Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kiel and Rugby

For one person, living is cheaper in Kiel: $1,991 a month against $2,347 in Rugby, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rugby outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

96

Cost of Living Index in Kiel
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Kiel Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Rugby
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Rugby Living Index

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Kiel

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,991

/mo nomad

Rugby

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,347

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kiel and in Rugby

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Kiel and in Rugby actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,991 in Kiel versus $2,347 in Rugby.

Kiel $1,991
Rugby $2,347

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,015 in Kiel versus $3,506 in Rugby.

Kiel $3,015
Rugby $3,506

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,040 in Kiel versus $4,665 in Rugby.

Kiel $4,040
Rugby $4,665

Living in Kiel costs roughly 15% less than in Rugby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kiel 47% above, Rugby 73% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 €15.21

$19.62 £14.72

-12.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.4 €75.9

$79.2 £59.4

7.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.52 €11.14

$9.53 £7.15

31.37%

Cappuccino

$4.11 €3.66

$4.91 £3.68

-16.29%

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

$3.70 €3.29

$2.12 £1.59

74.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 €3.03

$1.50 £1.13

127.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.52 €4.91

$6.05 £4.54

-8.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 €4.09

$6.58 £4.94

-30.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.09

$1.70 £1.28

-27.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 €2.33

$1.75 £1.32

49.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.28 €2.91

$2.55 £1.91

28.63%

Eggs

$4.07 €3.62

$3.77 £2.83

7.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.42 €14.61

$9.32 £6.99

76.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.34 €10.98

$7.79 £5.85

58.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.37 €23.45

$15.11 £11.34

74.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 €2.78

$2.59 £1.95

20.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.75 £1.31

23.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 €2.11

$2.41 £1.81

-1.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.43 €3.05

$3.17 £2.37

8.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.66 £1.25

-4.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.75 £1.31

-28.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.24 £0.93

36.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$1.58 £1.19

-46.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.38 €9.24

$21.66 £16.25

-52.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.23 €5.54

$11.81 £8.86

-47.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$3.59 £2.70

-69.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 €1.36

$3.38 £2.53

-54.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 €2.68

$2.64 £1.98

14.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.9 €63.9

$106 £79.7

-32.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$4.69 £3.52

-18.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.62 £1.21

39.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.42 £18.32

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 €1.99

$2.09 £1.56

6.70%

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

$33.1K €29.4K

$39.2K £29.4K

-15.57%

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

$38.6K €34.4K

$40.9K £30.7K

-5.47%

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

$296 €264

$265 £199

11.69%

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

$22.77 €20.26

$19.84 £14.88

14.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.49 €44.02

$46.42 £34.83

6.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.70 €36.20

$57.0 £42.79

-28.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.06 €40.08

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 €11.96

$14.91 £11.18

-9.86%

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

$302 €268

$1,600 £1,200

-81.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K £16.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.8 €66.5

$108 £81.4

-31.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.4 €61.8

$31.56 £23.68

120.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 €89.2

$83.0 £62.2

20.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €101

$113 £84.8

0.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 €637

$1,107 £831

-35.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$647 €576

$1,044 £783

-38.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,476 €1,313

$1,797 £1,348

-17.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,049 €933

$1,844 £1,383

-43.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,184 €4,611

$4,965 £3,725

4.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,854 €2,539

$3,847 £2,886

-25.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,277 €2,915

$4,705 £3,529

-30.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

5.09

-22.40%

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

Last update for Kiel: October 17, 2026

Last update for Rugby: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kiel

$647 32.5%

Rugby

$1K 44.5% 61.3% $397

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kiel

$369 18.5%

Rugby

$332 14.1% 10% $37

Groceries & Markets

Kiel

$358 18%

Rugby

$302 12.9% 15.8% $57

Eating Out

Kiel

$289 14.5%

Rugby

$302 12.9% 4.6% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Kiel

$161 8.1%

Rugby

$151 6.4% 6.2% $9.9

Getting Around

Kiel

$99 5%

Rugby

$130 5.5% 30.8% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Kiel

$68 3.4%

Rugby

$87 3.7% 28.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Kiel and $1,107 in Rugby. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rugby pays 44% 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: $85.0 in Kiel vs $79.0 in Rugby for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $358 vs $302 per month, with Rugby cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Kiel

🇬🇧 Rugby

🕒 Local time

16:18 4:18 PM

15:18 3:18 PM

1 h behind Kiel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

246,306

70,628

💱 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

Kiel Rugby 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Kiel
Rugby

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

Kiel vs Rugby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kiel is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and leisure. The 18% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 44% lower in Rugby. 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: $716 in Kiel versus $1,107 in Rugby. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Rugby pay roughly 19% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Kiel – a meal for two runs $85.0 versus $79.0 in Rugby. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,991 in Kiel versus $2,347 in Rugby, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Kiel but tight or insufficient in Rugby. The gap between the two cities makes Kiel the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Kiel and Rugby 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 Kiel gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Rugby. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.