Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aachen and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Aachen: $1,931 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $25,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Aachen
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Aachen Living Index
196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Aachen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,931

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aachen and in London

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Aachen and in London actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,931 per month in Aachen vs $4,086 in London, rent included.

Aachen $1,931
London $4,086

A couple spends around $2,903 per month in Aachen vs $5,816 in London, rent included.

Aachen $2,903
London $5,816

A family of three spends $3,876 per month in Aachen vs $7,546 in London, rent included.

Aachen $3,876
London $7,546

Aachen is about 53% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Aachen and London sit above the global median – Aachen by 44%, London by 205%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.98 €14.26

$26.62 £20.11

-39.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.6 €54.1

$108 £81.3

-43.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.44 €10.21

$10.39 £7.85

10.11%

Cappuccino

$3.83 €3.42

$5.79 £4.38

-33.85%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.44

$3.01 £2.27

-9.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 €2.65

$2.15 £1.63

38.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.04 €4.50

$9.35 £7.06

-46.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 €5.16

$7.84 £5.93

-26.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.08

$1.79 £1.35

-31.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 €1.68

$2.06 £1.56

-8.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.56 €3.18

$2.31 £1.74

54.11%

Eggs

$3.46 €3.09

$5.05 £3.82

-31.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.38 €12.84

$12.57 £9.50

14.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.45 €10.22

$10.66 £8.05

7.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.27 €18.98

$17.13 £12.94

24.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 €3.02

$3.03 £2.29

11.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.41 £1.07

64.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$3.05 £2.31

-29.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 €2.98

$3.38 £2.56

-1.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.67 £1.26

-10.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.73 £1.31

-12.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.41 £1.07

0.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.79 £1.35

-32.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.94 €8.87

$23.22 £17.55

-57.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.76 €6.03

$12.99 £9.82

-47.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.05

$3.18 £2.40

-63.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 €1.48

$4.41 £3.33

-62.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 €3.45

$3.87 £2.93

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.8 €62.3

$250 £189

-72.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 €4.77

$5.71 £4.31

-6.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.63 €2.35

$3.33 £2.51

-21.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.76 €32.80

$57.9 £43.76

-36.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.29 €2.05

$2.04 £1.54

12.25%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$33.3K €29.7K

$37.5K £28.4K

-11.29%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$39.1K €34.9K

$40.9K £30.9K

-4.43%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$375 €335

$376 £284

-0.18%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$17.00 €15.17

$17.88 £13.51

-4.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.36 €42.26

$40.01 £30.24

18.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.39 €33.37

$61.2 £46.22

-38.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.99 €24.98

$21.07 £15.93

32.84%

Cinema Ticket

$15.48 €13.81

$17.95 £13.57

-13.76%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$745 €664

$2,865 £2,165

-74.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K €17.5K

$35.3K £26.7K

-44.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.1 €82.2

$116 £87.7

-20.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.91 €37.40

$54.1 £40.87

-22.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.9 €74.0

$127 £95.7

-34.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €118

$159 £120

-16.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$837 €747

$2,853 £2,156

-70.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$570 €508

$2,301 £1,739

-75.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,505 €1,343

$5,201 £3,931

-71.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,037 €925

$3,723 £2,813

-72.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,432 €3,955

$19.0K £14.4K

-76.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,464 €3,091

$7,881 £5,955

-56.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,614 €3,225

$4,818 £3,641

-24.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

4.65

-14.84%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Aachen: October 3, 2026

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Aachen

$570 29.4%

London

$2.3K 56.5% 304% $1.7K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aachen

$440 22.7%

London

$434 10.7% 1.3% $5.8

Groceries & Markets

Aachen

$330 17%

London

$349 8.6% 6% $20

Eating Out

Aachen

$268 13.8%

London

$397 9.7% 48.1% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Aachen

$157 8.1%

London

$205 5% 30.5% $48

Getting Around

Aachen

$104 5.4%

London

$288 7.1% 177% $184

Sport & Entertainment

Aachen

$68 3.5%

London

$97 2.4% 42% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $837 in Aachen versus $2,853 in London. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 33% higher in London, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Aachen versus $108 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $330 vs $349 – making Aachen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Aachen

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

12:10 12:10 PM

11:10 11:10 AM

1 h behind Aachen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

241,683

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Aachen London 440 km

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Aachen vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,931 in Aachen, $4,086 in London – roughly 112% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,896 per month in Aachen and $6,129 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aachen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Aachen and $108 in London. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,931 in Aachen and $4,086 in London. That's a gap of about 112%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Aachen, where all-in costs run around $1,931, than in London at $4,086. In Aachen it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,931 in Aachen to $4,086 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Aachen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.