What Life Actually Costs: India vs UK
3 min readFour years ago, I packed up my life in Bangalore and moved to the UK. And ever since, one question follows me everywhere — "Is it actually worth it financially?"
Cost of living, salaries, lifestyle — it's the topic every Indian expat either obsesses over or actively avoids. So I figured I'd stop dodging it and put real numbers on the table.
Here's the breakdown of what I actually spent, then vs now.
Note: In Bangalore, we managed without household help or a cook.
2022
| Expense | Bangalore (INR) | UK (GBP) |
|---|---|---|
| 🏠 Rent | 35,000 | 1,900 |
| 🏛️ Council / House tax | 0 | 200 |
| 🔧 Maintenance (Monthly) | 2,500 | 0 |
| 🚗 Car | 22,000 (petrol) | 0 |
| 🚕 Cab / Transport | 4,000 | 100 (tube) |
| 🛒 Grocery | 15,000 | 300 |
| 🍽️ Eating out | 15,000 | 300 |
| ⚡ Electricity | 1,500–3,000 | 150 |
| 💧 Water | — | 30 |
| 🩷 Pink tax / Personal grooming | 3,000 - 5,000 | 120 |
A few more updates on UK's expense: The house was in Hammersmith and it was full furnished house in a gated area. We had no car at that time. So, all the commute was by public transport. We used to eatout a LOT.
Present
A lot has changed since 2022. We bought our own house and upsized from a 1-bed to a bigger place, which naturally bumped up several costs.
| Expense | UK (GBP) |
|---|---|
| 🏠 Rent | 2,500 |
| 🏛️ Council tax | 225 |
| 🔧 Maintenance | 50 |
| 🚗 Car | 200 |
| 🚕 Cab / Transport | 800 |
| 🛒 Grocery | 300 |
| 🍽️ Eating out | 300 |
| ⚡ Energy | 280 |
| 💧 Water | 70 |
| 🩷 Pink tax / Personal grooming | 100 |
Final Thoughts
The numbers don't lie — but they don't tell the whole story either. Yes, the UK is more expensive on paper, and salaries aren't always significantly higher compared to India. The real question isn't "which is cheaper?" — it's "what are you getting for your money?"
For me, the trade-offs have been worth it. My quality of life has genuinely improved, and here's why:
1 . Work-life balance. No WhatsApp messages after 6:00 PM, no late-night calls, no pings from teammates outside of working hours.
2 . Walkable infrastructure. This has been the biggest change for me personally — and it's transformed my health too.
3 . Food habits (this one's personal). I realised I was eating a lot of junk back home. In the UK, healthy food is accessible everywhere, and I naturally started making better choices.
4 . Calmness. No honking, no shouting. There's a quiet quality to everyday life here that I didn't realise I was missing — and easy access to nature and greenery without needing a special trip.
But everyone's situation is different, and I hope these real numbers help you make a more informed decision — whether you're planning to move, already have, or just curious about life on the other side.
If you have questions or want to share your own breakdown, drop a comment below.