Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Vanuatu

Name: Vanuatu
Address: VU

For one person, living is cheaper in the United Kingdom: $2,478 a month against $3,216 in Vanuatu, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index
156

Cost of Living Index in Vanuatu
Learn more

Vanuatu Living Index

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,478

/mo nomad

🇻🇺 Vanuatu

$3,216

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Vanuatu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,478 in the United Kingdom versus $3,216 in Vanuatu.

United Kingdom $2,478
Vanuatu $3,216

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,608 in the United Kingdom versus $4,324 in Vanuatu.

United Kingdom $3,608
Vanuatu $4,324

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,739 in the United Kingdom versus $5,432 in Vanuatu.

United Kingdom $4,739
Vanuatu $5,432

Internal cost variation is higher in the United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,143 to $4,049, compared to $3,155–$3,454 in Vanuatu. City choice carries more weight in the United Kingdom.

Living in the United Kingdom costs about 23% less than in Vanuatu on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: the United Kingdom 83% above, Vanuatu 137% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.61 £16.21

$12.42 VUV 1,457

73.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.7 £65.8

$55.9 VUV 6,553

56.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 £8.12

$14.15 VUV 1,660

-23.53%

Cappuccino

$4.77 £3.58

$3.97 VUV 466

20.15%

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

$2.64 £1.98

$2.30 VUV 270

14.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 £1.41

$2.33 VUV 274

-19.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.59 £4.94

$5.03 VUV 590

31.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.56 £4.92

$7.35 VUV 863

-10.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 £1.23

$3.13 VUV 367

-47.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 £1.23

$2.50 VUV 293

-34.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 £1.68

$3.86 VUV 452

-42.23%

Eggs

$4.06 £3.05

$6.21 VUV 728

-34.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.64 £7.23

$16.29 VUV 1,911

-40.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.14 £6.86

$16.00 VUV 1,876

-42.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.08

$13.25 VUV 1,554

11.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 £2.19

$6.57 VUV 771

-55.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 £1.24

$2.07 VUV 243

-20.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 £2.10

$3.91 VUV 459

-28.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.32 £2.49

$10.09 VUV 1,184

-67.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 £1.36

$8.96 VUV 1,052

-79.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 £1.17

$4.34 VUV 510

-64.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.93

$2.60 VUV 305

-52.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.25

$1.16 VUV 137

43.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.79 £17.85

$9.57 VUV 1,122

148.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.46 £7.85

$12.45 VUV 1,460

-15.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 £2.21

$2.94 VUV 344

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 £2.54

$2.99 VUV 351

13.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.51 £2.63

$1.29 VUV 151

172.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 £78.3

$67.7 VUV 7,943

54.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.42 £4.06

$2.51 VUV 295

115.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 £1.80

$0.81 VUV 95.4

196.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.06 £20.30

$5.00 VUV 587

441.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 £1.47

$1.84 VUV 216

6.52%

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

$38.7K £29.0K

$23.0K VUV 2.7M

67.90%

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

$41.2K £30.9K

$37.3K VUV 4.4M

10.48%

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

$323 £242

$624 VUV 73.2K

-48.27%

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

$18.55 £13.92

$22.95 VUV 2,692

-19.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.14 £31.61

$360 VUV 42.2K

-88.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 £35.08

$67.9 VUV 7,963

-31.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.95 £13.47

$16.80 VUV 1,971

6.85%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.39

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

$1,725 £1,294

$632 VUV 74.1K

172.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £16.9K

$6,850 VUV 803.5K

229.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.8 £69.6

$40.81 VUV 4,787

127.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.58 £34.94

$66.5 VUV 7,797

-29.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.5

$85.2 VUV 9,991

19.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.6

$103 VUV 12.1K

-1.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,348 £1,011

$1,566 VUV 183.7K

-13.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 £824

$1,198 VUV 140.6K

-8.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,160 £1,620

$3,359 VUV 394.0K

-35.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,745 £1,309

$1,897 VUV 222.5K

-7.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,578 £4,184

$6,080 VUV 713.1K

-8.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 £3,315

$2,184 VUV 256.2K

102.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,358 £2,519

$345 VUV 40.4K

873.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

6.18

-13.92%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 20, 2026

Last update for Vanuatu: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 44.3%

Vanuatu

$1.2K 37.3% 9.2% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$384 15.5%

Vanuatu

$1K 31.3% 163% $624

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$327 13.2%

Vanuatu

$248 7.7% 24.1% $79

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$305 12.3%

Vanuatu

$482 15% 58% $177

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$155 6.2%

Vanuatu

$133 4.1% 13.9% $22

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$136 5.5%

Vanuatu

$79 2.5% 41.5% $56

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$74 3%

Vanuatu

$68 * 2.1% 8.8% $6.6

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

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,265 in the United Kingdom, $794 in Vanuatu. Capital cities: $2,852 in London vs $1,587 in Port Vila.

National salary averages: $3,250 in the United Kingdom, $488 in Vanuatu. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 59% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 196% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 167% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are 566% higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇻🇺 Vanuatu

🕒 Local time

15:48 3:48 PM

01:48 1:48 AM

10 h ahead of the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

300,019

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Vanuatu Vatu VUV Vt

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1,000 VUV = 8.53 USD

1,000 VUV = 7.58 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VUV, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Vanuatu Vatu exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 117 VUV (1,000 VUV = 8.53 USD). 1 EUR = 132 VUV (1,000 VUV = 7.58 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

United Kingdom Vanuatu 16,120 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

United Kingdom
Vanuatu

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 Vanuatu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,478 per month in the United Kingdom and $3,216 in Vanuatu, there's a 30% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, the United Kingdom is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.

In the United Kingdom, $4,000 covers most cities easily; in Vanuatu 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: the United Kingdom wins on affordability; Vanuatu may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.