Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vanuatu and the United Kingdom

Name: United Kingdom
Address: GB

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.

156

Cost of Living Index in Vanuatu
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Vanuatu Living Index
119

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

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🇻🇺 Vanuatu

$3,216

/mo nomad

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,478

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Vanuatu $3,216
United Kingdom $2,478

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

Vanuatu $4,324
United Kingdom $3,608

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

Vanuatu $5,432
United Kingdom $4,739

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 Vanuatu is roughly 30% more expensive than in the United Kingdom on average.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.42 VUV 1,457

$21.61 £16.21

-42.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.9 VUV 6,553

$87.7 £65.8

-36.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.15 VUV 1,660

$10.82 £8.12

30.78%

Cappuccino

$3.97 VUV 466

$4.77 £3.58

-16.77%

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

$2.30 VUV 270

$2.64 £1.98

-12.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 VUV 274

$1.88 £1.41

23.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.03 VUV 590

$6.59 £4.94

-23.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.35 VUV 863

$6.56 £4.92

12.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.13 VUV 367

$1.64 £1.23

90.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 VUV 293

$1.65 £1.23

51.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.86 VUV 452

$2.23 £1.68

73.09%

Eggs

$6.21 VUV 728

$4.06 £3.05

52.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.29 VUV 1,911

$9.64 £7.23

68.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.00 VUV 1,876

$9.14 £6.86

75.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.25 VUV 1,554

$14.77 £11.08

-10.29%

Apples (1kg)

$6.57 VUV 771

$2.92 £2.19

125.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 VUV 243

$1.65 £1.24

25.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 VUV 459

$2.80 £2.10

39.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$10.09 VUV 1,184

$3.32 £2.49

203.92%

Potato (1kg)

$8.96 VUV 1,052

$1.81 £1.36

395.03%

Onion (1kg)

$4.34 VUV 510

$1.56 £1.17

178.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.60 VUV 305

$1.24 £0.93

109.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 VUV 137

$1.66 £1.25

-30.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.57 VUV 1,122

$23.79 £17.85

-59.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.45 VUV 1,460

$10.46 £7.85

19.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 VUV 344

$2.94 £2.21

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 VUV 351

$3.39 £2.54

-11.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 VUV 151

$3.51 £2.63

-63.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.7 VUV 7,943

$104 £78.3

-35.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 VUV 295

$5.42 £4.06

-53.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 VUV 95.4

$2.40 £1.80

-66.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.00 VUV 587

$27.06 £20.30

-81.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 VUV 216

$1.96 £1.47

-6.12%

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

$23.0K VUV 2.7M

$38.7K £29.0K

-40.44%

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

$37.3K VUV 4.4M

$41.2K £30.9K

-9.49%

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

$624 VUV 73.2K

$323 £242

93.31%

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

$22.95 VUV 2,692

$18.55 £13.92

23.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$360 VUV 42.2K

$42.14 £31.61

754.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.9 VUV 7,963

$46.76 £35.08

45.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 VUV 1,971

$17.95 £13.47

-6.41%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.39

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

$632 VUV 74.1K

$1,725 £1,294

-63.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,850 VUV 803.5K

$22.6K £16.9K

-69.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.81 VUV 4,787

$92.8 £69.6

-56.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.5 VUV 7,797

$46.58 £34.94

42.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.2 VUV 9,991

$102 £76.5

-16.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 VUV 12.1K

$102 £76.6

1.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,566 VUV 183.7K

$1,348 £1,011

16.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 VUV 140.6K

$1,098 £824

9.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,359 VUV 394.0K

$2,160 £1,620

55.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,897 VUV 222.5K

$1,745 £1,309

8.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,080 VUV 713.1K

$5,578 £4,184

9.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,184 VUV 256.2K

$4,418 £3,315

-50.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$345 VUV 40.4K

$3,358 £2,519

-89.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.18

5.32

16.17%

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

Last update for Vanuatu: October 20, 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

Vanuatu

$1.2K 37.3%

United Kingdom

$1.1K 44.3% 8.4% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vanuatu

$1K 31.3%

United Kingdom

$384 15.5% 61.9% $624

Groceries & Markets

Vanuatu

$482 15%

United Kingdom

$305 12.3% 36.7% $177

Eating Out

Vanuatu

$248 7.7%

United Kingdom

$327 13.2% 31.8% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Vanuatu

$133 4.1%

United Kingdom

$155 6.2% 16.2% $22

Getting Around

Vanuatu

$79 2.5%

United Kingdom

$136 5.5% 70.8% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Vanuatu

$68 * 2.1%

United Kingdom

$74 3% 9.7% $6.6

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

Cost Breakdown

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

National salary averages: $488 in Vanuatu, $3,250 in the United Kingdom. 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

🇻🇺 Vanuatu

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🕒 Local time

00:52 12:52 AM

14:52 2:52 PM

10 h behind Vanuatu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

300,019

67,326,569

💱 Currency

Vanuatu Vatu VUV Vt

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 VUV = 8.53 USD

1,000 VUV = 7.58 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to VUV – Vanuatu Vatu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇺 Vanuatu Vatu (Vt)

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).

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).

USD to VUV in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Vanuatu
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

Vanuatu vs United Kingdom: 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.