United Kingdom vs United States - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

United Kingdom United States
🚶 Cost of living one person
$2423
$2516
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$5632
$5730
🏠 One person rent
$1537
$1598
🏘️ Family rent
$2579
$2655
🍽️ Food expenses
$551
$651
🚐 Transport expenses
$175
$101
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$3400
$4539
💸 GDP per capita
$52637
$85810
😃 Human freedom index
8.64
8.64
❤️ Life expectancy
81.2
78.4
👮 Corruption perceptions index
71
65
🌐 English speaking %
98.3%
95.3%
🎓 Higher education
100
100
😀 Quality of life
90
87
🏙️ Population
69.2M
340M

The average cost of living in the United Kingdom ($2423) is 4% less expensive than in the United States ($2516). the United Kingdom ranked 11th vs 9th 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 1.4 months in the United Kingdom compared to 1.8 months in the United States. Ranked 14th and 20th 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
$20.4
$19.5
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$83.9
$76.5
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$10
$11.5
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$7.07
$6.31
 Cappuccino
$4.72
$5.34
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$2.5
$2.65
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$1632
$1659
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$1243
$1336
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$2684
$3048
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$2247
$2458
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$175
$125
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$270
$193
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$40.8
$67.5
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
5.33%
6.41%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$9148
$4491
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$5701
$3675
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$3.5
$2.35
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$92.8
$69.5
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$23.8
$18.4
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.88
$0.92
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.62
$1.11
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.72
$3.57
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.26
$4.43
🥚 Eggs, x12
$4.19
$4.7
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$10.2
$13.4
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.76
$12.3
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$14.5
$16.8
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.97
$5.12
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.66
$1.85
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.95
$4.48
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.29
$4.77
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.56
$2.83
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.63
$2.9
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.07
$1.48
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.95
$2.74
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$11.2
$14.5
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.91
$2.41
🚬 Cigarette pack
$19.9
$10.7
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$6.08
$10.5
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$5.17
$6.66
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$2.87
$4.53
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$2.39
$2.2
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$48.7
$52.3
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$14.8
$14.5
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$96.4
$124
💇 Haircut, simple
$14.8
$21.6
👖 Brand Jeans
$91.7
$53.2
👟 Brand Sneakers
$101
$92.4
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$1767
$1428
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$20243
$20562

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
$3851
8.8M
Birmingham
$2137
1.14M
Glasgow
$2058
626K
Edinburgh
$2310
488K
Manchester
$2265
548K
Sheffield
$1890
518K
Bristol
$2450
472K
Leeds
$2067
536K
Liverpool
$1937
513K
Leicester
$1899
464K
Coventry
$2051
363K
Newcastle upon Tyne
$1963
300K
Bolton
$2040
285K
Cardiff
$2105
361K
Bradford
$1746
293K
Nottingham
$1831
289K
Westminster
$2960
255K
Belfast
$1884
345K
Brighton and Hove
$2269
277K
Sunderland
$1602
277K
Derby
$1658
255K
Southampton
$2139
271K
Solihull
$1940
207K
Milton Keynes
$2330
264K
Kingston upon Hull
$1600
260K
Plymouth
$1884
268K
Aberdeen
$1769
201K
Northampton
$1901
246K
York
$1867
208K
Wolverhampton
$1775
251K

In the United States

City Cost of living Population
New York City
$4203
8.8M
Los Angeles
$3361
3.9M
Chicago
$2799
2.75M
Houston
$2240
2.3M
San Diego
$3469
1.39M
Philadelphia
$2584
1.6M
Phoenix
$2340
1.61M
Dallas
$2447
1.3M
San Francisco
$4110
874K
San Jose
$3952
1.01M
San Antonio
$2023
1.43M
Seattle
$3162
737K
Austin
$2416
962K
Washington
$3328
690K
Boston
$3652
676K
Indianapolis
$2382
888K
Hempstead
$2655
793K
Fort Worth
$2217
919K
Jacksonville
$2222
950K
Charlotte
$2423
875K
Columbus
$2181
906K
Denver
$2775
716K
Portland
$2684
653K
Nashville
$2524
689K
Las Vegas
$2414
642K
Oklahoma City
$1872
681K
Atlanta
$2641
499K
Oakland
$3254
441K
Baltimore
$2323
586K
Sacramento
$2825
525K