Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Diest and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Diest: $2,039 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $23,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Diest
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Diest Living Index
194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Diest

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,039

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,039 in Diest versus $3,986 in London.

Diest $2,039
London $3,986

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,023 in Diest versus $5,791 in London.

Diest $3,023
London $5,791

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,006 in Diest versus $7,595 in London.

Diest $4,006
London $7,595

Living in Diest costs roughly 49% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Diest 51% above, London 195% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.41 €19.93

$25.93 £19.45

-13.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.0 €81.0

$107 £79.9

-14.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.89 €10.58

$10.71 £8.03

11.02%

Cappuccino

$3.58 €3.19

$5.47 £4.11

-34.55%

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

$2.99 €2.66

$2.97 £2.23

0.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 €2.32

$2.20 £1.65

18.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.41 €4.81

$9.13 £6.85

-40.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.99

$7.94 £5.96

-43.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.86 £1.40

-34.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.69 €2.40

$2.07 £1.55

29.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$2.42 £1.81

-7.02%

Eggs

$3.71 €3.30

$5.09 £3.82

-27.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$12.87 £9.66

37.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.11 €10.77

$10.43 £7.82

16.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.17 €17.05

$16.87 £12.66

13.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$3.11 £2.33

-9.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.40 £1.05

63.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 €2.33

$3.08 £2.31

-14.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.92 €2.60

$3.27 £2.45

-10.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.58 £1.19

44.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.74 £1.31

11.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.40 £1.05

3.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 €0.89

$1.80 £1.35

-44.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.26 €10.01

$23.28 £17.46

-51.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.75 €6.89

$13.03 £9.77

-40.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.81

$3.17 £2.38

-35.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 €1.59

$4.42 £3.32

-59.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.06 €2.73

$4.07 £3.05

-24.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.07 €5.40

$5.58 £4.18

8.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 €1.98

$3.36 £2.52

-33.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.08 €23.20

$56.8 £42.58

-54.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 €1.73

$2.13 £1.60

-8.45%

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

$35.8K €31.9K

$38.2K £28.6K

-6.23%

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

$34.0K €30.2K

$40.9K £30.7K

-16.95%

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

$203 €180

$372 £279

-45.57%

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

$21.37 €19.01

$17.82 £13.37

19.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 €46.56

$40.37 £30.29

29.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.70 €32.65

$60.0 £44.99

-38.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.59 €17.42

$21.29 £15.97

-7.98%

Cinema Ticket

$14.51 €12.91

$17.74 £13.31

-18.21%

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

$847 €754

$2,864 £2,149

-70.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K €17.1K

$35.3K £26.5K

-45.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.7

$114 £85.5

-10.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.75 €42.47

$54.3 £40.71

-12.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

$124 £93.2

-17.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 €130

$163 £122

-10.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$907 €806

$2,869 £2,152

-68.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$828 €737

$2,233 £1,675

-62.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 €1,235

$5,266 £3,951

-73.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 €1,054

$3,778 £2,835

-68.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,230 €3,762

$18.3K £13.8K

-76.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,905 €2,584

$8,024 £6,020

-63.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,063 €1,835

$5,037 £3,779

-59.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

4.74

-27.00%

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

Last update for Diest: 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

Diest

$828 40.6%

London

$2.2K 56% 170% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Diest

$345 16.9%

London

$349 8.8% 1.4% $5

Eating Out

Diest

$316 15.5%

London

$388 9.7% 22.5% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Diest

$276 13.6%

London

$430 10.8% 55.8% $154

Clothing & Footwear

Diest

$179 8.8%

London

$205 5.1% 14.5% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Diest

$66 3.2%

London

$95 2.4% 45.2% $30

Getting Around

Diest

$29 * 1.4%

London

$285 7.2% 869% $256

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $907 in Diest and $2,869 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 144% 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: $91.0 in Diest vs $107 in London for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $345 vs $349 per month, with Diest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Diest

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

02:01 2:01 AM

01:01 1:01 AM

1 h behind Diest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,516

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

On the map

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Between locations

Diest London 370 km

From you

Diest
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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

Diest vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Diest wins on cost – living expenses run 95% lower than in London. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Diest the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 144% 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: $907 in Diest versus $2,869 in London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in London. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,039 per month in Diest versus $3,986 in London – a 95% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,039 in Diest versus $3,986 in London, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Diest but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Diest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Diest delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,039 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Diest hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Diest 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 Diest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 95% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.