Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Warsaw and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Warsaw: $2,045 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $24,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Warsaw
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Warsaw Living Index
196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Warsaw

🇵🇱 Poland

$2,045

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,045 per month in Warsaw vs $4,086 in London, rent included.

Warsaw $2,045
London $4,086

A couple spends around $2,944 per month in Warsaw vs $5,816 in London, rent included.

Warsaw $2,944
London $5,816

A family of three spends $3,843 per month in Warsaw vs $7,546 in London, rent included.

Warsaw $3,843
London $7,546

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

Both Warsaw and London sit above the global median – Warsaw by 53%, London by 205%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.46 zł 44.74

$26.62 £20.12

-56.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 zł 239

$108 £81.3

-43.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.40 zł 40.58

$10.39 £7.86

0.10%

Cappuccino

$4.36 zł 17.03

$5.79 £4.38

-24.70%

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

$2.22 zł 8.65

$3.01 £2.27

-26.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 zł 8.73

$2.15 £1.63

4.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.67 zł 18.24

$9.35 £7.07

-50.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.20 zł 20.28

$7.84 £5.93

-33.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 zł 4.11

$1.79 £1.35

-41.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 zł 6.00

$2.06 £1.56

-25.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 zł 6.15

$2.31 £1.74

-31.60%

Eggs

$3.81 zł 14.88

$5.05 £3.82

-24.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.71 zł 34.00

$12.57 £9.50

-30.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.49 zł 25.34

$10.66 £8.05

-39.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.86 zł 58.0

$17.13 £12.95

-13.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.20 zł 4.70

$3.03 £2.29

-60.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 zł 6.51

$1.41 £1.07

18.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 zł 6.38

$3.05 £2.31

-46.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 zł 16.58

$3.38 £2.56

25.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 zł 3.60

$1.67 £1.26

-44.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.87 zł 3.40

$1.73 £1.31

-49.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 zł 5.77

$1.41 £1.07

4.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 zł 2.51

$1.79 £1.35

-64.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.37 zł 24.86

$23.22 £17.55

-72.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.37 zł 24.84

$12.99 £9.82

-50.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 zł 4.25

$3.18 £2.41

-65.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 zł 6.37

$4.41 £3.34

-63.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 zł 4.35

$3.87 £2.93

-71.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.30 zł 110

$250 £189

-88.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 zł 10.24

$5.71 £4.31

-53.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 zł 4.93

$3.33 £2.51

-62.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.86 zł 50.2

$57.9 £43.77

-77.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 zł 6.64

$2.04 £1.54

-16.67%

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

$30.2K zł 118.0K

$37.5K £28.4K

-19.49%

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

$29.7K zł 116.1K

$40.9K £30.9K

-27.28%

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

$352 zł 1,375

$376 £284

-6.34%

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

$9.15 zł 35.71

$17.88 £13.51

-48.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.14 zł 63.0

$40.01 £30.25

-59.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.94 zł 179

$61.2 £46.23

-24.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.38 zł 111

$21.07 £15.93

34.69%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 zł 34.93

$17.95 £13.57

-50.14%

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

$600 zł 2,339

$2,865 £2,166

-79.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.3K zł 55.7K

$35.3K £26.7K

-59.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$112 zł 436

$116 £87.7

-3.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.03 zł 160

$54.1 £40.88

-24.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 zł 418

$127 £95.7

-15.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 zł 431

$159 £120

-30.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,177 zł 4,594

$2,853 £2,157

-58.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 zł 3,812

$2,301 £1,740

-57.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 zł 8,181

$5,201 £3,932

-59.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,580 zł 6,166

$3,723 £2,814

-57.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,960 zł 23.3K

$19.0K £14.4K

-68.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,860 zł 15.1K

$7,881 £5,957

-51.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,096 zł 8,178

$4,818 £3,642

-56.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

4.65

42.37%

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

Last update for Warsaw: October 5, 2026

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Warsaw

$977 46.8%

London

$2.3K 56.5% 136% $1.3K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Warsaw

$378 18.1%

London

$434 10.7% 14.9% $56

Groceries & Markets

Warsaw

$234 11.2%

London

$349 8.6% 49.3% $115

Eating Out

Warsaw

$227 10.9%

London

$397 9.7% 74.9% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Warsaw

$167 8%

London

$205 5% 23.1% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Warsaw

$64 3.1%

London

$97 2.4% 52% $33

Getting Around

Warsaw

$42 2%

London

$288 7.1% 590% $246

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,177 in Warsaw versus $2,853 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 130% 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 $61.0 in Warsaw versus $108 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $349 – making Warsaw the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Warsaw

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

03:58 3:58 AM

02:58 2:58 AM

1 h behind Warsaw

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,861,599 Capital

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.256 USD

1 PLN = 0.228 EUR

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.9 PLN (1 PLN = 0.256 USD). 1 EUR = 4.38 PLN (1 PLN = 0.228 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

USD to PLN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Warsaw London 1,450 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Warsaw
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

Warsaw vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,045 in Warsaw, $4,086 in London – roughly 100% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,067 per month in Warsaw and $6,129 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 49% 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 $61.0 in Warsaw and $108 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 Warsaw, where all-in costs run around $2,045, than in London at $4,086. In Warsaw it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Warsaw has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,045 in Warsaw to $4,086 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 Warsaw. 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.