Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cologne and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Cologne: $2,189 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $22,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Cologne
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Cologne Living Index
196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Cologne

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,189

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,189 in Cologne versus $4,086 in London.

Cologne $2,189
London $4,086

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,383 in Cologne versus $5,816 in London.

Cologne $3,383
London $5,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,578 in Cologne versus $7,546 in London.

Cologne $4,578
London $7,546

Living in Cologne costs roughly 46% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cologne 63% above, London 205% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.79 €14.98

$26.62 £20.11

-36.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.2 €76.0

$108 £81.3

-20.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.56 €10.32

$10.39 £7.85

11.26%

Cappuccino

$4.15 €3.70

$5.79 £4.38

-28.32%

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

$3.85 €3.43

$3.01 £2.27

27.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 €2.89

$2.15 £1.63

50.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.59 €4.98

$9.35 £7.06

-40.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.66 €5.06

$7.84 £5.93

-27.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.79 £1.35

-25.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 €2.26

$2.06 £1.56

22.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.08 €2.75

$2.31 £1.74

33.33%

Eggs

$3.58 €3.20

$5.05 £3.82

-29.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 €11.00

$12.57 £9.50

-1.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.16 €10.85

$10.66 £8.05

14.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.82 €20.37

$17.13 £12.94

33.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 €2.62

$3.03 £2.29

-2.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.41 £1.07

44.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 €2.29

$3.05 £2.31

-15.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.97 €3.54

$3.38 £2.56

17.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.67 £1.26

-12.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.73 £1.31

-31.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.41 £1.07

11.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.79 £1.35

-36.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.60 €8.57

$23.22 £17.55

-58.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.79 €6.06

$12.99 £9.82

-47.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 €1.13

$3.18 £2.40

-60.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.58

$4.41 £3.33

-59.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.99 €3.56

$3.87 £2.93

3.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.4 €63.7

$250 £189

-71.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 €5.01

$5.71 £4.31

-1.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.65 €2.37

$3.33 £2.51

-20.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.41 €29.82

$57.9 £43.76

-42.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 €2.08

$2.04 £1.54

14.22%

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

$32.9K €29.3K

$37.5K £28.4K

-12.47%

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

$37.7K €33.7K

$40.9K £30.9K

-7.74%

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

$307 €274

$376 £284

-18.47%

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

$12.77 €11.40

$17.88 £13.51

-28.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.38 €33.35

$40.01 £30.24

-6.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.67 €39.86

$61.2 £46.22

-26.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.39 €30.69

$21.07 £15.93

63.22%

Cinema Ticket

$15.94 €14.23

$17.95 £13.57

-11.20%

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

$1,077 €961

$2,865 £2,165

-62.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.9K

$35.3K £26.7K

-37.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.9 €81.1

$116 £87.7

-21.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 €36.18

$54.1 £40.87

-25.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 €89.3

$127 £95.7

-21.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €119

$159 £120

-16.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,068

$2,853 £2,156

-58.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$888 €793

$2,301 £1,739

-61.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,478 €2,212

$5,201 £3,931

-52.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,629 €1,453

$3,723 £2,813

-56.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,630 €6,809

$19.0K £14.4K

-59.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,172 €4,616

$7,881 £5,955

-34.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,587 €3,201

$4,818 £3,641

-25.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.83

4.65

-17.63%

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

Last update for Cologne: 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

Cologne

$888 40.1%

London

$2.3K 56.5% 159% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cologne

$357 16.1%

London

$434 10.7% 21.6% $77

Groceries & Markets

Cologne

$339 15.3%

London

$349 8.6% 3.2% $11

Eating Out

Cologne

$286 12.9%

London

$397 9.7% 38.5% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Cologne

$164 7.4%

London

$205 5% 25.2% $41

Getting Around

Cologne

$106 4.8%

London

$288 7.1% 171% $182

Sport & Entertainment

Cologne

$77 3.5%

London

$97 2.4% 26.8% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,197 in Cologne and $2,853 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 34% 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: $85.0 in Cologne vs $108 in London for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $339 vs $349 per month, with Cologne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Cologne

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

05:16 5:16 AM

04:16 4:16 AM

1 h behind Cologne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,095,520

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

Cologne London 500 km

From you

Cologne
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

Cologne vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cologne and London differ by about 87% in total monthly costs ($2,189 vs $4,086 including rent). Cologne is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 34% 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: $1,197 in Cologne versus $2,853 in London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cologne runs roughly 250% less than in London. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,077 in Cologne versus $2,865 in London. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,189 in Cologne versus $4,086 in London, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Cologne but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Cologne 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, Cologne 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 Cologne gentler on the wallet – expenses run 87% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.