Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jena and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Jena: $1,786 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $26,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Jena
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Jena Living Index
194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Jena

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,786

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,786 per month in Jena vs $3,986 in London, rent included.

Jena $1,786
London $3,986

A couple spends around $2,668 per month in Jena vs $5,791 in London, rent included.

Jena $2,668
London $5,791

A family of three spends $3,550 per month in Jena vs $7,595 in London, rent included.

Jena $3,550
London $7,595

Jena is about 55% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Jena and London sit above the global median – Jena by 32%, London by 195%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.92 €11.49

$25.93 £19.45

-50.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.9 €58.7

$107 £79.9

-38.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.28 €10.03

$10.71 £8.03

5.32%

Cappuccino

$4.02 €3.58

$5.47 £4.11

-26.51%

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

$3.04 €2.71

$2.97 £2.23

2.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 €2.66

$2.20 £1.65

35.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.61 €4.99

$9.13 £6.85

-38.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 €4.04

$7.94 £5.96

-42.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.86 £1.40

-38.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.07 £1.55

4.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.92 €2.60

$2.42 £1.81

20.66%

Eggs

$3.65 €3.25

$5.09 £3.82

-28.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.56 €12.95

$12.87 £9.66

13.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.63 €10.35

$10.43 £7.82

11.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.23 €17.11

$16.87 £12.66

13.99%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 €2.76

$3.11 £2.33

-0.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.40 £1.05

32.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$3.08 £2.31

-33.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 €3.54

$3.27 £2.45

21.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.58 £1.19

-13.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.74 £1.31

-35.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.40 £1.05

3.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.80 £1.35

-38.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.80 €8.72

$23.28 £17.46

-57.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.54 €4.93

$13.03 £9.77

-57.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 €0.88

$3.17 £2.38

-68.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.28

$4.42 £3.32

-67.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 €2.54

$4.07 £3.05

-29.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.1 €61.4

$247 £185

-72.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.53 €4.03

$5.58 £4.18

-18.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.71 €2.41

$3.36 £2.52

-19.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.59 €29.88

$56.8 £42.58

-40.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.13 £1.60

2.82%

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

$30.1K €26.8K

$38.2K £28.6K

-21.09%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$40.9K £30.7K

-5.93%

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

$380 €338

$372 £279

2.18%

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

$20.18 €17.95

$17.82 £13.37

13.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.58 €37.87

$40.37 £30.29

5.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.48 €32.45

$60.0 £44.99

-39.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 €8.95

$17.74 £13.31

-43.29%

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

$874 €778

$2,864 £2,149

-69.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$35.3K £26.5K

-57.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 €76.8

$114 £85.5

-24.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.90 €36.38

$54.3 £40.71

-24.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.1

$124 £93.2

-13.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$163 £122

-25.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 €639

$2,869 £2,152

-74.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 €411

$2,233 £1,675

-79.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,212 €1,078

$5,266 £3,951

-76.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$845 €752

$3,778 £2,835

-77.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,753 €2,449

$8,024 £6,020

-65.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,204 €2,850

$5,037 £3,779

-36.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

4.74

-16.46%

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

Last update for Jena: 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

Jena

$462 25.9%

London

$2.2K 56% 383% $1.8K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jena

$443 24.8%

London

$430 10.8% 2.9% $13

Groceries & Markets

Jena

$318 17.8%

London

$349 8.8% 9.9% $31

Eating Out

Jena

$247 13.8%

London

$388 9.7% 57.1% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Jena

$161 9%

London

$205 5.1% 27.7% $44

Getting Around

Jena

$99 5.5%

London

$285 7.2% 190% $187

Sport & Entertainment

Jena

$57 3.2%

London

$95 2.4% 68.6% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $719 in Jena versus $2,869 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 57% 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 $66.0 in Jena versus $107 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $318 vs $349 – making Jena the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Jena

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

13:27 1:27 PM

12:27 12:27 PM

1 h behind Jena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

111,343

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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Between locations

Jena London 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Jena
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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

Jena vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

London costs about 123% more than Jena, 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 $2,679 per month in Jena and $5,979 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jena, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $874 per month in Jena and $2,864 in London. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% more in London, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Jena, where all-in costs run around $1,786, than in London at $3,986. In Jena it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Jena costs $1,786 versus $3,986 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 Jena. 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.