 120% $209

Eating Out

Timor-Leste

$149 9.3%

United Kingdom

$327 13.2% 119% $177

Clothing & Footwear

Timor-Leste

$103 6.5%

United Kingdom

$155 6.2% 49.7% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Timor-Leste

$86 5.4%

United Kingdom

$74 3% 13.6% $12

Getting Around

Timor-Leste

$65 4.1%

United Kingdom

$136 5.5% 108% $71

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

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $815 in Timor-Leste, $1,265 in the United Kingdom. Capital cities: $815 in Dili vs $2,852 in London.

National salary averages: $3,531 in Timor-Leste, $3,250 in the United Kingdom. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 55% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 66% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 184% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇹🇱 Timor-Leste

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🕒 Local time

10:46 10:46 AM

01:46 1:46 AM

9 h behind Timor-Leste

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,243,235

67,326,569

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 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 October 25, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

GBP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Timor-Leste United Kingdom 13,170 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Timor-Leste
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

Timor-Leste vs United Kingdom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,598 per month in Timor-Leste and $2,478 in the United Kingdom, there's a 55% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Timor-Leste: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,265 in the United Kingdom and $815 in Timor-Leste. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Timor-Leste, $2,500 covers most cities easily; in the United Kingdom it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Timor-Leste wins on affordability; the United Kingdom may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.