Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varkala and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Varkala: $385 a month against $4,049 in London, rent and utilities included – about $44,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in Varkala
Learn more

Varkala Living Index
195

Cost of Living Index in London
Learn more

London Living Index

Jump to prices

Varkala

🇮🇳 India

$385

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,049

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $385 per month in Varkala vs $4,049 in London, rent included.

Varkala $385
London $4,049

A couple spends around $612 per month in Varkala vs $5,827 in London, rent included.

Varkala $612
London $5,827

A family of three spends $839 per month in Varkala vs $7,605 in London, rent included.

Varkala $839
London $7,605

Varkala is about 90% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Varkala sits 72% below the global median, while London is 199% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.37 ₹225

$27.09 £20.33

-91.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.35 ₹983

$104 £78.3

-90.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.51 ₹333

$10.86 £8.15

-67.68%

Cappuccino

$1.59 ₹151

$5.60 £4.20

-71.61%

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

$0.37 ₹35.47

$3.05 £2.29

-87.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 ₹13.74

$2.28 £1.71

-93.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.76 ₹167

$9.23 £6.92

-80.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 ₹290

$7.95 £5.96

-61.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.65 ₹61.9

$1.83 £1.37

-64.48%

White Bread (500g)

$0.49 ₹46.20

$2.05 £1.54

-76.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.71 ₹67.1

$2.47 £1.86

-71.26%

Eggs

$0.94 ₹89.0

$5.12 £3.84

-81.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.13 ₹487

$12.89 £9.67

-60.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.04 ₹289

$10.84 £8.14

-71.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.03 £12.78

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 ₹194

$3.07 £2.30

-33.55%

Banana (1kg)

$0.70 ₹66.4

$1.38 £1.03

-49.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.94 ₹89.0

$2.99 £2.24

-68.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 ₹50.4

$3.39 £2.54

-84.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.36 ₹33.96

$1.60 £1.20

-77.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.45 ₹42.91

$1.80 £1.35

-75.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 ₹42.97

$1.41 £1.06

-68.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.84

$1.81 £1.36

-82.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.85 ₹366

$23.92 £17.94

-83.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.50 ₹712

$13.54 £10.16

-44.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ₹170

$3.23 £2.42

-44.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₹266

$4.39 £3.29

-36.22%

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

$5.36 ₹509

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₹26.45

$3.92 £2.94

-92.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.66 ₹823

$243 £182

-96.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₹75.2

$5.58 £4.18

-85.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₹23.73

$3.27 £2.46

-92.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 ₹140

$58.4 £43.81

-97.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ₹116

$2.08 £1.56

-40.87%

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

$14.1K ₹1.3M

$38.8K £29.1K

-63.61%

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

$22.0K ₹2.1M

$40.6K £30.5K

-45.76%

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

$38.61 ₹3,666

$380 £285

-89.84%

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

$3.52 ₹334

$18.62 £13.97

-81.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.28 ₹691

$40.45 £30.35

-82.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.16 ₹1,534

$61.3 £45.95

-73.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.04 ₹668

$21.41 £16.07

-67.12%

Cinema Ticket

$2.92 ₹277

$18.09 £13.57

-83.86%

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

$51.7 ₹4,906

$2,905 £2,180

-98.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,531 ₹145.4K

$35.5K £26.6K

-95.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.84 ₹2,264

$116 £87.3

-79.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.34 ₹2,406

$54.5 £40.89

-53.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$42.87 ₹4,070

$128 £95.8

-66.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.88 ₹2,932

$167 £125

-81.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$126 ₹12.0K

$2,852 £2,140

-95.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$74.7 ₹7,094

$2,269 £1,702

-96.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$269 ₹25.6K

$5,250 £3,939

-94.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$179 ₹17.0K

$3,752 £2,815

-95.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,076 ₹102.2K

$18.5K £13.9K

-94.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$607 ₹57.6K

$8,100 £6,077

-92.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,109 £3,833

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.67

4.74

82.91%

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

Last update for Varkala: October 19, 2026

Last update for London: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Varkala

$106 27.6%

London

$353 8.7% 232% $247

Accommodation & Living

Varkala

$75 19.4%

London

$2.3K 56% 2938% $2.2K

Eating Out

Varkala

$66 17%

London

$400 9.9% 510% $334

Clothing & Footwear

Varkala

$55 14.4%

London

$209 5.2% 279% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varkala

$49 12.8%

London

$439 10.9% 789% $390

Sport & Entertainment

Varkala

$22 5.7%

London

$97 2.4% 343% $75

Getting Around

Varkala

$12 3.1%

London

$280 6.9% 2272% $269

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $126 in Varkala versus $2,852 in London. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $10.00 in Varkala versus $104 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $106 vs $353 – making Varkala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Varkala

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

21:36 9:36 PM

17:06 5:06 PM

4 h 30 min behind Varkala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000

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 20, 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 20, 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

Varkala London 8,340 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Varkala
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

Varkala vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $385 in Varkala, $4,049 in London – roughly 951% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $578 per month in Varkala and $6,073 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 232% 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 $10.00 in Varkala and $104 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 Varkala, where all-in costs run around $385, than in London at $4,049. In Varkala it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Varkala has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $385 in Varkala to $4,049 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Varkala. 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.