Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Umea and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Umea: $1,608 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $29,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Umea
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Umea Living Index
196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Umea

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,608

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Umea vs $4,086 in London, rent included.

Umea $1,608
London $4,086

A couple spends around $2,579 per month in Umea vs $5,816 in London, rent included.

Umea $2,579
London $5,816

A family of three spends $3,550 per month in Umea vs $7,546 in London, rent included.

Umea $3,550
London $7,546

Umea is about 61% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Umea and London sit above the global median – Umea by 20%, London by 205%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.02 SEK 150

$26.62 £20.11

-43.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.3 SEK 793

$108 £81.3

-26.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.00 SEK 120

$10.39 £7.85

15.50%

Cappuccino

$3.99 SEK 39.90

$5.79 £4.38

-31.09%

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

$3.20 SEK 31.99

$3.01 £2.27

6.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 SEK 23.59

$2.15 £1.63

9.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.30 SEK 83.0

$9.35 £7.06

-11.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.40 SEK 74.0

$7.84 £5.93

-5.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 SEK 16.29

$1.79 £1.35

-8.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.44 SEK 34.42

$2.06 £1.56

66.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.07 SEK 40.68

$2.31 £1.74

76.19%

Eggs

$3.90 SEK 38.95

$5.05 £3.82

-22.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 SEK 112

$12.57 £9.50

-10.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.73 SEK 107

$10.66 £8.05

0.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.23 SEK 172

$17.13 £12.94

0.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 SEK 24.57

$3.03 £2.29

-18.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 SEK 22.63

$1.41 £1.07

60.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 SEK 28.16

$3.05 £2.31

-7.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.30 SEK 43.00

$3.38 £2.56

27.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 SEK 16.35

$1.67 £1.26

-1.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 SEK 16.60

$1.73 £1.31

-4.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 SEK 24.90

$1.41 £1.07

76.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 SEK 12.83

$1.79 £1.35

-28.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.89 SEK 68.9

$23.22 £17.55

-70.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.89 SEK 98.9

$12.99 £9.82

-23.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 SEK 22.66

$3.18 £2.40

-28.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 SEK 24.40

$4.41 £3.33

-44.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 SEK 29.16

$3.87 £2.93

-24.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.9 SEK 568

$250 £189

-77.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.80 SEK 68.0

$5.71 £4.31

19.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.02 SEK 50.2

$3.33 £2.51

50.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.9 £43.76

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 SEK 17.37

$2.04 £1.54

-14.71%

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

$33.0K SEK 330.0K

$37.5K £28.4K

-12.05%

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

$33.6K SEK 336.3K

$40.9K £30.9K

-17.73%

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

$86.0 SEK 860

$376 £284

-77.12%

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

$32.39 SEK 324

$17.88 £13.51

81.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.15 SEK 271

$40.01 £30.24

-32.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.96 SEK 489

$61.2 £46.22

-19.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.34 SEK 353

$21.07 £15.93

67.73%

Cinema Ticket

$16.17 SEK 162

$17.95 £13.57

-9.92%

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

$137 SEK 1,368

$2,865 £2,165

-95.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.5 SEK 995

$116 £87.7

-14.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.44 SEK 364

$54.1 £40.87

-32.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 SEK 1,166

$127 £95.7

-7.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 SEK 1,405

$159 £120

-11.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$736 SEK 7,357

$2,853 £2,156

-74.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$504 SEK 5,040

$2,301 £1,739

-78.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,105 SEK 11.0K

$5,201 £3,931

-78.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$823 SEK 8,227

$3,723 £2,813

-77.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,542 SEK 45.4K

$19.0K £14.4K

-76.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,043 SEK 30.4K

$7,881 £5,955

-61.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,674 SEK 26.7K

$4,818 £3,641

-44.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.65

4.65

-21.51%

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

Last update for Umea: 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

Umea

$504 30.7%

London

$2.3K 56.5% 356% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Umea

$350 21.3%

London

$349 8.6% 0.2% $0.6

Eating Out

Umea

$283 17.2%

London

$397 9.7% 40.4% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Umea

$177 10.8%

London

$205 5% 16% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Umea

$146 8.9%

London

$434 10.7% 198% $288

Getting Around

Umea

$100 6.1%

London

$288 7.1% 187% $187

Sport & Entertainment

Umea

$81 5%

London

$97 2.4% 19.4% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $736 in Umea 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 80% 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 $79.0 in Umea versus $108 in London. Groceries tell a different story – $350 in Umea vs $349 in London – so London wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Umea

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

09:15 9:15 AM

08:15 8:15 AM

1 h behind Umea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,594

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.01 USD

100 SEK = 8.92 EUR

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.99 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.21 SEK (100 SEK = 8.92 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).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Umea London 1,810 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Umea
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

Umea vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,608 in Umea, $4,086 in London – roughly 154% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,413 per month in Umea 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 Umea, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 0% cheaper in London – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79.0 in Umea and $108 in London. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Umea, where all-in costs run around $1,608, than in London at $4,086. In Umea 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 $1,608 in Umea to $4,086 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Umea. 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.