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City of London

Here's what it actually costs to live in City of London each month: the ongoing bills, not the one-off moving faff. Every figure shows where it came from.

Sample data

City of London is running on representative sample figures while we wire up the live sources. Right ballpark, not gospel, and every number is clearly badged.

National rank

305th cheapest of 318

At £2,612/mo (renter view), City of London is cheaper than 4%of all areas in England & Wales.

Estimated monthly cost · City of London
£2,612
renter view
Pricier than average

£943/mo more than the sample average

What's in that number

Rent£2,164.00/mo£25,968/yr
Council tax£106.17/mo£1,274/yr
Energy£135.13/mo£1,622/yr
Water£53.25/mo£639/yr
Broadband£30.00/mo£360/yr
InsuranceIndicative£123.67/mo£1,484/yr
Total£2,612.22/mo£31,347/yr

The detail

Rent

£2,164.00/mo
Overall average · 1-bed £1,687.92 · 2-bed £2,250.56 · 3-bed £2,769.92 · 4+ bed £3,678.80

Sample data · ONS — Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR)as of 2025-03

Council tax

£106.17/mo
Band D · the headline figure
See all bands (A–H)
Band A£70.78/mo
Band B£82.58/mo
Band C£94.38/mo
Band D (headline)£106.17/mo
Band E£129.77/mo
Band F£153.36/mo
Band G£176.95/mo
Band H£212.35/mo

MHCLG — Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England (Table 10)as of 2025-26

Energy

£135.13/mo
Gas £65.64 · Electric £69.49 · London region

Octopus Energy 'Flexible' tariff (tracks the Ofgem price cap) + Ofgem TDCV (medium)as of 2026-06

Water

£53.25/mo
Thames Water

Water UK / CCW: average household billas of 2025-26

Broadband

£30.00/mo
Typical package price
Superfast67%
Gigabit61%

Ofcom — Connected Nations 2024 (coverage) + representative UK package priceas of 2024-07

Insurance

Indicative
£123.67/mo
Home £42.00 · Car £81.67 · London

Confused.com/WTW (car) & ABI (home): regional averagesas of 2026-Q1

How City of London compares

Where the money goes versus the average area. This is what makes City of London cheaper or dearer than the typical place.

Rent
+£993
Council tax
−£85
Energy
≈ avg
Water
+£2
Broadband
≈ avg
Insurance
+£33

Each bar is City of London’s bill versus the average area (the centre line). Green sits below average, coral above. Renter view, per month.

Council tax in City of London

We headline Band D, but here’s every band so you can find yours.

Council tax by band

City of London Corporation

BandPer monthPer year
Band A£71£849
Band B£83£991
Band C£94£1,133
Band DHeadline£106£1,274
Band E£130£1,557
Band F£153£1,840
Band G£177£2,123
Band H£212£2,548

Live on your own? You get a 25% single-person discount off these figures. Bills are normalised to a true monthly (annual ÷ 12); many councils actually spread them over 10 instalments.

Ready to move to City of London?

Homes for sale:RightmoveZoopla
Places to rent:RightmoveZoopla

Some links are partner links we may earn a commission from. It never changes the figures above; those are always the honest numbers.

Over time

How the big two have moved in City of London. Drag across a chart to read any month; switch the range with the buttons.

Median house price: +60% over Mar 2013Mar 2023

£790,000 · Mar 2023Mar 2013Mar 2023

Mar 2013: £495,000; Jun 2013: £550,000; Sep 2013: £575,000; Dec 2013: £615,000; Mar 2014: £625,000; Jun 2014: £640,000; Sep 2014: £700,000; Dec 2014: £769,100; Mar 2015: £806,250; Jun 2015: £814,500; Sep 2015: £823,750; Dec 2015: £800,000; Mar 2016: £795,000; Jun 2016: £799,750; Sep 2016: £800,000; Dec 2016: £833,200; Mar 2017: £835,000; Jun 2017: £825,000; Sep 2017: £849,975; Dec 2017: £840,000; Mar 2018: £850,000; Jun 2018: £880,000; Sep 2018: £888,099; Dec 2018: £923,080; Mar 2019: £930,000; Jun 2019: £923,080; Sep 2019: £919,325; Dec 2019: £865,000; Mar 2020: £898,875; Jun 2020: £895,000; Sep 2020: £895,000; Dec 2020: £883,500; Mar 2021: £814,000; Jun 2021: £771,750; Sep 2021: £771,750; Dec 2021: £797,500; Mar 2022: £805,000; Jun 2022: £802,500; Sep 2022: £800,000; Dec 2022: £772,500; Mar 2023: £790,000

ONS HPSSA · median price paid · year-ending quarterly

Towns & areas in City of London

The 25 wards that make up City of London. Shade the map by real gigabit-broadband availability or by the estimated cost of buying here (each ward's median house price → a mortgage estimate). Council tax, energy and water are set across the whole of City of London; it's broadband, rent and house prices that shift street to street. Hover any ward for the detail, or click through to its own page.

Your council

City of London Corporation

The people you'll actually be dealing with. Straight to the bits that matter:

Nearby areas

Difference is vs City of London's £2,612/mo (renter view).

City of London: common questions

How much does it cost to live in City of London?

The estimated ongoing cost of living in City of London is around £2,612 a month for a renter, or about £1,764 a month if you're buying. That covers rent or a typical mortgage, council tax, energy, water, broadband and indicative insurance.

How much is council tax in City of London?

Band D council tax in City of London works out at roughly £106 a month (£1,274 a year), set by City of London Corporation. If you're the only adult in the property you get a 25% single-person discount.

What is the average rent in City of London?

The average private rent in City of London is about £2,164 a month across all property sizes, based on the latest ONS Price Index of Private Rents.

Is City of London an expensive place to live?

City of London is the 305th cheapest of 318 local authorities in England & Wales by total monthly cost, which makes it cheaper than 4% of them.

No surprises, promise.

These are estimates, not quotes. Real figures vary by property and provider. We show our sources so you can check our working.

Compare City of London with somewhere else →