Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Uppsala and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Uppsala: $1,978 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $24,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Uppsala
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,978
/mo nomad
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,986
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,978 per month in Uppsala vs $3,986 in London, rent included.

  • Uppsala $1,978
  • London $3,986

A couple spends around $3,051 per month in Uppsala vs $5,791 in London, rent included.

  • Uppsala $3,051
  • London $5,791

A family of three spends $4,124 per month in Uppsala vs $7,595 in London, rent included.

  • Uppsala $4,124
  • London $7,595

Uppsala is about 50% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Uppsala and London sit above the global median – Uppsala by 46%, London by 195%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Uppsala
London
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.90 SEK 148
$25.93 £19.45
-42.54%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$81.0 SEK 802
$107 £79.9
-23.97%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.87 SEK 97.8
$10.71 £8.03
-7.84%
Cappuccino
$4.98 SEK 49.39
$5.47 £4.11
-8.96%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.05 SEK 30.25
$2.97 £2.23
2.69%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 SEK 23.74
$2.20 £1.65
9.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.96 SEK 78.9
$9.13 £6.85
-12.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.87 SEK 97.8
$7.94 £5.96
24.31%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Uppsala
London
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.81 SEK 17.91
$1.86 £1.40
-2.69%
White Bread (500g)
$2.78 SEK 27.57
$2.07 £1.55
34.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.59 SEK 45.48
$2.42 £1.81
89.67%
Eggs
$5.05 SEK 50.1
$5.09 £3.82
-0.79%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.12 SEK 100
$12.87 £9.66
-21.37%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$14.77 SEK 146
$10.43 £7.82
41.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.86 SEK 177
$16.87 £12.66
5.87%
Apples (1kg)
$4.18 SEK 41.42
$3.11 £2.33
34.41%
Banana (1kg)
$2.73 SEK 27.06
$1.40 £1.05
95.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.49 SEK 34.63
$3.08 £2.31
13.31%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.12 SEK 50.7
$3.27 £2.45
56.57%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 SEK 19.20
$1.58 £1.19
22.78%
Onion (1kg)
$1.70 SEK 16.80
$1.74 £1.31
-2.30%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.64 SEK 26.21
$1.40 £1.05
88.57%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 SEK 12.68
$1.80 £1.35
-28.89%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.96 SEK 78.9
$23.28 £17.46
-65.81%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.91 SEK 98.2
$13.03 £9.77
-23.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.47 SEK 24.51
$3.17 £2.38
-22.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.52 SEK 24.94
$4.42 £3.32
-42.99%
🚌 Getting Around
Uppsala
London
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.92 SEK 38.80
$4.07 £3.05
-3.69%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$111 SEK 1,103
$247 £185
-54.90%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.33 SEK 52.8
$5.58 £4.18
-4.48%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.32 SEK 13.13
$3.36 £2.52
-60.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$61.3 SEK 607
$56.8 £42.58
7.93%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.77 SEK 17.54
$2.13 £1.60
-16.90%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.2K SEK 329.1K
$38.2K £28.6K
-13.02%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.1K SEK 318.3K
$40.9K £30.7K
-21.44%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Uppsala
London
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$109 SEK 1,077
$372 £279
-70.78%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.95 SEK 158
$17.82 £13.37
-10.49%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$47.42 SEK 470
$40.37 £30.29
17.46%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Uppsala
London
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.13 SEK 388
$60.0 £44.99
-34.75%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.27 SEK 231
$21.29 £15.97
9.30%
Cinema Ticket
$18.61 SEK 184
$17.74 £13.31
4.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Uppsala
London
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$126 SEK 1,248
$2,864 £2,149
-95.60%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$35.3K £26.5K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Uppsala
London
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$105 SEK 1,037
$114 £85.5
-8.19%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$48.48 SEK 480
$54.3 £40.71
-10.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.4 SEK 935
$124 £93.2
-24.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$200 SEK 1,982
$163 £122
22.67%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Uppsala
London
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$892 SEK 8,836
$2,869 £2,152
-68.92%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$707 SEK 7,009
$2,233 £1,675
-68.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,750 SEK 17.3K
$5,266 £3,951
-66.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,138 SEK 11.3K
$3,778 £2,835
-69.88%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,186 SEK 51.4K
$18.3K £13.8K
-71.71%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,595 SEK 25.7K
$8,024 £6,020
-67.66%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Uppsala
London
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,008 SEK 29.8K
$5,037 £3,779
-40.28%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.8
4.74
-19.83%

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

Last update for Uppsala: October 10, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Uppsala
$707
London
$2.2K 216% $1.5K
Groceries & Markets
Uppsala
$391
London
$349 10.7% $42
Eating Out
Uppsala
$290
London
$388 33.6% $98
Clothing & Footwear
Uppsala
$201
London
$205 1.8% $3.6
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Uppsala
$172
London
$430 150% $258
Getting Around
Uppsala
$139
London
$285 106% $147
Sport & Entertainment
Uppsala
$76
London
$95 25% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $892 in Uppsala versus $2,869 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 67% 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 $81.0 in Uppsala versus $107 in London. Groceries tell a different story – $391 in Uppsala vs $349 in London – so London wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇸🇪 Uppsala
🇬🇧 London
🕒 Local time
03:43 3:43 AM
02:43 2:43 AM
1 h behind Uppsala
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
166,698
8,908,083 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Uppsala London 1,440 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Uppsala
  • 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
Uppsala vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Uppsala and in London compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,978 in Uppsala, $3,986 in London – roughly 102% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in Uppsala compared to London?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,966 per month in Uppsala and $5,979 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Uppsala and London?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Uppsala, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 12% cheaper in London – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $81.0 in Uppsala and $107 in London. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Uppsala, where all-in costs run around $1,978, than in London at $3,986. In Uppsala it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Uppsala and London?
It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,978 in Uppsala to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Uppsala or London safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Uppsala and London?
If budget matters most, go with Uppsala. 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.

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