Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hertfordshire and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Hertfordshire: $2,520 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Hertfordshire
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Hertfordshire Living Index
194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Hertfordshire

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,520

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,520 in Hertfordshire versus $3,986 in London.

Hertfordshire $2,520
London $3,986

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,784 in Hertfordshire versus $5,791 in London.

Hertfordshire $3,784
London $5,791

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,048 in Hertfordshire versus $7,595 in London.

Hertfordshire $5,048
London $7,595

Living in Hertfordshire costs roughly 37% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hertfordshire 87% above, London 195% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.92 £20.19

$25.93 £19.45

3.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.9 £59.2

$107 £79.9

-25.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.38 £7.78

$10.71 £8.03

-3.08%

Cappuccino

$4.87 £3.65

$5.47 £4.11

-10.97%

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

$2.49 £1.87

$2.97 £2.23

-16.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 £1.55

$2.20 £1.65

-5.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.50 £4.13

$9.13 £6.85

-39.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 £3.99

$7.94 £5.96

-33.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 £1.14

$1.86 £1.40

-18.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 £1.39

$2.07 £1.55

-10.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 £2.00

$2.42 £1.81

9.92%

Eggs

$3.48 £2.61

$5.09 £3.82

-31.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.04 £6.03

$12.87 £9.66

-37.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.24 £5.43

$10.43 £7.82

-30.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.34 £12.26

$16.87 £12.66

-3.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 £2.54

$3.11 £2.33

8.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 £1.20

$1.40 £1.05

14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.06 £2.30

$3.08 £2.31

-0.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.64

$3.27 £2.45

7.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 £0.87

$1.58 £1.19

-26.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 £1.32

$1.74 £1.31

1.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.93

$1.40 £1.05

-11.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.80 £1.35

-12.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.13 £15.85

$23.28 £17.46

-9.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.78 £7.34

$13.03 £9.77

-24.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.45

$3.17 £2.38

-39.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 £1.52

$4.42 £3.32

-54.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.41 £2.56

$4.07 £3.05

-16.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.6 £64.3

$247 £185

-65.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.07 £3.05

$5.58 £4.18

-27.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.93 £2.95

$3.36 £2.52

16.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.53 £23.65

$56.8 £42.58

-44.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 £1.50

$2.13 £1.60

-6.10%

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

$38.1K £28.6K

$38.2K £28.6K

-0.31%

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

$41.2K £30.9K

$40.9K £30.7K

0.80%

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

$157 £118

$372 £279

-57.90%

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

$17.46 £13.10

$17.82 £13.37

-2.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.55 £32.67

$40.37 £30.29

7.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.81 £33.62

$60.0 £44.99

-25.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

Cinema Ticket

$13.11 £9.84

$17.74 £13.31

-26.10%

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

$1,584 £1,188

$2,864 £2,149

-44.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K £16.4K

$35.3K £26.5K

-38.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.85 £35.14

$114 £85.5

-58.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.06 £29.30

$54.3 £40.71

-28.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.4 £54.3

$124 £93.2

-41.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 £81.2

$163 £122

-33.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,791 £1,344

$2,869 £2,152

-37.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,339 £1,005

$2,233 £1,675

-40.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,798 £2,099

$5,266 £3,951

-46.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,343 £1,758

$3,778 £2,835

-38.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,076 £3,808

$18.3K £13.8K

-72.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,816 £2,863

$8,024 £6,020

-52.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,200 £2,401

$5,037 £3,779

-36.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.21

4.74

9.92%

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

Last update for Hertfordshire: 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

Hertfordshire

$1.3K 53.1%

London

$2.2K 56% 66.8% $894

Eating Out

Hertfordshire

$361 14.3%

London

$388 9.7% 7.3% $26

Groceries & Markets

Hertfordshire

$288 11.4%

London

$349 8.8% 21.3% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hertfordshire

$218 8.6%

London

$430 10.8% 97.7% $213

Getting Around

Hertfordshire

$123 4.9%

London

$285 7.2% 132% $162

Clothing & Footwear

Hertfordshire

$120 4.8%

London

$205 5.1% 70.9% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Hertfordshire

$71 2.8%

London

$95 2.4% 34.4% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,791 in Hertfordshire and $2,869 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 57% 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: $79.0 in Hertfordshire vs $107 in London for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $349 per month, with Hertfordshire cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Hertfordshire

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

03:04 3:04 AM

Same time as Hertfordshire

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,990

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Hertfordshire London 50 km

From you

Hertfordshire
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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

Hertfordshire vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hertfordshire is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. The 58% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 57% 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: $1,791 in Hertfordshire versus $2,869 in London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Hertfordshire – a meal for two runs $79.0 versus $107 in London. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,520 per month in Hertfordshire versus $3,986 in London – a 58% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Hertfordshire is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Hertfordshire 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.

Safety-wise, Hertfordshire 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 Hertfordshire gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.