Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cottbus and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Cottbus: $1,502 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $29,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Cottbus
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Cottbus Living Index
194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Cottbus

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,502

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,502 per month in Cottbus vs $3,986 in London, rent included.

Cottbus $1,502
London $3,986

A couple spends around $2,357 per month in Cottbus vs $5,791 in London, rent included.

Cottbus $2,357
London $5,791

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Cottbus vs $7,595 in London, rent included.

Cottbus $3,212
London $7,595

Cottbus is about 62% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Cottbus and London sit above the global median – Cottbus by 11%, London by 195%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.70 €14.89

$25.93 £19.57

-35.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.8 €70.3

$107 £80.4

-26.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.86 €9.69

$10.71 £8.08

1.40%

Cappuccino

$2.49 €2.22

$5.47 £4.13

-54.48%

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

$2.46 €2.20

$2.97 £2.24

-17.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 €2.71

$2.20 £1.66

38.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.75 €2.46

$9.13 £6.89

-69.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 €3.00

$7.94 £6.00

-57.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.86 £1.40

-33.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.07 £1.56

-2.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.42 £1.82

-43.39%

Eggs

$3.32 €2.97

$5.09 £3.84

-34.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.55

$12.87 £9.72

0.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.12 €9.92

$10.43 £7.87

6.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.20 €17.13

$16.87 £12.73

13.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 €2.64

$3.11 £2.35

-4.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.40 £1.06

38.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$3.08 £2.33

-34.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.64 €3.25

$3.27 £2.47

11.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.58 £1.20

-16.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.74 £1.31

-29.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.40 £1.06

5.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 €0.91

$1.80 £1.36

-43.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.14 €8.15

$23.28 £17.57

-60.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$13.03 £9.83

-58.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$3.17 £2.39

-66.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 €1.37

$4.42 £3.34

-65.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.10 €2.77

$4.07 £3.07

-23.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.18 €43.87

$247 £186

-80.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.40

$5.58 £4.21

-31.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 €1.67

$3.36 £2.54

-44.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.99 €24.07

$56.8 £42.84

-52.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 €1.78

$2.13 £1.61

-6.10%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$38.2K £28.8K

-12.97%

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

$38.1K €34.0K

$40.9K £30.9K

-6.92%

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

$174 €155

$372 £281

-53.24%

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

$15.05 €13.42

$17.82 £13.45

-15.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.12 €39.36

$40.37 £30.47

9.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.73 €34.55

$60.0 £45.27

-35.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.60 €14.81

$21.29 £16.07

-22.03%

Cinema Ticket

$13.47 €12.02

$17.74 £13.39

-24.07%

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

$283 €253

$2,864 £2,162

-90.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.5K

$35.3K £26.7K

-63.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.0 €49.97

$114 £86.1

-50.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.86 €24.85

$54.3 £40.96

-48.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 €65.0

$124 £93.8

-41.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.2 €63.5

$163 £123

-56.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$593 €529

$2,869 £2,165

-79.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$487 €434

$2,233 £1,685

-78.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,146 €1,022

$5,266 £3,975

-78.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$839 €748

$3,778 £2,852

-77.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,557 €2,281

$18.3K £13.8K

-86.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,976 €1,763

$8,024 £6,056

-75.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,659 €1,480

$5,037 £3,802

-67.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.2

4.74

-32.49%

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

Last update for Cottbus: 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

Cottbus

$487 32.4%

London

$2.2K 56% 359% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Cottbus

$300 20%

London

$349 8.8% 16.5% $49

Eating Out

Cottbus

$239 15.9%

London

$388 9.7% 62.4% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cottbus

$233 15.5%

London

$430 10.8% 84.5% $197

Clothing & Footwear

Cottbus

$103 6.8%

London

$205 5.1% 99.9% $102

Getting Around

Cottbus

$75 5%

London

$285 7.2% 282% $211

Sport & Entertainment

Cottbus

$66 4.4%

London

$95 2.4% 45.3% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $593 in Cottbus 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 204% 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 Cottbus versus $107 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $300 vs $349 – making Cottbus the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Cottbus

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

09:26 9:26 AM

08:26 8:26 AM

1 h behind Cottbus

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

101,036

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

Cottbus London 1,000 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cottbus
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

Cottbus vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – London is pricier by about 165%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,253 per month in Cottbus 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 Cottbus, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% 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 $79.0 in Cottbus and $107 in London. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cottbus, where all-in costs run around $1,502, than in London at $3,986. In Cottbus it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cottbus – 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 Cottbus. 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.