Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Drachten and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Drachten: $2,483 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Drachten
🇳🇱 Netherlands
$2,483
/mo nomad
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,986
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,483 in Drachten versus $3,986 in London.

  • Drachten $2,483
  • London $3,986

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,657 in Drachten versus $5,791 in London.

  • Drachten $3,657
  • London $5,791

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,831 in Drachten versus $7,595 in London.

  • Drachten $4,831
  • London $7,595

Living in Drachten costs roughly 38% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Drachten 84% above, London 195% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Drachten
London
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$24.26 €21.58
$25.93 £19.45
-6.44%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$84.3 €75.0
$107 £79.9
-20.85%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.55 €12.05
$10.71 £8.03
26.52%
Cappuccino
$3.98 €3.54
$5.47 £4.11
-27.24%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.62 €3.22
$2.97 £2.23
21.89%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.10 €2.75
$2.20 £1.65
40.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.74 €5.11
$9.13 £6.85
-37.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.68 €5.05
$7.94 £5.96
-28.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Drachten
London
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.03
$1.86 £1.40
-37.63%
White Bread (500g)
$1.34 €1.19
$2.07 £1.55
-35.27%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.59 €1.41
$2.42 £1.81
-34.30%
Eggs
$5.00 €4.45
$5.09 £3.82
-1.77%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.45 €11.07
$12.87 £9.66
-3.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.26 €11.80
$10.43 £7.82
27.13%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.08 €10.74
$16.87 £12.66
-28.39%
Apples (1kg)
$1.86 €1.66
$3.11 £2.33
-40.19%
Banana (1kg)
$2.49 €2.22
$1.40 £1.05
77.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.89 €1.68
$3.08 £2.31
-38.64%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.14 €2.79
$3.27 £2.45
-3.98%
Potato (1kg)
$1.64 €1.45
$1.58 £1.19
3.80%
Onion (1kg)
$1.58 €1.41
$1.74 £1.31
-9.20%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.28 €1.14
$1.40 £1.05
-8.57%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.65 €0.57
$1.80 £1.35
-63.89%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$8.96 €7.97
$23.28 £17.46
-61.51%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.86 €6.10
$13.03 £9.77
-47.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.47 €1.31
$3.17 £2.38
-53.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.65 €2.35
$4.42 £3.32
-40.05%
🚌 Getting Around
Drachten
London
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.38 €3.00
$4.07 £3.05
-16.95%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$90.0 €80.1
$247 £185
-63.52%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.19 €3.73
$5.58 £4.18
-24.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.05 €2.71
$3.36 £2.52
-9.23%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$49.31 €43.86
$56.8 £42.57
-13.11%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.27 €2.01
$2.13 £1.60
6.57%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$41.5K €36.9K
$38.2K £28.6K
8.75%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.3K €33.2K
$40.9K £30.7K
-8.85%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Drachten
London
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$276 €246
$372 £279
-25.76%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.01 €21.35
$17.82 £13.37
34.74%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$49.46 €44.00
$40.37 £30.29
22.52%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Drachten
London
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.09 €36.55
$60.0 £44.99
-31.48%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.13 €19.68
$21.29 £15.97
3.95%
Cinema Ticket
$16.02 €14.25
$17.74 £13.31
-9.70%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Drachten
London
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,305 €2,050
$2,864 £2,149
-19.54%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,889 €7,018
$35.3K £26.5K
-77.67%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Drachten
London
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.0 €52.5
$114 £85.5
-48.25%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.14 €39.26
$54.3 £40.71
-18.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$87.4 €77.7
$124 £93.2
-29.66%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$136 €121
$163 £122
-16.80%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Drachten
London
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,430 €1,272
$2,869 £2,152
-50.14%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,155 €1,027
$2,233 £1,675
-48.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,384 €2,120
$5,266 £3,950
-54.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,900 €1,690
$3,778 £2,834
-49.70%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,428 €4,829
$18.3K £13.8K
-70.39%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,379 €3,895
$8,024 £6,019
-45.43%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Drachten
London
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,515 €2,237
$5,037 £3,778
-50.06%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.3
4.74
-9.28%

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

Last update for Drachten: October 12, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Drachten
$1.2K
London
$2.2K 93.4% $1.1K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Drachten
$350
London
$430 23% $81
Eating Out
Drachten
$349
London
$388 10.9% $38
Groceries & Markets
Drachten
$286
London
$349 22.2% $63
Clothing & Footwear
Drachten
$147
London
$205 39.7% $58
Getting Around
Drachten
$123
London
$285 132% $162
Sport & Entertainment
Drachten
$73
London
$95 30.5% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,430 in Drachten and $2,869 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 100% 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: $84.0 in Drachten vs $107 in London for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $286 vs $349 per month, with Drachten cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇳🇱 Drachten
🇬🇧 London
🕒 Local time
04:02 4:02 AM
03:02 3:02 AM
1 h behind Drachten
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
45,186
8,908,083 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Drachten London 460 km
From you
  • Drachten
  • 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
Drachten vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is London cheaper than Drachten?
Drachten is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 61% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Drachten or London?
On paper, salaries run 100% 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.
What is the rent difference between Drachten and London?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,430 in Drachten versus $2,869 in London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $2,305 in Drachten versus $2,864 in London. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Drachten and in London?
Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in London. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Drachten or in London?
At $2,483 in Drachten versus $3,986 in London, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Drachten but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Drachten the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Drachten or London more family-friendly?
For families, Drachten is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in London, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Drachten or London?
Safety-wise, Drachten 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Drachten gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Drachten vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?