Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alcala de Henares and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Alcala de Henares: $1,932 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $24,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Alcala de Henares
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Alcala de Henares Living Index
194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Alcala de Henares

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,932

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,932 in Alcala de Henares versus $3,986 in London.

Alcala de Henares $1,932
London $3,986

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,723 in Alcala de Henares versus $5,791 in London.

Alcala de Henares $2,723
London $5,791

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,515 in Alcala de Henares versus $7,595 in London.

Alcala de Henares $3,515
London $7,595

Living in Alcala de Henares costs roughly 52% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Alcala de Henares 43% above, London 195% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.00 €15.12

$25.93 £19.45

-34.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 €58.5

$107 £79.9

-38.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.08 €9.86

$10.71 £8.03

3.45%

Cappuccino

$2.72 €2.42

$5.47 £4.11

-50.27%

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

$3.34 €2.97

$2.97 £2.23

12.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.67

$2.20 £1.65

-15.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.96 €3.52

$9.13 £6.85

-56.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.64 €4.13

$7.94 £5.96

-41.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.05

$1.86 £1.40

-36.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 €1.38

$2.07 £1.55

-25.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.42 £1.81

-28.93%

Eggs

$2.96 €2.64

$5.09 £3.82

-41.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.99 €19.56

$12.87 £9.66

70.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.20 €8.18

$10.43 £7.82

-11.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.25 €15.35

$16.87 £12.66

2.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 €2.39

$3.11 £2.33

-13.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 €2.05

$1.40 £1.05

65.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$3.08 £2.31

-29.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.29

$3.27 £2.45

-21.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.58 £1.19

34.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.74 £1.31

22.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.40 £1.05

12.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 €0.63

$1.80 £1.35

-61.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.12 €5.44

$23.28 £17.46

-73.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 €6.98

$13.03 £9.77

-39.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.08

$3.17 £2.38

-61.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$4.42 £3.32

-51.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 €1.30

$4.07 £3.05

-64.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.53 €41.39

$247 £185

-81.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.80 €3.38

$5.58 £4.18

-31.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 €1.72

$3.36 £2.52

-42.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.26 €20.69

$56.8 £42.58

-59.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$2.13 £1.60

-15.49%

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

$35.7K €31.8K

$38.2K £28.6K

-6.51%

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

$30.3K €26.9K

$40.9K £30.7K

-25.98%

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

$189 €168

$372 £279

-49.26%

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

$19.65 €17.48

$17.82 £13.37

10.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.18 €26.85

$40.37 £30.29

-25.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.29 €35.84

$60.0 £44.99

-32.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.12 €7.22

$21.29 £15.97

-61.86%

Cinema Ticket

$9.43 €8.39

$17.74 £13.31

-46.84%

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

$178 €159

$2,864 £2,149

-93.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,820 €5,177

$35.3K £26.5K

-83.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.7 €65.6

$114 £85.5

-35.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.52 €32.48

$54.3 £40.71

-32.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.2 €69.6

$124 £93.2

-37.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 €83.9

$163 £122

-42.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$966 €859

$2,869 £2,152

-66.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$879 €782

$2,233 £1,675

-60.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,858 €1,653

$5,266 £3,951

-64.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 €1,016

$3,778 £2,835

-69.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,260 €3,789

$18.3K £13.8K

-76.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,507 €3,119

$8,024 £6,020

-56.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 €1,544

$5,037 £3,779

-65.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

4.74

-33.76%

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

Last update for Alcala de Henares: October 11, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alcala de Henares

$879 45.5%

London

$2.2K 56% 154% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Alcala de Henares

$310 16.1%

London

$349 8.8% 12.7% $39

Eating Out

Alcala de Henares

$252 13%

London

$388 9.7% 53.8% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alcala de Henares

$239 12.4%

London

$430 10.8% 80.3% $192

Clothing & Footwear

Alcala de Henares

$127 6.6%

London

$205 5.1% 61.1% $78

Getting Around

Alcala de Henares

$66 3.4%

London

$285 7.2% 334% $220

Sport & Entertainment

Alcala de Henares

$59 3.1%

London

$95 2.4% 61.4% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $966 in Alcala de Henares and $2,869 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 190% 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: $66.0 in Alcala de Henares vs $107 in London for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $349 per month, with Alcala de Henares cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Alcala de Henares

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

10:00 10:00 AM

09:00 9:00 AM

1 h behind Alcala de Henares

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

199,184

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Alcala de Henares London 1,250 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Alcala de Henares
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Alcala de Henares vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alcala de Henares and London differ by about 106% in total monthly costs ($1,932 vs $3,986 including rent). Alcala de Henares is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 190% 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: $966 in Alcala de Henares versus $2,869 in London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $178 in Alcala de Henares versus $2,864 in London. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in London. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,932 in Alcala de Henares versus $3,986 in London, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Alcala de Henares but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Alcala de Henares 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, Alcala de Henares 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 Alcala de Henares gentler on the wallet – expenses run 106% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.