United Kingdom vs United States - Cost of Living Comparison

United Kingdom United States
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1818
$2213
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$4395
$5003
🏠 One person rent
$1091
$1399
🏘️ Family rent
$1921
$2331
🍽️ Food expenses
$425
$568
🚐 Transport expenses
$162
$98
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$2852
$4223
💸 GDP per capita
$46510
$70249
😃 Human freedom index
8.3
8.23
❤️ Life expectancy
80.9
77.3
👮 Corruption perceptions index
73
69
🌐 English speaking %
98.3%
95.5%
🎓 Higher education
100
100
😀 Quality of life
92
86
🏙️ Population
67.3M
331M

The average cost of living in the United Kingdom ($1818) is 18% less expensive than in the United States ($2213). the United Kingdom ranked 16th vs 5th for the United States in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 1.6 months in the United Kingdom compared to 1.9 months in the United States. Ranked 15th and 22nd best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in United Kingdom vs United States infographic

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Prices in the United Kingdom vs the United States

We calculate prices for the United Kingdom and the United States as a population-weighted mean of 277 and 2202 cities, respectively. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages below for more relevant information.

United Kingdom United States
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$15.6
$16.6
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$62
$63.3
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$7.44
$9.07
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$5.37
$5.45
 Cappuccino
$3.65
$4.64
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.89
$2.26
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$1142
$1483
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$853
$1154
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$2114
$2565
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1551
$1971
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$144
$113
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$222
$173
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$35.6
$67.3
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
3.35%
5.25%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$6918
$4618
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4671
$3344
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$3.15
$2.23
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$92.7
$65.5
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$17.1
$17.4
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.92
$1.01
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.19
$1.05
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.23
$3.04
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.6
$3.99
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.8
$3.91
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$7.71
$11.8
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$7.33
$11.7
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$11.3
$15
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.36
$4.66
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.39
$1.72
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.22
$4.07
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.52
$4.27
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.25
$2.61
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.25
$2.55
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.82
$1.27
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.4
$2.26
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$9.07
$13.1
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.2
$2.7
🚬 Cigarette pack
$14.4
$9.13
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$5.48
$8.81
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$4.47
$5.27
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$2.41
$3.89
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$2.03
$1.95
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$39.8
$43.4
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$12.2
$12.6
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$94.8
$112
💇 Haircut, simple
$13.6
$18.9
👖 Brand Jeans
$75.2
$47.3
👟 Brand Sneakers
$81.8
$82.8
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$1303
$1178
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$16687
$15443

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in the United Kingdom vs the United States

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In the United Kingdom

City Cost of living Population
London
$2765
8.91M
Birmingham
$1634
1.14M
Leeds
$1672
789K
Glasgow
$1547
626K
Bristol
$1836
567K
Manchester
$1706
548K
Edinburgh
$1746
488K
Coventry
$1507
363K
Leicester
$1461
464K
Liverpool
$1494
513K
Sheffield
$1481
518K
Westminster
$2488
255K
Cardiff
$1553
361K
Belfast
$1540
334K
Brighton and Hove
$1814
285K
York
$1752
208K
Portsmouth
$1440
248K
Milton Keynes
$1852
207K
Sunderland
$1313
277K
Southampton
$1649
271K
Newcastle upon Tyne
$1491
300K
Nottingham
$1474
289K
Northampton
$1583
212K
Bolton
$1198
285K
Swindon
$1551
222K
Wolverhampton
$1470
251K
Ipswich
$1397
290K
Bradford
$1202
293K
Derby
$1404
255K
Preston
$1176
142K

In the United States

City Cost of living Population
New York City
$3723
8.8M
Los Angeles
$2975
3.9M
Chicago
$2372
2.75M
Houston
$2141
2.3M
Phoenix
$2552
1.61M
Philadelphia
$2463
1.6M
San Diego
$2965
1.39M
Dallas
$2489
1.3M
San Jose
$2972
1.01M
San Antonio
$1885
1.43M
San Francisco
$3507
874K
Austin
$2672
962K
Seattle
$2881
737K
Jacksonville
$2109
950K
Fort Worth
$2104
919K
Charlotte
$2680
875K
Indianapolis
$2086
888K
Washington
$2703
690K
Denver
$2527
716K
Columbus
$2103
906K
Boston
$3013
676K
Hempstead
$2889
793K
Nashville
$2707
668K
Memphis
$1698
633K
Portland
$2375
653K
Baltimore
$2012
586K
Albuquerque
$1833
565K
Milwaukee
$2092
577K
El Paso
$1413
679K
Long Beach
$2538
467K