Expat communities from around the world have found a vibrant new home for themselves in the UK. If you are considering moving to Britain, you might be wondering which city you should live in. Making this decision becomes easier when you look at the cost of living in UK cities such as London, Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, and Oxford

The currency in the UK

The currency in the UK is known officially as Sterling, with its units of account being Pounds (£ - the common name for the currency) and pennies. One Pound is subdivided into 100 pennies. Banknotes are available in £5, £10, £20, and £50 denominations, and coins are available in 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1, and £2 denominations. 

Where to live in the UK

It’s no exaggeration to say that, when most people think about the UK, London is the first city which comes to mind. However, it’s important to remember that the capital and most populous city is not the be-all and end-all, especially if you’re looking for a more affordable lifestyle. 

The 2022 Mercer Cost of Living Survey named London as the world’s 15th most expensive city. Edinburgh was number 66 on the list, Glasgow number 86, Aberdeen number 93, and Birmingham number 94. The cost of living by city can vary considerably, and although you can find cheaper accommodation, transport, groceries, goods, and services in smaller towns and villages, their locations can limit your employment and social opportunities.

How much does accommodation cost in different UK cities?

There is incredible variance in rental and property prices in Britain, which is one of the reasons it’s important to compare the cost of living in UK cities. The table below compares property and rental prices in nine cities. The highest prices are in London, followed by Oxford, Bristol, Edinburgh, York, and Birmingham. The lowest prices are in Leeds and Cardiff. The contrast is significant, as the average monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Central London is £2,040.88, while the average monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Cardiff is a much more affordable £785.00.

	London	Bristol	York	Leeds	Birmingham	Cardiff	Edinburgh	Oxford	Manchester
Monthly rent for 1 bedroom apartment (city centre)	£2,040.88	£1,126.20	£955.00	£830.00	£902.56	£785.00	£995.58	£1,168.75	£922.76
Monthly rent for 1 bedroom apartment (outside centre)	£1,449.30	£873.91	£765.83	£587.50	£692.05	£637.73	£760.91	£955.00	£681.60
Monthly rent for 3 bedroom apartment (city centre)	£3,618.22	£1793.50	£1,900.00	£1,500.00	£1,605.00	£1,912.50	£1,950.00	£2,300.00	£1,725.00
Monthly rent for 3 bedroom apartment (outside centre)	£2,468.17	£1,373.68	£1,287.50	£1,000.00	£1,204.09	£1,069.75	£1,164.12	£1,764.29	£1,059.76
Price per square meter to buy apartment (city centre)	£12,025.21	£6,375.00	£4,000.00	£7,166.67	£4,364.36	£2,485.00	£4,471.14	£8,072.93	£3,913.28
Price per square meter to buy apartment (outside centre)	£7,340.85	£3,309.81	£2,000.00	£3,400.00	£3,237.29	£2,200.00	£3,293.75	£4,152.38	£2,569.71

 

How much does transport cost in different UK cities?

It’s important to take the cost of transport into account when looking at the cost of living by city. As shown in the table below, London’s reputation for being the most expensive city in the UK doesn’t hold up when it comes to the price of single-journey bus tickets. Instead, that dubious honour goes to Oxford, while Edinburgh offers the cheapest single bus tickets. That said, you will pay more for monthly public transport tickets, petrol, and new vehicles in London than in any of the other cities listed.

 

	London	Bristol	York	Leeds	Birmingham	Cardiff	Edinburgh	Oxford	Manchester
Single bus ticket	£2.60	£2.50	£2.20	£2.00	£2.50	£2.00	£1.80	£3.30	£2.00
Monthly public transport ticket	£159.00	£83.40	£57.50	£75.00	£65.22	£53.00	£60.00	£70.63	£70.00
Petrol (1 litre)	£1.78	£1.59	£1.54	£1.59	£1.56	£1.54	£1.60	£1.61	£1.65
Volkswagen Golf	£25,000.00	£24,495.00	£24,000.00	£19,000.00	£22,000.00	£24,000.00	£20,500.00	£24,000.00	£24,430.00
Toyota Corolla	£24,485.25	£20,637.41	£28,500.00	£20,576.25	£22,252.77	£20,666.67	£19,979.88	£28,092.50	£25,938.86

 

What is the cost of living in different UK cities?

If you are looking at moving to the UK, you may find it helpful to remember that the high cost of living in London is not seen only in the price of accommodation and transport. Food, other groceries, and most goods and services are more expensive in the capital than they are elsewhere, as can be seen in the table comparing the cost of living in UK cities. Of the cities compared, the cost of living in Cardiff is the lowest, with one or two exceptions, such as the price of bottled water and cappuccinos, which are cheaper in York. 

 

	London	Bristol	York	Leeds	Birmingham	Cardiff	Edinburgh	Oxford	Manchester
Milk (1 litre)	£1.16	£1.09	£1.04	£0.97	£1.00	£1.02	£0.96	£1.00	£1.10
Bread (500g loaf)	£1.12	£1.05	£0.84	£1.02	£1.03	£0.98	£1.08	£0.91	£1.15
Eggs (12pk)	£2.56	£2.20	£2.14	£2.35	£2.09	£2.11	£2.00	£2.25	£2.33
Water (1.5 litre bottle)	£1.12	£1.04	£0.88	£0.94	£0.99	£0.99	£1.06	£0.93	£1.14
Chicken Breast (1kg)	£6.80	£5.61	£6.75	£6.19	£5.70	£5.31	£5.67	£7.38	£5.78
Cappuccino (regular, in a restaurant)	£3.43	£3.29	£2.81	£3.21	£2.93	£2.98	£3.13	£2.96	£3.20
Beer (500ml, in a restaurant or pub)	£6.00	£4.50	£5.00	£4.00	£4.00	£4.00	£4.80	£5.00	£4.50
Cinema ticket	£12.00	£9.00	£9.50	£8.00	£10.00	£6.50	£9.25	£10.00	£9.75
Gym membership (monthly)	£42.66	£30.44	£37.22	£27.15	£31.16	£28.22	£30.71	£41.80	£25.62
Preschool/ Kindergarten (monthly)	£1,533.49	£1,197.14	£1,111.11	£758.33	£1,038.90	£1,116.67	£951.25	£1,162.50	£1,038.78
Primary School (yearly)	£17,933.33	£12,800.00	£6,750.00	£10,000.00	£13,616.43	£13,500.00	£11,866.67	£40,000.00	£10,200.00

 

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