Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hilversum and Romford

For one person, living is cheaper in Romford: $2,677 a month against $2,920 in Hilversum, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

142

Cost of Living Index in Hilversum
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Hilversum Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Romford
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Romford Living Index

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Hilversum

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,920

/mo nomad

Romford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,677

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hilversum and in Romford

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 Romford actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,920 in Hilversum versus $2,677 in Romford.

Hilversum $2,920
Romford $2,677

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,236 in Hilversum versus $4,098 in Romford.

Hilversum $4,236
Romford $4,098

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,553 in Hilversum versus $5,519 in Romford.

Hilversum $5,553
Romford $5,519

Living in Hilversum is roughly 9% more expensive than in Romford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hilversum 116% above, Romford 98% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.73 €24.67

$24.61 £18.46

12.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 €70.7

$104 £78.1

-23.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.70 €14.85

$10.72 £8.04

55.78%

Cappuccino

$4.30 €3.82

$4.81 £3.61

-10.60%

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

$3.92 €3.49

$2.70 £2.03

45.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 €2.65

$1.83 £1.37

62.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.53 €4.92

$7.89 £5.92

-29.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 €4.92

$6.71 £5.04

-17.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 €1.61

$1.86 £1.39

-2.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 €2.11

$1.78 £1.33

33.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.47 €3.09

$2.51 £1.88

38.25%

Eggs

$5.27 €4.69

$4.80 £3.60

9.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.30 €12.72

$9.71 £7.28

47.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.89 €12.35

$9.40 £7.05

47.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.46 €14.64

$15.59 £11.70

5.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$2.93 £2.20

-13.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$1.43 £1.07

87.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.71 €2.41

$3.28 £2.46

-17.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.21 €4.63

$3.40 £2.55

53.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.65 £1.24

14.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$1.85 £1.39

20.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.24 £0.93

19.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.80 £1.35

-36.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.60 €11.21

$23.58 £17.69

-46.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.83 €6.07

$13.10 £9.83

-47.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.31

$3.07 £2.30

-51.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 €2.42

$3.98 £2.99

-31.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.62 €3.22

$4.66 £3.50

-22.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.0 €58.7

$97.8 £73.4

-32.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.50 €4.89

$5.63 £4.23

-2.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.44 €3.06

$2.61 £1.96

31.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.12 €19.67

$26.16 £19.62

-15.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.39 €2.13

$2.14 £1.61

11.68%

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

$41.8K €37.2K

$37.6K £28.2K

11.28%

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

$42.6K €37.9K

$39.8K £29.8K

7.06%

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

$265 €236

$373 £280

-28.99%

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

$28.28 €25.15

$18.24 £13.69

55.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 €56.2

$42.81 £32.12

47.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.0 €60.5

$49.13 £36.86

38.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.61 €29.89

Cinema Ticket

$16.73 €14.88

$16.88 £12.66

-0.89%

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

$678 €603

$2,585 £1,939

-73.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K €13.9K

$35.8K £26.9K

-56.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 €100

$90.2 £67.6

25.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.90 €42.60

$47.63 £35.74

0.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 €80.4

$91.8 £68.8

-1.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 €126

$129 £97.0

9.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,683 €1,497

$1,836 £1,377

-8.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,432 €1,274

$1,179 £885

21.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,924 €2,601

$3,351 £2,514

-12.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,281 €2,029

$2,266 £1,700

0.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,800 €6,049

$5,082 £3,813

33.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,225 €4,648

$3,905 £2,929

33.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,910 €3,478

$2,799 £2,100

39.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.3

-14.00%

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

Last update for Hilversum: October 11, 2026

Last update for Romford: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hilversum

$1.4K 49.1%

Romford

$1.2K 44% 17.7% $253

Eating Out

Hilversum

$390 13.4%

Romford

$358 13.4% 8.2% $32

Groceries & Markets

Hilversum

$360 12.3%

Romford

$327 12.2% 9.4% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hilversum

$356 12.2%

Romford

$434 16.2% 21.8% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Hilversum

$177 6.1%

Romford

$162 6% 8.6% $15

Getting Around

Hilversum

$103 3.5%

Romford

$135 5.1% 30.9% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Hilversum

$101 3.5%

Romford

$83 3.1% 18.3% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,683 in Hilversum and $1,836 in Romford. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hilversum pays 40% 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 $104 in Romford. Groceries flip the comparison at $360 vs $327, with Romford cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Hilversum

🇬🇧 Romford

🕒 Local time

10:18 10:18 AM

09:18 9:18 AM

1 h behind Hilversum

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

93,345

95,894

💱 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

Hilversum vs Romford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hilversum and Romford differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($2,920 vs $2,677 including rent). Romford is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 40% higher in Hilversum, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,683 in Hilversum versus $1,836 in Romford. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Romford runs roughly 48% less than in Hilversum. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $678 in Hilversum versus $2,585 in Romford. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Romford is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Safety-wise, Hilversum and Romford 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 Romford gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Hilversum. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.