Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Mali

Name: Mali
Address: ML

For one person, living is cheaper in Mali: $904 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

🇲🇱 Mali

$904

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United Kingdom and in Mali

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,462 in the United Kingdom versus $904 in Mali.

United Kingdom $2,462
Mali $904

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,600 in the United Kingdom versus $1,481 in Mali.

United Kingdom $3,600
Mali $1,481

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,738 in the United Kingdom versus $2,058 in Mali.

United Kingdom $4,738
Mali $2,058

Internal cost variation is higher in the United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,126 to $4,646, compared to $86–$894 in Mali. City choice carries more weight in the United Kingdom.

Living in the United Kingdom is roughly 172% more expensive than in Mali on average.

The United Kingdom (81% above) and Mali (34% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.48 £16.02

$8.47 F CFA 4,958

153.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 £63.9

$36.49 F CFA 21.4K

134.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.91

$8.25 F CFA 4,831

28.61%

Cappuccino

$4.91 £3.66

$1.71 F CFA 1,003

187.13%

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

$2.66 £1.98

$0.89 F CFA 520

198.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.39

$0.71 F CFA 416

163.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.94

$2.34 F CFA 1,370

183.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.10

$21.20 F CFA 12.4K

-67.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.25

$1.94 F CFA 1,139

-13.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.28

$3.80 F CFA 2,226

-54.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.62

Eggs

$4.00 £2.98

$6.05 F CFA 3,544

-33.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 £7.03

$17.84 F CFA 10.4K

-47.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 £6.85

$17.36 F CFA 10.2K

-47.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.01

$13.30 F CFA 7,787

11.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 £2.21

$3.11 F CFA 1,822

-4.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.46 F CFA 854

10.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.13

$2.90 F CFA 1,699

-1.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.63

$2.32 F CFA 1,357

51.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.67 F CFA 976

9.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.20

$1.58 F CFA 924

1.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.93

$0.11 F CFA 62.7

1036.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.24

$2.90 F CFA 1,698

-42.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.65 £17.64

$1.01 F CFA 593

2241.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.83

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.23

$1.46 F CFA 854

104.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.62

$1.30 F CFA 763

170.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.97

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.86

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.75

$1.22 F CFA 715

92.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.84 £20.01

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.48

$1.09 F CFA 636

82.57%

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

$39.4K £29.4K

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

$40.5K £30.2K

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

$327 £244

$147 F CFA 86.3K

121.91%

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

$18.21 £13.58

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.60 £32.51

$65.0 F CFA 38.1K

-32.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 £31.59

$70.1 F CFA 41.0K

-39.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 £13.59

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.33

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

$1,868 £1,393

$76.9 F CFA 45.0K

2329.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £16.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 £69.3

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.92 £34.24

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £75.8

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.2

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 £1,001

$172 F CFA 100.4K

682.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 £800

$79.5 F CFA 46.5K

1250.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,231 £1,664

$506 F CFA 296.3K

341.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 £1,299

$297 F CFA 173.6K

487.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,601 £4,177

$10.1K F CFA 5.9M

-44.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,265 £3,181

$843 F CFA 493.8K

405.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,349 £2,498

$257 F CFA 150.3K

1204.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6%

Mali

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$389 15.8%

Mali

–

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$328 13.3%

Mali

–

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$307 12.5%

Mali

–

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$154 6.3%

Mali

–

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$140 5.7%

Mali

–

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$70 2.9%

Mali

–

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,287 in the United Kingdom, $176 in Mali. Capital cities: $2,811 in London vs $176 in Bamako.

National salary averages: $3,251 in the United Kingdom, $264 in Mali. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 631% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 131% more in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are about 12 times higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇲🇱 Mali

🕒 Local time

01:21 1:21 AM

Same time as the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

20,250,833

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.746 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.836 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 586 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

United Kingdom Mali 4,380 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

United Kingdom
Mali

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

United Kingdom vs Mali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $904 per month in Mali and $2,462 in the United Kingdom, Mali comes out about 63% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 in the United Kingdom and $176 in Mali. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: Mali wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.