United Kingdom vs United States - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

United Kingdom United States
🚶 Cost of living one person
$2399
$2522
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$5601
$5757
🏠 One person rent
$1485
$1593
🏘️ Family rent
$2452
$2642
🍽️ Food expenses
$570
$656
🚐 Transport expenses
$178
$103
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$3628
$4550
💸 GDP per capita
$53246
$84534
😃 Human freedom index
8.6
8.71
❤️ Life expectancy
81.2
78.4
👮 Corruption perceptions index
70
64
🌐 English speaking %
98.3%
95.9%
🎓 Higher education
100
100
😀 Quality of life
92
88
🏙️ Population
69.2M
340M

The average cost of living in the United Kingdom ($2399) is 5% less expensive than in the United States ($2522). the United Kingdom ranked 12th 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 1.5 months in the United Kingdom compared to 1.8 months in the United States. Ranked 14th and 22nd best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

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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
$21.3
$19.8
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$85.7
$77
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$10.6
$11.7
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$7.28
$6.39
 Cappuccino
$4.93
$5.44
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$2.62
$2.76
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$1530
$1682
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$1201
$1337
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$2627
$2997
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$2095
$2414
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$176
$130
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$269
$200
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$42.1
$68.9
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
5.1%
6.16%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$8953
$4871
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$5429
$3394
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$3.59
$2.34
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$94.9
$71.1
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$24
$18
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.93
$1.02
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.67
$1.11
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.76
$3.58
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.22
$4.47
🥚 Eggs, x12
$4.36
$4.73
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$10.8
$13.2
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$9.32
$12.3
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$15
$17.3
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.98
$5.06
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.64
$1.82
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.78
$4.57
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.43
$4.83
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.62
$2.88
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.61
$2.97
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.1
$1.52
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$3.06
$2.75
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$11.6
$15
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$3.02
$2.45
🚬 Cigarette pack
$22.4
$11.1
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$6.29
$10.5
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$5.18
$6.66
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$2.93
$4.59
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$2.49
$2.24
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$57.4
$52.6
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$15.1
$14.7
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$102
$127
💇 Haircut, simple
$15.9
$22.1
👖 Brand Jeans
$95.1
$55.3
👟 Brand Sneakers
$104
$94.7
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$1814
$1520
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$21784
$20019

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in the United Kingdom vs the United States

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Cost of Living in Popular cities

In the United Kingdom

City Cost of living Population
London
$3662
8.8M
Birmingham
$2204
1.14M
Glasgow
$2114
626K
Manchester
$2348
548K
Leeds
$2039
536K
Bristol
$2596
472K
Liverpool
$1942
513K
Edinburgh
$2295
488K
Sheffield
$1948
518K
Cardiff
$2082
384K
Bolton
$1987
285K
Coventry
$1971
363K
Newcastle upon Tyne
$1979
300K
Leicester
$1777
369K
Belfast
$1878
345K
Sunderland
$1554
277K
Bradford
$1774
293K
Solihull
$2080
207K
Nottingham
$1990
289K
Derby
$1748
255K
Brighton and Hove
$2197
277K
Northampton
$1886
246K
Southampton
$2309
271K
Milton Keynes
$2312
264K
Croydon
$2563
192K
Portsmouth
$2029
248K
Kingston upon Hull
$1654
260K
Plymouth
$1791
268K
Swansea
$1730
247K
Westminster
$3042
211K

In the United States

City Cost of living Population
New York City
$4202
8.8M
Los Angeles
$3420
3.9M
Chicago
$2851
2.75M
Houston
$2261
2.3M
San Diego
$3486
1.39M
Philadelphia
$2597
1.6M
San Francisco
$4110
874K
Phoenix
$2423
1.61M
Dallas
$2472
1.3M
San Jose
$3957
1.01M
San Antonio
$2071
1.43M
Washington
$3350
690K
Seattle
$3183
737K
Austin
$2475
962K
Boston
$3680
676K
Fort Worth
$2259
919K
Hempstead
$2710
793K
Indianapolis
$2405
888K
Charlotte
$2470
875K
Jacksonville
$2192
950K
Columbus
$2140
906K
Denver
$2848
716K
Portland
$2785
653K
Nashville
$2451
689K
Atlanta
$2628
499K
Oklahoma City
$1931
681K
Baltimore
$2224
586K
Las Vegas
$2294
642K
Sacramento
$2682
525K
Memphis
$1917
633K