Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aalst and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Aalst: $2,067 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $23,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Aalst
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Aalst Living Index
194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Aalst

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,067

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aalst 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 Aalst and in London actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,067 in Aalst versus $3,986 in London.

Aalst $2,067
London $3,986

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,086 in Aalst versus $5,791 in London.

Aalst $3,086
London $5,791

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,105 in Aalst versus $7,595 in London.

Aalst $4,105
London $7,595

Living in Aalst costs roughly 48% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Aalst 53% above, London 195% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.53 €20.10

$25.93 £19.56

-13.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 €94.3

$107 £80.3

-0.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.43 €11.99

$10.71 £8.07

25.40%

Cappuccino

$4.43 €3.95

$5.47 £4.13

-19.01%

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

$3.63 €3.24

$2.97 £2.24

22.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 €2.83

$2.20 £1.66

44.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.55 €4.96

$9.13 £6.89

-39.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 €4.93

$7.94 £5.99

-30.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.86 £1.40

-29.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 €2.51

$2.07 £1.56

35.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$2.42 £1.82

-11.98%

Eggs

$3.83 €3.42

$5.09 £3.84

-24.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.39 €15.52

$12.87 £9.71

35.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.87 €10.59

$10.43 £7.86

13.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.29 €19.90

$16.87 £12.72

32.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 €2.67

$3.11 £2.34

-3.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.43 €2.17

$1.40 £1.06

73.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$3.08 £2.33

-13.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.23 €2.88

$3.27 £2.46

-1.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.21

$1.58 £1.19

56.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.74 £1.31

12.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.40 £1.06

10.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.94

$1.80 £1.36

-41.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.93 €11.54

$23.28 £17.56

-44.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.74 €7.80

$13.03 £9.83

-32.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.54

$3.17 £2.39

-45.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.85

$4.42 £3.34

-52.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.09 €2.76

$4.07 £3.07

-24.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £186

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.86 €2.55

$5.58 £4.21

-48.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 €2.09

$3.36 £2.54

-30.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.40 €36.05

$56.8 £42.81

-28.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.13 £1.61

-0.47%

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

$34.7K €30.9K

$38.2K £28.8K

-9.23%

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

$32.8K €29.3K

$40.9K £30.8K

-19.77%

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

$203 €181

$372 £281

-45.51%

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

$21.94 €19.58

$17.82 £13.44

23.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.8 €45.37

$40.37 £30.45

25.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.21 €32.32

$60.0 £45.24

-39.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.03 €18.77

$21.29 £16.06

-1.22%

Cinema Ticket

$15.18 €13.55

$17.74 £13.38

-14.43%

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

$1,605 €1,433

$2,864 £2,161

-43.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.7K €30.1K

$35.3K £26.6K

-4.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 €101

$114 £86.0

-0.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.17 €41.21

$54.3 £40.94

-14.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €90.9

$124 £93.7

-18.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 €146

$163 £123

0.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$911 €813

$2,869 £2,164

-68.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$808 €721

$2,233 £1,684

-63.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,384 €1,236

$5,266 £3,972

-73.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,104 €985

$3,778 £2,850

-70.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,162 €3,714

$18.3K £13.8K

-77.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,890 €2,580

$8,024 £6,052

-63.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,782 €2,483

$5,037 £3,799

-44.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

4.74

-27.00%

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

Last update for Aalst: October 12, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aalst

$807 39.1%

London

$2.2K 56% 177% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Aalst

$360 17.4%

London

$349 8.8% 3% $11

Eating Out

Aalst

$340 16.4%

London

$388 9.7% 14.1% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aalst

$276 13.3%

London

$430 10.8% 56.2% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Aalst

$191 9.2%

London

$205 5.1% 7.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Aalst

$67 3.2%

London

$95 2.4% 43.4% $29

Getting Around

Aalst

$27 * 1.3%

London

$285 7.2% 960% $258

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $911 in Aalst and $2,869 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 81% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $106 in Aalst vs $107 in London. Groceries flip the comparison at $360 vs $349, with London cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Aalst

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

05:57 5:57 AM

04:57 4:57 AM

1 h behind Aalst

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,271

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Aalst vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aalst and London differ by about 93% in total monthly costs ($2,067 vs $3,986 including rent). Aalst is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 81% lower in London. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $911 in Aalst versus $2,869 in London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in London pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,067 per month in Aalst versus $3,986 in London – a 93% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,067 in Aalst versus $3,986 in London, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Aalst but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Aalst the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Aalst and London are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Aalst gentler on the wallet – expenses run 93% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.