What does it cost?

Jun 16, 2025

Hello! I’m Matthew, and not too long ago, my family and I packed up and moved from a small town in Wyoming to the bustling streets of London, England. “Howdy, London!” is my way of sharing our adventures with friends and family. But if you’ve stumbled across this and we’ve never met, welcome! I’d love to hear from you, so feel free to drop a comment below and introduce yourself. Now, let’s dive in!

A question I hear a lot is this: Is it expensive to live in London? The answer really depends on who's asking. If you're moving from New York City, you might actually breathe a sigh of relief. Some costs are surprisingly similar, and some are even cheaper. But if you're moving from a small town in Wyoming, well, buckle up.

Let’s start with something that surprised us: groceries. Groceries here are way cheaper. In Wyoming, our grocery game was pretty basic. We’d load the kids in the truck every two weeks, head to Walmart, and buy enough food to feed a football team. I’d glance at the receipt and immediately wonder if we had just sent another Walton kid to Harvard.

In London, it’s a totally different story. There are multiple grocery chains, and even the priciest of them is cheaper than rollback Walmart. It’s almost a game now to see how many things you can buy for under £1. The answer is a lot. Yes, we shop more often because we have to carry everything home, but we regularly leave the store with full bags and only spend £10 to £15. On top of that, the quality of fresh food here is far better. You may need to stop at a couple of shops, but you’ll find vibrant, fresh produce that would be hard to come by in the middle of the U.S.

Transportation is another place where we save. But to be fair, it's not really a one-to-one comparison. In Wyoming, we had to own one or two vehicles, and not just any vehicles. These had to survive snowstorms, mud, hail and the occasional whitetail crossing. We paid for fuel, insurance, maintenance, registration, and repairs. And yes, even those fuzzy dice that no rearview mirror is truly complete without.

In London, we don’t own a car. We use buses, trains, and the occasional Uber. The total cost is far lower than what we spent just keeping vehicles on the road back home.

Even flying is cheaper. It’s not uncommon for a family of four to book roundtrip flights to another country for £100 to £150. Sure, you're flying on an airline where the seats are made of recycled cafeteria trays and the pilot may have earned his wings in a cereal box, but seven times out of ten, you'll make it.

Coffee dates. Not cheaper in London, but definitely worth the money!

Now let’s talk healthcare. Yes, it’s cheaper here. Maybe not always better, but definitely cheaper. A small amount is taken out of each paycheck to fund it, but you won’t be handed a bill when you leave the doctor’s office. Since moving here, we've had checkups and eye exams, all handled smoothly and without out-of-pocket costs. It has been a refreshing change.

Back in the U.S., we experienced the full spectrum. We had great insurance (thank you school district!). Other times, we had no insurance at all and saw medical bills that could have financed a new home. In the U.S., medical bills are one of the leading causes of bankruptcy. In the UK, that’s just not the case. Yes, you do hear stories about long wait times or overbooked clinics, but our experience has been positive.

Here's a fun stat. A doctor in the UK might earn £30,000 to £50,000 per year. In the U.S., that same doctor could be making $230,000. So healthcare is definitely cheaper here. But if you want a private room with heated blankets and room service, you might be better off in the States.

Now for the punch in the wallet. Housing. London is crowded. Around 9.7 million people live here, and housing is in high demand. Prices are steep and all over the map. In Wyoming, we rented a beautiful home with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a big garage, and a spacious yard. Here in London, we have a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment with about 1,000 square feet. It costs nearly twice as much.

We live about 30 to 40 minutes from the center of the city. We could pay less by living farther out, or a lot more by moving closer in. Thinking of buying? The average home price in London is over £500,000. And by “home,” I mean a place the size of your garage in Wyoming, attached to your neighbor’s wall, with a yard you could mow in five minutes using left-handed scissors.

Then there are the taxes. The UK loves taxes. If you earn under £50,000, you’ll pay 20 percent in income tax. Between £50,000 and £125,000, it jumps to 40 percent. Add in a 20 percent VAT on most purchases, national insurance contributions for healthcare, and council tax based on your property size. It’s a lot. Maybe this explains why a bunch of Americans once dumped tea into the harbor and decided to start their own country.

And finally, the kicker. Income. In Wyoming, the median household income is around $75,000. In the UK, it’s closer to £34,000, or about $43,000. That gap makes a real difference.

So, is it expensive to live in London? Yes. But your groceries will be cheap. You might just be eating them on a park bench.

Until next time,
Matthew

P.S. What’s the most expensive place you have ever lived?

Until next time,

Matthew

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