Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Aalst

For one person, living is cheaper in Aalst: $2,067 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $23,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in Aalst
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Aalst Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Aalst

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,067

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Aalst

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,986 in London versus $2,067 in Aalst.

London $3,986
Aalst $2,067

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,791 in London versus $3,086 in Aalst.

London $5,791
Aalst $3,086

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,595 in London versus $4,105 in Aalst.

London $7,595
Aalst $4,105

Living in London is roughly 93% more expensive than in Aalst, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 195% above, Aalst 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.56

$22.53 €20.10

15.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £80.3

$106 €94.3

0.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.07

$13.43 €11.99

-20.25%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.13

$4.43 €3.95

23.48%

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

$2.97 £2.24

$3.63 €3.24

-18.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.66

$3.17 €2.83

-30.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.89

$5.55 €4.96

64.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.99

$5.53 €4.93

43.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.31 €1.17

41.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.56

$2.81 €2.51

-26.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.82

$2.13 €1.90

13.62%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.84

$3.83 €3.42

32.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.71

$17.39 €15.52

-25.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.86

$11.87 €10.59

-12.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.72

$22.29 €19.90

-24.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.34

$2.99 €2.67

4.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.06

$2.43 €2.17

-42.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.33

$2.67 €2.38

15.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.46

$3.23 €2.88

1.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$2.47 €2.21

-36.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.95 €1.74

-10.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.06

$1.54 €1.37

-9.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.36

$1.05 €0.94

71.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.56

$12.93 €11.54

80.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.83

$8.74 €7.80

49.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.39

$1.72 €1.54

84.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.34

$2.08 €1.85

112.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.07

$3.09 €2.76

31.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £186

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.21

$2.86 €2.55

95.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.54

$2.35 €2.09

42.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.81

$40.40 €36.05

40.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.61

$2.12 €1.89

0.47%

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

$38.2K £28.8K

$34.7K €30.9K

10.16%

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

$40.9K £30.8K

$32.8K €29.3K

24.64%

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

$372 £281

$203 €181

83.51%

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

$17.82 £13.44

$21.94 €19.58

-18.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.45

$50.8 €45.37

-20.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £45.24

$36.21 €32.32

65.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £16.06

$21.03 €18.77

1.24%

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.38

$15.18 €13.55

16.86%

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

$2,864 £2,161

$1,605 €1,433

78.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.6K

$33.7K €30.1K

4.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £86.0

$113 €101

0.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.94

$46.17 €41.21

17.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.7

$102 €90.9

21.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £123

$163 €146

-0.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,164

$911 €813

215.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,684

$808 €721

176.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,972

$1,384 €1,236

280.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,850

$1,104 €985

242.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

$4,162 €3,714

340.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,052

$2,890 €2,580

177.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,799

$2,782 €2,483

81.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

3.46

36.99%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Aalst: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Aalst

$807 39.1% 63.8% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Aalst

$276 13.3% 36% $155

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Aalst

$340 16.4% 12.4% $48

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Aalst

$360 17.4% 3% $11

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Aalst

$27 * 1.3% 90.6% $258

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Aalst

$191 9.2% 6.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Aalst

$67 3.2% 30.3% $29

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,869 in London and $911 in Aalst. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 81% 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: $107 in London vs $106 in Aalst. Groceries flip the comparison at $349 vs $360, with London cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇧🇪 Aalst

🕒 Local time

06:12 6:12 AM

07:12 7:12 AM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

78,271

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 0.754 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.844 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 14, 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 Aalst 300 km

From you

London
Aalst

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 Aalst: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

London and Aalst differ by about 93% in total monthly costs ($3,986 vs $2,067 including rent). Aalst is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 81% higher in London, 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: $2,869 in London versus $911 in Aalst. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in London pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $3,986 per month in London versus $2,067 in Aalst – a 93% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,067 in Aalst versus $3,986 in London, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Aalst but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Aalst 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, London and Aalst 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 Aalst gentler on the wallet – expenses run 93% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.