Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varanasi and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Varanasi: $289 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $44,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

14

Cost of Living Index in Varanasi
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Varanasi Living Index
194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Varanasi

🇮🇳 India

$289

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $289 per month in Varanasi vs $3,986 in London, rent included.

Varanasi $289
London $3,986

A couple spends around $476 per month in Varanasi vs $5,791 in London, rent included.

Varanasi $476
London $5,791

A family of three spends $663 per month in Varanasi vs $7,595 in London, rent included.

Varanasi $663
London $7,595

Varanasi is about 93% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Varanasi sits 79% below the global median, while London is 195% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.82 ₹173

$25.93 £19.45

-92.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.99 ₹759

$107 £79.9

-92.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.10 ₹295

$10.71 £8.03

-71.06%

Cappuccino

$1.57 ₹149

$5.47 £4.11

-71.30%

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

$0.41 ₹39.31

$2.97 £2.23

-86.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.11 ₹10.47

$2.20 £1.65

-95.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.60 ₹152

$9.13 £6.85

-82.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 ₹194

$7.94 £5.96

-74.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.62 ₹58.5

$1.86 £1.40

-66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.31 ₹29.90

$2.07 £1.55

-85.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.53 ₹50.5

$2.42 £1.81

-78.10%

Eggs

$0.81 ₹77.3

$5.09 £3.82

-84.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.20 ₹304

$12.87 £9.66

-75.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.19 ₹208

$10.43 £7.82

-79.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

Apples (1kg)

$1.40 ₹133

$3.11 £2.33

-54.98%

Banana (1kg)

$0.60 ₹57.3

$1.40 £1.05

-57.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.87 ₹82.7

$3.08 £2.31

-71.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.32 ₹30.20

$3.27 £2.45

-90.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.23 ₹21.68

$1.58 £1.19

-85.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.25 ₹23.77

$1.74 £1.31

-85.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 ₹42.08

$1.40 £1.05

-68.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ₹26.68

$1.80 £1.35

-84.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.19 ₹303

$23.28 £17.46

-86.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.83 ₹553

$13.03 £9.77

-55.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₹150

$3.17 £2.38

-50.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ₹178

$4.42 £3.32

-57.69%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$4.19 ₹398

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 ₹50.7

$4.07 £3.05

-86.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.63 ₹914

$247 £185

-96.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.26 ₹24.88

$5.58 £4.18

-95.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.10 ₹9.62

$3.36 £2.52

-97.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 ₹96.9

$56.8 £42.57

-98.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ₹100

$2.13 £1.60

-50.70%

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

$12.5K ₹1.2M

$38.2K £28.6K

-67.22%

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

$21.8K ₹2.1M

$40.9K £30.7K

-46.72%

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

$12.47 ₹1,185

$372 £279

-96.65%

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

$3.66 ₹348

$17.82 £13.37

-79.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.98 ₹663

$40.37 £30.29

-82.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.63 ₹1,199

$60.0 £44.99

-78.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

Cinema Ticket

$2.86 ₹271

$17.74 £13.31

-83.88%

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

$38.92 ₹3,696

$2,864 £2,149

-98.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,003 ₹95.2K

$35.3K £26.5K

-97.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.70 ₹2,156

$114 £85.5

-80.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.30 ₹2,403

$54.3 £40.71

-53.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$37.80 ₹3,589

$124 £93.2

-69.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.24 ₹2,397

$163 £122

-84.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$111 ₹10.5K

$2,869 £2,152

-96.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$47.37 ₹4,499

$2,233 £1,675

-97.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$196 ₹18.6K

$5,266 £3,950

-96.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$140 ₹13.3K

$3,778 £2,834

-96.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$569 ₹54.0K

$18.3K £13.8K

-96.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$333 ₹31.6K

$8,024 £6,019

-95.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$578 ₹54.9K

$5,037 £3,778

-88.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.53

4.74

79.96%

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

Last update for Varanasi: October 11, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Varanasi

$81 27.9%

London

$349 8.8% 334% $269

Eating Out

Varanasi

$57 19.7%

London

$388 9.7% 582% $331

Clothing & Footwear

Varanasi

$50 17.3%

London

$205 5.1% 310% $155

Accommodation & Living

Varanasi

$47 16.4%

London

$2.2K 56% 4614% $2.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varanasi

$23 8%

London

$430 10.8% 1761% $407

Sport & Entertainment

Varanasi

$18 6.4%

London

$95 2.4% 420% $77

Getting Around

Varanasi

$13 4.3%

London

$285 7.2% 2178% $273

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $111 in Varanasi 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 771% 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 $8.00 in Varanasi versus $107 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $81.0 vs $349 – making Varanasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Varanasi

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

07:08 7:08 AM

02:38 2:38 AM

4 h 30 min behind Varanasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,100,000

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Varanasi London 7,370 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Varanasi
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

Varanasi vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $289 in Varanasi, $3,986 in London – roughly 1281% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $433 per month in Varanasi and $5,979 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Varanasi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 334% more in London, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $8.00 in Varanasi and $107 in London. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Varanasi, where all-in costs run around $289, than in London at $3,986. In Varanasi 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 $289 in Varanasi to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Varanasi. 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.