London Cost of Living Calculator

Life in London is expensive, and there’s no way around it. But the real question is, how expensive is it? And how much can I live with in the city?

Having an idea of how much money you will spend will help you determine how much you have to earn to live a good life - or you can look at it in the opposite way: If you know how much you will earn, you can calculate how much you can spend.

It’s probably not surprising at all that renting an apartment will be your biggest monthly expense. A good benchmark for how much money you should spend on rent is 33% of your salary - if you can make it less, great, but if you go near the 50% mark, you may find yourself short of cash at some point.

But how do you find a place where rent is more affordable? The answer is: NOT in the centre of London. A lot of new Expats try to be as close to their workplace as possible, but realistically, these are typically in Zones 1 and 2, which are also the most expensive places to live in. A 1-Bedroom apartment in Zone 1 can easily cost upwards of £3,000 per month, while a similar sized apartment in Zone 3/4 can be half of the price.

Don’t know where to start when it comes to looking for an apartment in London? At Matutto you can get neighbourhood guides, renatal application support, and more!

While rent will be at the top of your costs list, there are many other things you need to consider - that if you’re not careful with spending, they will add up to a large number at the end of the month. Here are some of the catergories of spending to look out for:

Food: Eating out at a restaurant can easily cost you £30 per person, while cooking a home-made meal normally averages between £2-£3 per person. Takeaway food, although convenient can be £10-£15 per person. Although it’s easy to go for the “eat out” option often, it can easily be the difference between spending £200 and £1000 in food per month.

Transportation: The bus is your best friend. With trips currently costing £1.75 and with a daily cap of £5.25, this is the cheapest method of transportation in London (apart from walking of course). If you choose to take the Tube (aka Metro), you might get to your destination faster as you skip traffic, but it will cost you between £2.50 and £4.50 per ride, depending on the zones you travel to and from. Needless to say, taking Ubers and Taxis are expensive and it will add up very quickly.

Leisure: These are expenses that heavily depend on your lifestyle. You can spend £25 on a Sunday Brunch or £35 on a monthly gym membership - or both. Select some of the most common activities in the calculator below to get an estimate of how much your monthly expense would add up to.