Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gelsenkirchen and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Gelsenkirchen: $1,896 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $25,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Gelsenkirchen
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Gelsenkirchen Living Index
194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Gelsenkirchen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,896

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,896 per month in Gelsenkirchen vs $3,986 in London, rent included.

Gelsenkirchen $1,896
London $3,986

A couple spends around $2,788 per month in Gelsenkirchen vs $5,791 in London, rent included.

Gelsenkirchen $2,788
London $5,791

A family of three spends $3,680 per month in Gelsenkirchen vs $7,595 in London, rent included.

Gelsenkirchen $3,680
London $7,595

Gelsenkirchen is about 52% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Gelsenkirchen and London sit above the global median – Gelsenkirchen by 40%, London by 195%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.55 €12.05

$25.93 £19.45

-47.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.6 €68.1

$107 £79.9

-28.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.53 €9.36

$10.71 £8.03

-1.68%

Cappuccino

$4.39 €3.90

$5.47 £4.11

-19.74%

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

$4.00 €3.56

$2.97 £2.23

34.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 €2.84

$2.20 £1.65

45.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.41 €4.81

$9.13 £6.85

-40.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 €3.45

$7.94 £5.96

-51.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.86 £1.40

-31.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.07 £1.55

9.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.81 €3.39

$2.42 £1.81

57.44%

Eggs

$3.43 €3.05

$5.09 £3.82

-32.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.31 €12.73

$12.87 £9.66

11.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.81 €9.62

$10.43 £7.82

3.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.90 €21.26

$16.87 £12.66

41.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.35 €2.98

$3.11 £2.33

7.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.40 £1.05

42.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$3.08 £2.31

-28.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 €3.86

$3.27 £2.45

32.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 €1.29

$1.58 £1.19

-7.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.74 £1.31

-33.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.40 £1.05

20.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 €0.70

$1.80 £1.35

-56.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.53 €8.48

$23.28 £17.46

-59.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.51 €4.91

$13.03 £9.77

-57.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.96

$3.17 £2.38

-65.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$4.42 £3.32

-66.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 €3.42

$4.07 £3.05

-5.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.7 €62.9

$247 £185

-71.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.95 €4.40

$5.58 £4.18

-11.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 €2.00

$3.36 £2.52

-33.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.97 €30.21

$56.8 £42.57

-40.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.13 £1.60

6.57%

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

$30.2K €26.8K

$38.2K £28.6K

-21.01%

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

$37.2K €33.1K

$40.9K £30.7K

-9.00%

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

$395 €352

$372 £279

6.22%

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

$25.59 €22.77

$17.82 £13.37

43.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.92 €35.51

$40.37 £30.29

-1.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.97 €27.55

$60.0 £44.99

-48.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.70 €24.64

$21.29 £15.97

30.11%

Cinema Ticket

$8.68 €7.72

$17.74 £13.31

-51.07%

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

$219 €195

$2,864 £2,149

-92.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K €16.6K

$35.3K £26.5K

-47.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.9 €86.2

$114 £85.5

-15.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.60 €34.34

$54.3 £40.71

-28.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.0 €86.2

$124 £93.2

-21.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €94.3

$163 £122

-35.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$603 €536

$2,869 £2,152

-78.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$542 €482

$2,233 £1,675

-75.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 €904

$5,266 £3,950

-80.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$836 €744

$3,778 £2,834

-77.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,685 €1,498

$18.3K £13.8K

-90.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,331 €1,184

$8,024 £6,019

-83.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,275 €2,024

$5,037 £3,778

-54.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

4.74

-16.46%

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

Last update for Gelsenkirchen: 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

Gelsenkirchen

$542 28.6%

London

$2.2K 56% 312% $1.7K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gelsenkirchen

$461 24.3%

London

$430 10.8% 6.6% $30

Groceries & Markets

Gelsenkirchen

$334 17.6%

London

$349 8.8% 4.5% $15

Eating Out

Gelsenkirchen

$256 13.5%

London

$388 9.7% 51.3% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Gelsenkirchen

$152 8%

London

$205 5.1% 34.6% $53

Getting Around

Gelsenkirchen

$102 5.4%

London

$285 7.2% 179% $183

Sport & Entertainment

Gelsenkirchen

$48 2.6%

London

$95 2.4% 97.5% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $603 in Gelsenkirchen 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 121% 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 $77.0 in Gelsenkirchen versus $107 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $334 vs $349 – making Gelsenkirchen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Gelsenkirchen

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

19:26 7:26 PM

18:26 6:26 PM

1 h behind Gelsenkirchen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

270,107

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

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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

Gelsenkirchen vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

London costs about 110% more than Gelsenkirchen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,845 per month in Gelsenkirchen 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 Gelsenkirchen, 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 $77.0 in Gelsenkirchen 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 $1,896 in Gelsenkirchen and $3,986 in London. That's a gap of about 110%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Gelsenkirchen, where all-in costs run around $1,896, than in London at $3,986. In Gelsenkirchen it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Gelsenkirchen costs $1,896 versus $3,986 in London. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Gelsenkirchen. 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.