Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Aachen

For one person, living is cheaper in Aachen: $1,931 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $25,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
95

Cost of Living Index in Aachen
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Aachen Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Aachen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,931

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Aachen

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

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $1,931 in Aachen, rent included.

London $4,086
Aachen $1,931

A couple spends around $5,816 per month in London vs $2,903 in Aachen, rent included.

London $5,816
Aachen $2,903

A family of three spends $7,546 per month in London vs $3,876 in Aachen, rent included.

London $7,546
Aachen $3,876

London costs about 112% more than Aachen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Aachen sit above the global median – London by 205%, Aachen by 44%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.62 £20.11

$15.98 €14.26

66.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.3

$60.6 €54.1

77.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 £7.85

$11.44 €10.21

-9.18%

Cappuccino

$5.79 £4.38

$3.83 €3.42

51.17%

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

$3.01 £2.27

$2.73 €2.44

10.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.63

$2.97 €2.65

-27.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.35 £7.06

$5.04 €4.50

85.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 £5.93

$5.78 €5.16

35.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.22 €1.08

46.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 £1.56

$1.88 €1.68

9.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 £1.74

$3.56 €3.18

-35.11%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.82

$3.46 €3.09

45.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 £9.50

$14.38 €12.84

-12.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 £8.05

$11.45 €10.22

-6.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 £12.94

$21.27 €18.98

-19.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$3.39 €3.02

-10.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.07

$2.32 €2.07

-39.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.31

$2.15 €1.92

41.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.56

$3.34 €2.98

1.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$1.49 €1.33

12.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.31

$1.51 €1.34

14.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.07

$1.42 €1.26

-0.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.20 €1.07

49.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.22 £17.55

$9.94 €8.87

133.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 £9.82

$6.76 €6.03

92.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.40

$1.17 €1.05

171.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 £3.33

$1.66 €1.48

165.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 £2.93

$3.87 €3.45

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$250 £189

$69.8 €62.3

258.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 £4.31

$5.34 €4.77

6.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 £2.51

$2.63 €2.35

26.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.9 £43.76

$36.76 €32.80

57.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.54

$2.29 €2.05

-10.92%

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

$37.5K £28.4K

$33.3K €29.7K

12.73%

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

$40.9K £30.9K

$39.1K €34.9K

4.64%

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

$376 £284

$375 €335

0.18%

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

$17.88 £13.51

$17.00 €15.17

5.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.01 £30.24

$47.36 €42.26

-15.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 £46.22

$37.39 €33.37

63.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 £15.93

$27.99 €24.98

-24.72%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.57

$15.48 €13.81

15.96%

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

$2,865 £2,165

$745 €664

284.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.7K

$19.6K €17.5K

80.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.7

$92.1 €82.2

25.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 £40.87

$41.91 €37.40

29.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 £95.7

$82.9 €74.0

52.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 £120

$132 €118

20.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,853 £2,156

$837 €747

240.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 £1,739

$570 €508

303.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,201 £3,931

$1,505 €1,343

245.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,723 £2,813

$1,037 €925

259.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.0K £14.4K

$4,432 €3,955

328.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,881 £5,955

$3,464 €3,091

127.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,818 £3,641

$3,614 €3,225

33.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

3.96

17.42%

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

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Last update for Aachen: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.5%

Aachen

$570 29.4% 75.2% $1.7K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$434 10.7%

Aachen

$440 22.7% 1.3% $5.8

Eating Out

London

$397 9.7%

Aachen

$268 13.8% 32.5% $129

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.6%

Aachen

$330 17% 5.6% $20

Getting Around

London

$288 7.1%

Aachen

$104 5.4% 63.9% $184

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5%

Aachen

$157 8.1% 23.4% $48

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Aachen

$68 3.5% 29.6% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,853 in London versus $837 in Aachen. 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 33% 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 $108 in London versus $61.0 in Aachen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $330 – making Aachen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇩🇪 Aachen

🕒 Local time

11:11 11:11 AM

12:11 12:11 PM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

241,683

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.847 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

London Aachen 440 km

From you

London
Aachen

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

London vs Aachen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,086 in London, $1,931 in Aachen – roughly 112% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,129 per month in London and $2,896 in Aachen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in London and $61.0 in Aachen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,086 in London and $1,931 in Aachen. That's a gap of about 112%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Aachen, where all-in costs run around $1,931, than in London at $4,086. In Aachen it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,931 in Aachen to $4,086 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Aachen. 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.