Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hilversum and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Hilversum: $2,920 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Hilversum
🇳🇱 Netherlands
$2,920
/mo nomad
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,986
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,920 in Hilversum versus $3,986 in London.

  • Hilversum $2,920
  • London $3,986

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,236 in Hilversum versus $5,791 in London.

  • Hilversum $4,236
  • London $5,791

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,553 in Hilversum versus $7,595 in London.

  • Hilversum $5,553
  • London $7,595

Living in Hilversum costs roughly 27% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hilversum 116% above, London 195% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hilversum
London
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$27.73 €24.67
$25.93 £19.45
6.94%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.5 €70.7
$107 £79.9
-25.34%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$16.70 €14.85
$10.71 £8.03
55.93%
Cappuccino
$4.30 €3.82
$5.47 £4.11
-21.39%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.92 €3.49
$2.97 £2.23
31.99%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.98 €2.65
$2.20 £1.65
35.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.53 €4.92
$9.13 £6.85
-39.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.53 €4.92
$7.94 £5.96
-30.35%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hilversum
London
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.81 €1.61
$1.86 £1.40
-2.69%
White Bread (500g)
$2.37 €2.11
$2.07 £1.55
14.49%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.47 €3.09
$2.42 £1.81
43.39%
Eggs
$5.27 €4.69
$5.09 £3.82
3.54%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.30 €12.72
$12.87 £9.66
11.11%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.89 €12.35
$10.43 £7.82
33.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.46 €14.64
$16.87 £12.66
-2.43%
Apples (1kg)
$2.53 €2.25
$3.11 £2.33
-18.65%
Banana (1kg)
$2.68 €2.38
$1.40 £1.05
91.43%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.71 €2.41
$3.08 £2.31
-12.01%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.21 €4.63
$3.27 £2.45
59.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.89 €1.68
$1.58 £1.19
19.62%
Onion (1kg)
$2.23 €1.98
$1.74 £1.31
28.16%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 €1.32
$1.40 £1.05
5.71%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.14 €1.02
$1.80 £1.35
-36.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.60 €11.21
$23.28 £17.46
-45.88%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.83 €6.07
$13.03 £9.77
-47.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.48 €1.31
$3.17 £2.38
-53.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.72 €2.42
$4.42 £3.32
-38.46%
🚌 Getting Around
Hilversum
London
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.62 €3.22
$4.07 £3.05
-11.06%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$66.0 €58.7
$247 £185
-73.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.50 €4.89
$5.58 £4.18
-1.43%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.44 €3.06
$3.36 £2.52
2.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$22.12 €19.67
$56.8 £42.58
-61.02%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.39 €2.13
$2.13 £1.60
12.21%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$41.8K €37.2K
$38.2K £28.6K
9.52%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$42.6K €37.9K
$40.9K £30.7K
4.11%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hilversum
London
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$265 €236
$372 £279
-28.81%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.28 €25.15
$17.82 £13.37
58.70%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$63.2 €56.2
$40.37 £30.29
56.53%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hilversum
London
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$68.0 €60.5
$60.0 £44.99
13.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$33.61 €29.89
$21.29 £15.97
57.87%
Cinema Ticket
$16.73 €14.88
$17.74 £13.31
-5.69%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hilversum
London
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$678 €603
$2,864 £2,149
-76.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.6K €13.9K
$35.3K £26.5K
-55.74%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hilversum
London
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$113 €100
$114 £85.5
-0.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.90 €42.60
$54.3 £40.71
-11.74%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.3 €80.4
$124 £93.2
-27.29%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$141 €126
$163 £122
-13.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hilversum
London
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,683 €1,497
$2,869 £2,152
-41.33%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,432 €1,274
$2,233 £1,675
-35.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,924 €2,601
$5,266 £3,951
-44.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,281 €2,029
$3,778 £2,835
-39.63%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,800 €6,049
$18.3K £13.8K
-62.91%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,225 €4,648
$8,024 £6,020
-34.88%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hilversum
London
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,910 €3,478
$5,037 £3,779
-22.37%
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 Hilversum: 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
Hilversum
$1.4K
London
$2.2K 55.9% $801
Eating Out
Hilversum
$390
London
$388 0.6% $2.3
Groceries & Markets
Hilversum
$360
London
$349 3% $11
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hilversum
$356
London
$430 20.7% $74
Clothing & Footwear
Hilversum
$177
London
$205 16.1% $28
Getting Around
Hilversum
$103
London
$285 177% $182
Sport & Entertainment
Hilversum
$101
London
$95 5.9% $6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,683 in Hilversum and $2,869 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 29% 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: $80.0 in Hilversum vs $107 in London. Groceries flip the comparison at $360 vs $349, with London cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇳🇱 Hilversum
🇬🇧 London
🕒 Local time
07:07 7:07 AM
06:07 6:07 AM
1 h behind Hilversum
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
93,345
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
  • Hilversum London 370 km
From you
  • Hilversum
  • 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
Hilversum vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Hilversum and in London?
Hilversum and London differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($2,920 vs $3,986 including rent). Hilversum is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 29% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Hilversum and in London?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,683 in Hilversum versus $2,869 in London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do commuting costs compare in Hilversum and in London?
A monthly transit pass in Hilversum runs roughly 274% less than in London. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Hilversum and London?
Childcare runs $678 in Hilversum versus $2,864 in London. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city is feasible on a $3,000 budget?
Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Hilversum is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
How does quality of life compare between Hilversum and London?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Is Hilversum or London safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Hilversum 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.
Where should expats move: Hilversum or London?
Expats usually find Hilversum gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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