London vs New York: which should you visit?

Not opinion — measurement. Month-by-month weather under disclosed thresholds, the currency picture at a dated central-bank rate, verified venue depth, and the live events calendar. Every number on this page carries its source.

aerial photography of London skyline during daytime
London
The Lower Manhattan skyline silhouetted across the Hudson with One World Trade Center spearing a sky of fiery pink and violet storm clouds at sunset, the harbor water dark and still in the foreground
New York

The verdict, computed

Choose London for:

  • Weather: London leads in Jan and Apr and Jun–Oct.
  • Food scene: 25,892 catalogued food & drink venues vs 16,856.

Choose New York for:

  • Weather: New York leads in Feb–Mar and May and Nov–Dec.

When each city wins

Measured weather favors London in Jan and Apr and Jun–Oct and New York in Feb–Mar and May and Nov–Dec.

City Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
London London in Jan: a shoulder month — 7° highs, 11 rain days. London in Feb: a shoulder month — 10° highs, 11 rain days. London in Mar: a shoulder month — 12° highs, 12 rain days. London in Apr: good — 14° highs, 8 rain days. London in May: good — 18° highs, 12 rain days. London in Jun: ideal — 22° highs, 8 rain days. London in Jul: ideal — 23° highs, 11 rain days. London in Aug: ideal — 23° highs, 7 rain days. London in Sep: ideal — 20° highs, 12 rain days. London in Oct: good — 16° highs, 13 rain days. London in Nov: a shoulder month — 11° highs, 11 rain days. London in Dec: a shoulder month — 9° highs, 11 rain days.
Month winner Jan: London wins — London is mixed to New York's difficult. Feb: New York wins — Both mixed; New York has 10 rain days to London's 11. Mar: New York wins — Both mixed; New York has 10 rain days to London's 12. Apr: London wins — Both good; London has 8 rain days to New York's 11. May: New York wins — Both good; New York has 11 rain days to London's 12. Jun: London wins — Both ideal; London has 8 rain days to New York's 10. Jul: London wins — London is ideal to New York's mixed. Aug: London wins — London is ideal to New York's good. Sep: London wins — London is ideal to New York's mixed. Oct: London wins — London is good to New York's mixed. Nov: New York wins — Both mixed; New York has 8 rain days to London's 11. Dec: New York wins — Both mixed; New York has 10 rain days to London's 11.
New York New York in Jan: measurably difficult — 4° highs, 10 rain days. New York in Feb: a shoulder month — 6° highs, 10 rain days. New York in Mar: a shoulder month — 11° highs, 10 rain days. New York in Apr: good — 16° highs, 11 rain days. New York in May: good — 22° highs, 11 rain days. New York in Jun: ideal — 27° highs, 10 rain days. New York in Jul: a shoulder month — 30° highs, 14 rain days. New York in Aug: good — 29° highs, 11 rain days. New York in Sep: a shoulder month — 25° highs, 10 rain days. New York in Oct: a shoulder month — 19° highs, 8 rain days. New York in Nov: a shoulder month — 12° highs, 8 rain days. New York in Dec: a shoulder month — 7° highs, 10 rain days.

Weather: Open-Meteo multi-year normals; bands per the disclosed best-months thresholds. Winner per month = better band, then fewer rain days, then highs nearer 23.5 °C.

Your money, measured

London — British pound

The British pound has strengthened 1.4% against the US dollar over the past year — budget a little more for London.

New York — US dollar

New York prices in US dollars — the baseline every rate on this page is measured against.

