Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bielefeld and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Bielefeld: $1,976 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $25,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Bielefeld
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Bielefeld Living Index
196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Bielefeld

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,976

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,976 per month in Bielefeld vs $4,086 in London, rent included.

Bielefeld $1,976
London $4,086

A couple spends around $3,009 per month in Bielefeld vs $5,816 in London, rent included.

Bielefeld $3,009
London $5,816

A family of three spends $4,042 per month in Bielefeld vs $7,546 in London, rent included.

Bielefeld $4,042
London $7,546

Bielefeld is about 52% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Bielefeld and London sit above the global median – Bielefeld by 47%, London by 205%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.45 €12.01

$26.62 £20.11

-49.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.7 €74.7

$108 £81.3

-22.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.54 €11.19

$10.39 £7.85

20.69%

Cappuccino

$3.86 €3.44

$5.79 £4.38

-33.33%

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

$2.94 €2.62

$3.01 £2.27

-2.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 €2.54

$2.15 £1.63

32.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.21 €4.65

$9.35 £7.06

-44.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 €4.62

$7.84 £5.93

-33.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.79 £1.35

-27.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.06 £1.56

6.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.96 €3.53

$2.31 £1.74

71.43%

Eggs

$3.71 €3.31

$5.05 £3.82

-26.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.75 €13.16

$12.57 £9.50

17.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.38 €10.16

$10.66 £8.05

6.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.35 €20.84

$17.13 £12.94

36.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 €2.98

$3.03 £2.29

10.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 €1.86

$1.41 £1.07

47.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$3.05 £2.31

-32.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.25 €4.68

$3.38 £2.56

55.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.67 £1.26

-19.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.73 £1.31

-25.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.41 £1.07

12.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 €0.91

$1.79 £1.35

-43.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.50 €8.47

$23.22 £17.55

-59.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$12.99 £9.82

-51.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.93

$3.18 £2.40

-66.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.47

$4.41 £3.33

-62.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.45 €3.08

$3.87 £2.93

-10.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.6 €58.6

$250 £189

-73.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.23 €4.66

$5.71 £4.31

-8.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.88 €2.57

$3.33 £2.51

-13.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.66 €32.71

$57.9 £43.76

-36.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.04 £1.54

2.94%

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

$32.9K €29.4K

$37.5K £28.4K

-12.37%

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

$37.7K €33.7K

$40.9K £30.9K

-7.76%

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

$300 €268

$376 £284

-20.11%

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

$30.52 €27.24

$17.88 £13.51

70.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.32 €38.66

$40.01 £30.24

8.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.98 €30.32

$61.2 £46.22

-44.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.27 €34.16

$21.07 £15.93

81.63%

Cinema Ticket

$15.61 €13.93

$17.95 £13.57

-13.04%

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

$409 €365

$2,865 £2,165

-85.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.5K €25.4K

$35.3K £26.7K

-19.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.0 €82.1

$116 £87.7

-20.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.46 €35.21

$54.1 £40.87

-27.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 €77.5

$127 £95.7

-31.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$240 €214

$159 £120

50.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$694 €619

$2,853 £2,156

-75.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 €564

$2,301 £1,739

-72.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,211 €1,080

$5,201 £3,931

-76.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,158 €1,033

$3,723 £2,813

-68.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,593 €4,099

$19.0K £14.4K

-75.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 €2,000

$7,881 £5,955

-71.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,852 €2,545

$4,818 £3,641

-40.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

4.65

-15.05%

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

Last update for Bielefeld: October 6, 2026

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bielefeld

$632 32%

London

$2.3K 56.5% 264% $1.7K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bielefeld

$374 19%

London

$434 10.7% 15.9% $60

Groceries & Markets

Bielefeld

$347 17.6%

London

$349 8.6% 0.8% $2.7

Eating Out

Bielefeld

$251 12.7%

London

$397 9.7% 58% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Bielefeld

$206 10.4%

London

$205 5% 0.5% $1

Getting Around

Bielefeld

$99 5%

London

$288 7.1% 191% $189

Sport & Entertainment

Bielefeld

$65 3.3%

London

$97 2.4% 48.9% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $694 in Bielefeld 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 69% 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 $84.0 in Bielefeld versus $108 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $347 vs $349 – making Bielefeld the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Bielefeld

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

09:14 9:14 AM

08:14 8:14 AM

1 h behind Bielefeld

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

328,012

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

On the map

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Between locations

Bielefeld London 600 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bielefeld
London

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

Bielefeld vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – London is pricier by about 107%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,965 per month in Bielefeld 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 Bielefeld, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 1% more in London, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84.0 in Bielefeld and $108 in London. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Bielefeld, where all-in costs run around $1,976, than in London at $4,086. In Bielefeld it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bielefeld – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Bielefeld. 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.