Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bochum and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Bochum: $1,806 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $26,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Bochum
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Bochum Living Index
194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Bochum

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,806

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,806 per month in Bochum vs $3,986 in London, rent included.

Bochum $1,806
London $3,986

A couple spends around $2,869 per month in Bochum vs $5,791 in London, rent included.

Bochum $2,869
London $5,791

A family of three spends $3,933 per month in Bochum vs $7,595 in London, rent included.

Bochum $3,933
London $7,595

Bochum is about 55% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Bochum and London sit above the global median – Bochum by 34%, London by 195%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.55 €14.77

$25.93 £19.57

-36.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.2 €70.6

$107 £80.4

-25.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 €11.08

$10.71 £8.08

16.06%

Cappuccino

$4.16 €3.71

$5.47 £4.13

-23.95%

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

$3.17 €2.83

$2.97 £2.24

6.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 €2.67

$2.20 £1.66

36.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.73 €5.11

$9.13 £6.89

-37.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.15 €4.60

$7.94 £6.00

-35.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.86 £1.40

-34.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 €2.11

$2.07 £1.56

14.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.65 €3.26

$2.42 £1.82

50.83%

Eggs

$3.67 €3.27

$5.09 £3.84

-27.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.61 €13.03

$12.87 £9.72

13.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.42 €11.08

$10.43 £7.87

19.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.25 €20.74

$16.87 £12.73

37.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 €2.96

$3.11 £2.35

6.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.40 £1.06

44.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$3.08 £2.33

-30.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 €3.59

$3.27 £2.47

22.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.58 £1.20

-15.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.74 £1.31

-29.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.39

$1.40 £1.06

10.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.97

$1.80 £1.36

-40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.67 €8.62

$23.28 £17.57

-58.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.54 €5.83

$13.03 £9.83

-49.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.81

$3.17 £2.39

-71.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.45

$4.42 £3.34

-63.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.80 €3.39

$4.07 £3.07

-6.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.0 €58.0

$247 £186

-73.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.55 €4.95

$5.58 £4.21

-0.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.72 €2.43

$3.36 £2.54

-19.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.12 €30.43

$56.8 £42.84

-39.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.84

$2.13 £1.61

-3.29%

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

$32.2K €28.7K

$38.2K £28.8K

-15.65%

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

$38.5K €34.4K

$40.9K £30.9K

-5.79%

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

$324 €289

$372 £281

-12.82%

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

$30.22 €26.96

$17.82 £13.45

69.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.16 €32.26

$40.37 £30.47

-10.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.24 €26.97

$60.0 £45.27

-49.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.57 €23.70

$21.29 £16.07

24.80%

Cinema Ticket

$16.45 €14.68

$17.74 £13.39

-7.27%

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

$400 €357

$2,864 £2,162

-86.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K €19.5K

$35.3K £26.7K

-38.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 €79.4

$114 £86.1

-21.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.59 €37.10

$54.3 £40.96

-23.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.7 €85.4

$124 £93.8

-22.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €120

$163 £123

-17.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 €718

$2,869 £2,165

-71.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$463 €413

$2,233 £1,685

-79.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,290 €1,151

$5,266 £3,975

-75.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 €905

$3,778 £2,852

-73.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,951 €3,524

$18.3K £13.8K

-78.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,240 €3,782

$8,024 £6,056

-47.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,674 €2,386

$5,037 £3,802

-46.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.83

4.74

-19.20%

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

Last update for Bochum: October 10, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bochum

$463 25.6%

London

$2.2K 56% 383% $1.8K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bochum

$391 21.6%

London

$430 10.8% 10.1% $40

Groceries & Markets

Bochum

$345 19.1%

London

$349 8.8% 1.4% $5

Eating Out

Bochum

$283 15.7%

London

$388 9.7% 36.8% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Bochum

$162 9%

London

$205 5.1% 26.3% $43

Getting Around

Bochum

$99 5.5%

London

$285 7.2% 187% $186

Sport & Entertainment

Bochum

$63 3.5%

London

$95 2.4% 51.2% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Bochum versus $2,869 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 88% 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 $79.0 in Bochum versus $107 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $345 vs $349 – making Bochum the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Bochum

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

08:37 8:37 AM

07:37 7:37 AM

1 h behind Bochum

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

371,075

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

Bochum London 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bochum
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

Bochum vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,806 in Bochum, $3,986 in London – roughly 121% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,709 per month in Bochum and $5,979 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bochum, 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 $79.0 in Bochum and $107 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 $1,806 in Bochum and $3,986 in London. That's a gap of about 121%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Bochum, where all-in costs run around $1,806, than in London at $3,986. In Bochum 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 $1,806 in Bochum to $3,986 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 Bochum. 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.