One of the most common questions people ask when planning to travel or live in the UK’s capital is: What is the cost of living in London? Whilst London is not the most expensive city in the world it’s not the cheapest either. Prices have risen in London recently, but you can still find many ways to save money and get good value.
We’ve decided to do a little market research and create an up-to-date price list of the most common products and services. This is just a rough guide and you may find prices differ depending on which location of London you are in.
Bars and Pubs
Pint Beer – £4
Bottle Beer – £3-4
Glass of 125ml Wine – £4.50
Glass of 250ml wine – £8
Cocktail – £8-10
Coffee / Tea – £2 – £4
Coke / Diet Coke – £2.50
Basic Entertainment
Cinema Ticket – £9
Bowling – £5 per game per person
Ice Skating – £10 per person
Rooms and Apartments Rent
Central Boroughs:
Apartment (Monthly)
Studio – £650 – £1400+
1 Bed – £850 – £1600+
2 Bed – £1000 – £2000+
3 Bed – £1350 – £2600+
Room Only (Monthly)
£500 – £1000
Outer Boroughs:
Apartment (Monthly)
Studio – £498 – £672
1 Bed – £550 – £997
2 Bed – £711 – £1148
3 Bed – £923 – £1408
Room Only (Monthly)
£200 – £350
Supermarket and Groceries
Bread – £1
Fruit Item – 40p
6 Eggs – £2
1 litre milk – 90p
Butter 250g – £1.70
Bottle Beer – £1.25
Pack of 6 canned beer at supermarket – £5
Bottle Wine from Supermarket – £7
Ice Cream – £2
3 Course Meal with wine – £10 (Tesco)
Bottle of coke 2 litre £2
Bottle Of water supermarket – 75p
Toothpaste – £1.70
Razor Blades – £8
Image courtesy of Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Health and Beauty
Mens Haircut – £10-20
Ladies Haircut – £20+
Tobacco
Cigarettes – 20 pack £8 average / 10 pack £5 average
Tobacco
Attractions and Tours
London Eye – £18.90
London Aquarium
London Bus Tour £28
London Dungeon – £24.60 (adult 16+), £22.50 (student), £19.20 (15yrs and younger),
Madame Tussauds – adult (online booking) £22.50,( on the day) £30, child (online) £19.35, (on the day) £25.80
Science Museum – Free
British Museum – Free
Natural History Museum – Free
Tower of London – £19.50 (adult), £9.75 (child)
HMS – £14.50 (adult), child under 16-free
Duck Tour -£23
Ghost Tour – £20
Jack the Ripper evening tour – £29
Mobile Phone
Monthly – £30+
Clubbing
£10 – £20 entrance only
Festivals
£50 – £100 (one or two days)
Transport
Tube: £8 travel card (zones 1-4)
Boris Bikes – 24hrs acces fee £2 + usage charge up to 30min FREE, up to an hour £1
Thames Clipper Boat Service – £6 one way Buses – £2.50 one way
Cable Carts – £4.30 (adult single), £8.60 (adult return), £2.20 (child single), £4.40 (child retun) Taxis – £6+ (1mile)
ZipCar Rental £5ph or £49 per day including petrol
Standard Card Rental – £20-30 per day + petrol cost
Gas / Petrol
Unleaded – 132.81p
Diesel – 140.39p
Super Unleaded – 141.34p
Premium Diesel – 149.88p
LPG – 74.83p
Home Expenses
Gas – £60+
Electricity – £40+
Council Tax – £630+
Broadband – £13+
BT Line Rental – £10.75+
Sky TV – £21.50+
Discount Cards
Oyster card – £5
London Pass (including travel) – Adult 1 day – £56, 2 day £82, 3 day £96.30, 6 day £145.80 / Child 1 day £34, 2 day £53, 3 day £57.70, 6 day £91.80
The Monster Card (Student Discounts) – £10
TasteCard (50% off or 2 For 1 on thousands of Restaurants) – £79.95 per annum