British pound
100 10597British pound: 100.0 on 4 Aug 2025British pound: 101.0 on 11 Aug 2025British pound: 101.9 on 18 Aug 2025British pound: 101.7 on 25 Aug 2025British pound: 101.8 on 1 Sept 2025British pound: 101.8 on 8 Sept 2025British pound: 102.5 on 15 Sept 2025British pound: 101.6 on 22 Sept 2025British pound: 101.2 on 29 Sept 2025British pound: 101.1 on 6 Oct 2025British pound: 100.3 on 13 Oct 2025British pound: 100.9 on 20 Oct 2025British pound: 100.5 on 27 Oct 2025British pound: 98.9 on 3 Nov 2025British pound: 99.2 on 10 Nov 2025British pound: 99.2 on 17 Nov 2025British pound: 98.7 on 24 Nov 2025British pound: 99.8 on 1 Dec 2025British pound: 100.3 on 8 Dec 2025British pound: 100.8 on 15 Dec 2025British pound: 101.1 on 22 Dec 2025British pound: 101.5 on 29 Dec 2025British pound: 101.2 on 5 Jan 2026British pound: 101.5 on 12 Jan 2026British pound: 101.0 on 19 Jan 2026British pound: 102.7 on 26 Jan 2026British pound: 102.9 on 2 Feb 2026British pound: 102.8 on 9 Feb 2026British pound: 102.7 on 16 Feb 2026British pound: 101.5 on 23 Feb 2026British pound: 100.8 on 2 Mar 2026British pound: 100.5 on 9 Mar 2026British pound: 100.0 on 16 Mar 2026British pound: 101.0 on 23 Mar 2026British pound: 99.6 on 30 Mar 2026British pound: 99.7 on 7 Apr 2026British pound: 102.1 on 14 Apr 2026British pound: 101.8 on 21 Apr 2026British pound: 101.4 on 28 Apr 2026British pound: 101.9 on 5 May 2026British pound: 101.8 on 12 May 2026British pound: 100.9 on 19 May 2026British pound: 101.4 on 26 May 2026British pound: 101.4 on 2 Jun 2026British pound: 100.9 on 9 Jun 2026British pound: 100.9 on 16 Jun 2026British pound: 99.5 on 23 Jun 2026British pound: 99.5 on 30 Jun 2026British pound: 100.7 on 7 Jul 2026British pound: 100.7 on 14 Jul 2026British pound: 100.9 on 21 Jul 2026British pound: 100.0 on 28 Jul 2026British pound: 101.4 on 3 Aug 2026British pound 101.4
Currency value against the US dollar, indexed to 100 one year ago — above 100 means the currency strengthened (your dollars buy less). Source: European Central Bank reference rates, as of 2026-08-03.

Price levels (country-wide indicator)

Price levels in United Kingdom run about 94% of US levels (World Bank PPP, 2025) — a dollar stretches roughly 1.1× further than at home.

Price levels in United States sit on par with US levels (World Bank PPP, 2025).

Editorial daily-cost estimates

City Budget Mid-range Luxury
London $65 $185 $500
New York $75 $200 $600

Editorial estimates in USD per person per day, quoted from our editor-signed London budget guide and New York budget guide — not a measurement. Model a full trip in the cost comparison tool.

Depth of things to do

Attractions & sights
Attractions & sights: London 685, New York 683 in our verified catalog.
Food & drink venues
Food & drink venues: London 25,892, New York 16,856 in our verified catalog.
Museums
Museums: London 109, New York 96 in our verified catalog.
Parks & gardens
Parks & gardens: London 63, New York 213 in our verified catalog.

London's catalog is led by British Museum, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey.

New York's catalog is led by Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Central Park.

Counts from the TTDI verified venue catalog (every venue carries an external identity source). Catalog density partly reflects source coverage per city.

Things to do in London → Things to do in New York →

What's actually on

London and New York run comparably deep live calendars: 16,141 and 9,102 ticketed events listed over the next ~120 days.

Next up in London

  • 4 Aug London Premier Padel P1 - Day 1 Olympia
  • 4 Aug Twist Museum - London's Home of Illusions PEAK Twist Museum
  • 4 Aug Twist Museum - London's Home of Illusions PEAK Twist Museum
This week in London →

Next up in New York

  • 4 Aug Jim Caruso's Cast Party Birdland Jazz Club
  • 4 Aug Exclusive Nights at Sugardaddy's Gentlemen's Club - Queens NY
  • 4 Aug Sinead Harnett Blue Note Jazz Club
This week in New York →

From the live events feed we sync daily — listings exist only where measured coverage does.

Side by side

Distance apart
5,585 km
Time zones
5 h apart
City population
8,982,000 vs 8,336,000
Local language
English vs English
Currency
British pound vs US dollar

Or visit both

5,585 km apart, and plenty of trips pair them. One search covers the connection:

See London ⇄ New York buses on Omio →

Book the connection

One search across trains, buses & flights — live times and prices for London ⇄ New York.

Answered from the data

Which is better to visit right now, in August?

London, on measured weather: London is ideal to New York's good.

Which is cheaper, London or New York?

World Bank PPP (country-level, not city prices) puts London's country at ~94% of US price levels and New York's at ~100% — an edge to London before you factor in season and neighborhood.

When should I pick London over New York?

Jan and Apr and Jun–Oct — measured weather favors London then.

When should I pick New York over London?

Feb–Mar and May and Nov–Dec — measured weather favors New York then.

Which has more to do?

In our verified catalog, London lists 685 attractions and 25,892 food & drink venues; New York lists 683 and 16,856.

Go deeper

London

New York