Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Haarlem and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Haarlem: $3,171 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

154

Cost of Living Index in Haarlem
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Haarlem Living Index
196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Haarlem

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,171

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,171 per month in Haarlem vs $4,086 in London, rent included.

Haarlem $3,171
London $4,086

A couple spends around $4,482 per month in Haarlem vs $5,816 in London, rent included.

Haarlem $4,482
London $5,816

A family of three spends $5,792 per month in Haarlem vs $7,546 in London, rent included.

Haarlem $5,792
London $7,546

Haarlem is about 22% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Haarlem and London sit above the global median – Haarlem by 137%, London by 205%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.72 €25.63

$26.62 £20.11

7.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.5 €88.8

$108 £81.3

-7.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.62 €12.15

$10.39 £7.85

31.09%

Cappuccino

$4.31 €3.85

$5.79 £4.38

-25.56%

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

$4.05 €3.61

$3.01 £2.27

34.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 €2.93

$2.15 £1.63

52.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.07 €7.20

$9.35 £7.06

-13.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.77 €5.15

$7.84 £5.93

-26.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.79 £1.35

-17.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 €2.47

$2.06 £1.56

33.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.63 €2.35

$2.31 £1.74

13.85%

Eggs

$4.92 €4.39

$5.05 £3.82

-2.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.60 €12.14

$12.57 £9.50

8.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.01 €11.61

$10.66 £8.05

22.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.70 €19.37

$17.13 £12.94

26.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 €2.58

$3.03 £2.29

-4.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$1.41 £1.07

79.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$3.05 £2.31

-40.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.15 €4.59

$3.38 £2.56

52.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.67 £1.26

9.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$1.73 £1.31

28.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.41 £1.07

-12.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 €0.89

$1.79 £1.35

-44.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.77 €12.29

$23.22 £17.55

-40.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.77 €6.93

$12.99 £9.82

-40.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.39

$3.18 £2.40

-50.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 €2.21

$4.41 £3.33

-43.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.89 €2.57

$3.87 £2.93

-25.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.8 €72.1

$250 £189

-67.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.47 €5.78

$5.71 £4.31

13.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.54 €2.27

$3.33 £2.51

-23.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.21 €23.39

$57.9 £43.76

-54.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.04 £1.54

20.59%

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

$40.9K €36.5K

$37.5K £28.4K

8.97%

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

$39.4K €35.1K

$40.9K £30.9K

-3.78%

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

$251 €224

$376 £284

-33.14%

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

$23.91 €21.34

$17.88 £13.51

33.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.8 €53.3

$40.01 £30.24

49.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 €51.2

$61.2 £46.22

-6.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.49 €25.42

$21.07 £15.93

35.22%

Cinema Ticket

$16.36 €14.60

$17.95 £13.57

-8.86%

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

$2,638 €2,354

$2,865 £2,165

-7.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,600 €5,890

$35.3K £26.7K

-81.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 €75.9

$116 £87.7

-26.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.2 €55.5

$54.1 £40.87

15.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.1 €86.7

$127 £95.7

-23.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 €131

$159 £120

-7.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 €1,767

$2,853 £2,156

-30.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,675 €1,495

$2,301 £1,739

-27.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,884 €2,573

$5,201 £3,931

-44.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,356 €2,103

$3,723 £2,813

-36.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,735 €6,902

$19.0K £14.4K

-59.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,735 €5,118

$7,881 £5,955

-27.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,202 €3,749

$4,818 £3,641

-12.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

4.65

-18.28%

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

Last update for Haarlem: October 5, 2026

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Haarlem

$1.7K 53.1%

London

$2.3K 56.5% 37.4% $627

Eating Out

Haarlem

$404 12.8%

London

$397 9.7% 1.7% $6.8

Groceries & Markets

Haarlem

$361 11.5%

London

$349 8.6% 3.3% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Haarlem

$335 10.6%

London

$434 10.7% 29.5% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Haarlem

$176 5.6%

London

$205 5% 16.5% $29

Getting Around

Haarlem

$112 3.5%

London

$288 7.1% 158% $176

Sport & Entertainment

Haarlem

$90 2.9%

London

$97 2.4% 7.7% $7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,980 in Haarlem versus $2,853 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 15% 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 $99.0 in Haarlem versus $108 in London. Groceries tell a different story – $361 in Haarlem vs $349 in London – so London wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Haarlem

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

08:08 8:08 AM

07:08 7:08 AM

1 h behind Haarlem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,396

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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Haarlem London 340 km

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Haarlem
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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

Haarlem vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

London costs about 29% more than Haarlem, 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 $4,757 per month in Haarlem and $6,129 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Haarlem, 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 $99.0 in Haarlem and $108 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 $3,171 in Haarlem and $4,086 in London. That's a gap of about 29%.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,171 in Haarlem and $4,086 in London. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Haarlem costs $3,171 versus $4,086 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 Haarlem. 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.