United Kingdom vs United States - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

United Kingdom United States
🚶 Cost of living one person
$2292
$2454
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$5537
$5738
🏠 One person rent
$1425
$1565
🏘️ Family rent
$2546
$2755
🍽️ Food expenses
$534
$624
🚐 Transport expenses
$168
$102
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$3442
$4635
💸 GDP per capita
$48867
$81695
😃 Human freedom index
8.39
8.39
❤️ Life expectancy
82.1
77.4
👮 Corruption perceptions index
71
69
🌐 English speaking %
98.3%
95.5%
🎓 Higher education
100
100
😀 Quality of life
91
87
🏙️ Population
67.3M
332M

The average cost of living in the United Kingdom ($2292) is 7% less expensive than in the United States ($2454). the United Kingdom ranked 13th vs 10th 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 1.9 months in the United States. Ranked 13th 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
$19.9
$18.7
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$80.2
$75
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$9.75
$10.8
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$6.53
$6.19
 Cappuccino
$4.42
$5.13
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$2.3
$2.57
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$1463
$1641
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$1146
$1330
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$2840
$2946
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$2084
$2414
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$176
$123
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$270
$189
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$40.1
$66.1
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
5.65%
6.53%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$8199
$4710
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$5588
$3231
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$3.27
$2.37
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$90.6
$70
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$20.6
$18.4
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.94
$0.98
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.63
$1.08
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.63
$3.5
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.22
$4.35
🥚 Eggs, x12
$4.07
$3.81
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$10.3
$13
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.85
$11.6
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$14.1
$15.9
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.95
$5.03
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.61
$1.76
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.93
$4.51
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.37
$4.74
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.46
$2.81
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.5
$2.88
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.98
$1.42
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.91
$2.6
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$11
$14.4
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.67
$2.17
🚬 Cigarette pack
$18.2
$10.3
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$6.04
$9.41
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$5.19
$6.07
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$2.83
$4.4
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$2.27
$2.13
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$46.3
$51.1
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$14
$14.1
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$115
$122
💇 Haircut, simple
$14.6
$20.2
👖 Brand Jeans
$85.6
$52.8
👟 Brand Sneakers
$99.1
$89.4
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$1730
$1400
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$19028
$20224

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
$3427
8.8M
Birmingham
$2046
1.14M
Leeds
$1987
789K
Glasgow
$2013
626K
Edinburgh
$2246
488K
Manchester
$2137
548K
Sheffield
$1809
518K
Bristol
$2373
472K
Coventry
$2050
363K
Liverpool
$1889
513K
Leicester
$1898
464K
Cardiff
$2019
361K
Newcastle upon Tyne
$1847
300K
Belfast
$1830
345K
Westminster
$3054
255K
Bradford
$1670
293K
Southampton
$2023
271K
Milton Keynes
$2384
264K
Bolton
$1852
285K
Nottingham
$1944
289K
Brighton and Hove
$3152
277K
Derby
$1817
255K
Aberdeen
$1701
201K
Solihull
$1827
207K
Norwich
$1926
196K
York
$1893
208K
Plymouth
$1779
268K
Luton
$2053
213K
Sunderland
$1571
277K
Northampton
$1755
246K

In the United States

City Cost of living Population
New York City
$4051
8.8M
Los Angeles
$3187
3.9M
Chicago
$2667
2.75M
Houston
$2248
2.3M
San Diego
$3346
1.39M
Phoenix
$2369
1.61M
San Jose
$3674
1.01M
Dallas
$2550
1.3M
San Francisco
$3781
874K
Philadelphia
$2541
1.6M
San Antonio
$2194
1.43M
Austin
$2473
962K
Seattle
$2908
737K
Indianapolis
$2187
888K
Hempstead
$2702
793K
Charlotte
$2615
875K
Washington
$3139
690K
Boston
$3467
676K
Fort Worth
$2195
919K
Jacksonville
$2386
950K
Columbus
$2252
906K
Denver
$2699
716K
Nashville
$2649
689K
Portland
$2572
653K
Atlanta
$2540
499K
Las Vegas
$2246
642K
Detroit
$2006
639K
Oakland
$3146
441K
El Paso
$1775
679K
Baltimore
$2223
586K