Cost of Living Comparison Between United Kingdom and United States

For major cities in those countries you get more relevant data by specifying cities.

City in United Kingdom:
City in United States:

Indices Difference
Cost of Living in United States is 5.6% higher than in United Kingdom (without rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in United States is 13.2% higher than in United Kingdom
Rent Prices in United States are 32.3% higher than in United Kingdom
Restaurant Prices in United States are 2.5% higher than in United Kingdom
Groceries Prices in United States are 26.5% higher than in United Kingdom
Local Purchasing Power in United States is 24.3% higher than in United Kingdom

Currency: Sticky Currency Switch to metric measurement units

Restaurants	United Kingdom Edit	United States Edit	Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant	15.00 £ (19.41 $)	15.45 £ (20.00 $)	+3.0 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	65.00 £ (84.12 $)	57.95 £ (75.00 $)	-10.8 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	7.50 £ (9.71 $)	8.50 £ (11.00 $)	+13.3 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	5.00 £ (6.47 $)	4.64 £ (6.00 $)	-7.3 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	4.50 £ (5.82 $)	5.41 £ (7.00 $)	+20.2 %
Cappuccino (regular)	3.38 £ (4.37 $)	4.03 £ (5.22 $)	+19.4 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	1.77 £ (2.29 $)	1.97 £ (2.55 $)	+11.5 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	1.26 £ (1.63 $)	1.61 £ (2.08 $)	+27.9 %
Markets	United Kingdom Edit	United States Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	4.70 £ (6.08 $)	3.09 £ (4.00 $)	-34.2 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	1.12 £ (1.45 $)	2.54 £ (3.29 $)	+126.3 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	0.75 £ (0.96 $)	1.61 £ (2.08 $)	+115.8 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	2.96 £ (3.83 $)	3.21 £ (4.15 $)	+8.3 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	3.25 £ (4.21 $)	4.54 £ (5.87 $)	+39.6 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	3.00 £ (3.88 $)	4.26 £ (5.51 $)	+42.1 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	4.70 £ (6.09 $)	5.68 £ (7.36 $)	+20.9 %
Apples (1 lb)	0.99 £ (1.28 $)	1.85 £ (2.39 $)	+87.1 %
Banana (1 lb)	0.54 £ (0.70 $)	0.59 £ (0.76 $)	+8.2 %
Oranges (1 lb)	0.96 £ (1.25 $)	1.57 £ (2.04 $)	+63.1 %
Tomato (1 lb)	1.19 £ (1.54 $)	1.72 £ (2.22 $)	+44.4 %
Potato (1 lb)	0.54 £ (0.71 $)	1.03 £ (1.33 $)	+88.2 %
Onion (1 lb)	0.51 £ (0.66 $)	1.08 £ (1.39 $)	+110.0 %
Lettuce (1 head)	0.83 £ (1.07 $)	1.70 £ (2.20 $)	+105.3 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	1.12 £ (1.45 $)	1.72 £ (2.22 $)	+53.0 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	8.00 £ (10.35 $)	11.59 £ (15.00 $)	+44.9 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	2.06 £ (2.67 $)	1.50 £ (1.94 $)	-27.3 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	2.45 £ (3.17 $)	2.77 £ (3.59 $)	+13.0 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	14.60 £ (18.89 $)	7.73 £ (10.00 $)	-47.1 %
Transportation	United Kingdom Edit	United States Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	2.40 £ (3.11 $)	1.93 £ (2.50 $)	-19.5 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	70.00 £ (90.59 $)	50.23 £ (65.00 $)	-28.2 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	3.85 £ (4.98 $)	2.90 £ (3.75 $)	-24.7 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	2.65 £ (3.43 $)	2.16 £ (2.80 $)	-18.4 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	20.00 £ (25.88 $)	23.18 £ (30.00 $)	+15.9 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	5.47 £ (7.08 $)	2.72 £ (3.51 $)	-50.4 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	28,285.00 £ (36,605.60 $)	23,180.88 £ (30,000.00 $)	-18.0 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	29,735.51 £ (38,482.80 $)	20,058.61 £ (25,959.25 $)	-32.5 %
Utilities (Monthly)	United Kingdom Edit	United States Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	239.06 £ (309.38 $)	160.62 £ (207.87 $)	-32.8 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	12.78 £ (16.53 $)	44.18 £ (57.17 $)	+245.8 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	30.97 £ (40.08 $)	55.22 £ (71.46 $)	+78.3 %
Sports And Leisure	United Kingdom Edit	United States Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	33.79 £ (43.73 $)	35.96 £ (46.54 $)	+6.4 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	11.47 £ (14.84 $)	16.89 £ (21.86 $)	+47.3 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	10.00 £ (12.94 $)	10.89 £ (14.09 $)	+8.9 %
Childcare	United Kingdom Edit	United States Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	1,245.49 £ (1,611.88 $)	1,062.72 £ (1,375.34 $)	-14.7 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	15,402.61 £ (19,933.60 $)	17,485.18 £ (22,628.80 $)	+13.5 %
Clothing And Shoes	United Kingdom Edit	United States Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	65.18 £ (84.36 $)	40.19 £ (52.01 $)	-38.3 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	32.66 £ (42.27 $)	32.93 £ (42.62 $)	+0.8 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	74.63 £ (96.58 $)	69.09 £ (89.42 $)	-7.4 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	75.85 £ (98.16 $)	87.47 £ (113.20 $)	+15.3 %
Rent Per Month	United Kingdom Edit	United States Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	1,031.90 £ (1,335.46 $)	1,347.51 £ (1,743.91 $)	+30.6 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	837.36 £ (1,083.69 $)	1,110.94 £ (1,437.75 $)	+32.7 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	1,730.86 £ (2,240.02 $)	2,247.65 £ (2,908.84 $)	+29.9 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	1,359.64 £ (1,759.60 $)	1,853.31 £ (2,398.49 $)	+36.3 %
Buy Apartment Price	United Kingdom Edit	United States Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	447.62 £ (579.30 $)	232.00 £ (300.24 $)	-48.2 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	352.91 £ (456.73 $)	194.27 £ (251.42 $)	-45.0 %
Salaries And Financing	United Kingdom Edit	United States Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	2,383.19 £ (3,084.25 $)	3,351.91 £ (4,337.95 $)	+40.6 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	5.77	6.57	+13.9 %
Last update:	March 2025	March 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:	2874	10337

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