Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Heerlen and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Heerlen: $2,263 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $20,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Heerlen
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Heerlen Living Index
194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Heerlen

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,263

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,263 in Heerlen versus $3,986 in London.

Heerlen $2,263
London $3,986

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,443 in Heerlen versus $5,791 in London.

Heerlen $3,443
London $5,791

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,623 in Heerlen versus $7,595 in London.

Heerlen $4,623
London $7,595

Living in Heerlen costs roughly 43% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Heerlen 68% above, London 195% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.62 €21.01

$25.93 £19.45

-8.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.7 €86.0

$107 £79.9

-9.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.89 €16.81

$10.71 £8.03

76.38%

Cappuccino

$3.89 €3.46

$5.47 £4.11

-28.88%

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

$3.30 €2.94

$2.97 £2.23

11.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.20 £1.65

2.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.24 €5.55

$9.13 £6.85

-31.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.59 €4.97

$7.94 £5.96

-29.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.86 £1.40

-28.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 €2.10

$2.07 £1.55

14.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$2.42 £1.81

7.02%

Eggs

$4.32 €3.84

$5.09 £3.82

-15.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.52 €10.25

$12.87 £9.66

-10.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.77 €12.25

$10.43 £7.82

32.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.78 €15.81

$16.87 £12.66

5.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 €2.12

$3.11 £2.33

-23.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 €2.12

$1.40 £1.05

70.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.08 £2.31

-31.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.31 €3.83

$3.27 £2.45

31.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.58 £1.19

16.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.74 £1.31

22.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.40 £1.05

-6.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 €0.71

$1.80 £1.35

-56.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.17 €12.61

$23.28 £17.46

-39.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.12 €6.34

$13.03 £9.77

-45.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$3.17 £2.38

-55.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 €2.35

$4.42 £3.32

-40.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.70 €3.29

$4.07 £3.05

-9.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.9 €52.4

$247 £185

-76.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.22 €5.53

$5.58 £4.18

11.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 €1.46

$3.36 £2.52

-51.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.14 €19.70

$56.8 £42.57

-60.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.37 €2.10

$2.13 £1.60

11.27%

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

$28.5K €25.3K

$38.2K £28.6K

-25.45%

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

$35.5K €31.6K

$40.9K £30.7K

-13.10%

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

$190 €169

$372 £279

-48.93%

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

$26.76 €23.81

$17.82 £13.37

50.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.1 €49.05

$40.37 £30.29

36.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.36 €31.46

$60.0 £44.99

-41.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.49 €24.45

$21.29 £15.97

29.12%

Cinema Ticket

$13.48 €11.99

$17.74 £13.31

-24.01%

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

$680 €605

$2,864 £2,149

-76.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,341 €4,751

$35.3K £26.5K

-84.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.8 €88.8

$114 £85.5

-12.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 €44.19

$54.3 £40.71

-8.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €89.4

$124 £93.2

-19.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$187 €167

$163 £122

14.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 €984

$2,869 £2,152

-61.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$958 €852

$2,233 £1,675

-57.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,930 €1,717

$5,266 £3,950

-63.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,569 €1,396

$3,778 £2,834

-58.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,941 €3,506

$18.3K £13.8K

-78.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,828 €2,515

$8,024 £6,019

-64.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,883 €2,564

$5,037 £3,778

-42.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.35

4.74

-8.23%

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

Last update for Heerlen: 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

Heerlen

$958 42.3%

London

$2.2K 56% 133% $1.3K

Eating Out

Heerlen

$357 15.8%

London

$388 9.7% 8.6% $31

Groceries & Markets

Heerlen

$329 14.5%

London

$349 8.8% 6.3% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Heerlen

$272 12%

London

$430 10.8% 58.2% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Heerlen

$197 8.7%

London

$205 5.1% 4.1% $8.1

Getting Around

Heerlen

$88 3.9%

London

$285 7.2% 224% $197

Sport & Entertainment

Heerlen

$62 2.8%

London

$95 2.4% 53.2% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,106 in Heerlen and $2,869 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 75% 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: $97.0 in Heerlen vs $107 in London for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $329 vs $349 per month, with Heerlen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Heerlen

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

22:46 10:46 PM

21:46 9:46 PM

1 h behind Heerlen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

87,086

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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Heerlen London 430 km

From you

Heerlen
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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

Heerlen vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Heerlen wins on cost – living expenses run 76% lower than in London. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Heerlen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 75% 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: $1,106 in Heerlen versus $2,869 in London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Heerlen runs roughly 319% less than in London. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $680 in Heerlen versus $2,864 in London. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,263 in Heerlen versus $3,986 in London, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Heerlen but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Heerlen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Heerlen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,263 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Heerlen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Heerlen 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 Heerlen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 76% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.