London vs Paris
The short answer
Paris is the cheaper trip, by roughly 28% a day — $130–200 against $180–280 mid-range per person. Both are at their best in May–Jun, Aug–Sep, so one trip can take in both.
Side by side
Mid-range, per person, in US dollars. Both guides were costed the same way — see how we work these out.
| 🇬🇧 London | 🇫🇷 Paris | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily budgetmid-range, per person | $180–280 | $130–200cheaper |
| Cheap meallocal staple | $10–18 | $7–12cheaper |
| Mid-range hotelper night | $190–320 | $160–280cheaper |
| Transit ridesingle trip | $3.70 | $2.70cheaper |
| Avg. monthly salarylocal, for context | ≈ $3,700 | ≈ $3,000 |
When to go
Filled months are the ones each guide recommends; hollow ones it warns off.
What you'd actually do
A few of each guide's picks, one per category before seconds — the full lists are on the guides themselves.
🇬🇧 London
Two thousand years of city stacked on itself — Roman walls under glass towers, world-class museums that cost nothing, and a pub on every corner that's older than your country.
- British Museum$Museums & galleries
- Shakespeare's Globe$Theater & shows
- Borough Market$$Markets & food
- Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese$Nightlife
- Tate Modern$Museums & galleries
🇫🇷 Paris
Compact, walkable, and exactly as beautiful as advertised. The clichés are true; so are the pickpockets. Say bonjour first and the whole city softens.
- Harry's New York Bar$$Nightlife
- Bouillon Chartier$Restaurants
- Moulin Rouge$$$Theater & shows
- Little Red Door$$$Nightlife
- Le Comptoir du Relais$$Restaurants
Practicalities
| London | Paris | |
|---|---|---|
| Language | English — though a quarter of a million Londoners speak something else at home first. | French. English works in tourist areas — but open every interaction with 'Bonjour'. |
| Currency | Pound sterling (£). US$1 ≈ £0.79 | Euro (€). US$1 ≈ €0.92 |
| Time zone | GMT (UTC+0, UTC+1 in summer) | CET (UTC+1, UTC+2 in summer) |
| Power | Type G plugs, 230V — the big three-pin ones; nothing else fits | Type C/E plugs, 230V |
| Tap water | Safe everywhere — restaurants must give you free tap water if you ask | Safe — ask for 'une carafe d'eau' (free) in restaurants |
| Emergency | 999 or 112 · 111 for non-emergency medical advice | 112 general · 17 police · 15 medical |