Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Alcala de Henares

For one person, living is cheaper in Alcala de Henares: $1,932 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $24,600 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
93

Cost of Living Index in Alcala de Henares
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Alcala de Henares Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Alcala de Henares

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,932

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Alcala de Henares

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 Alcala de Henares actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,986 in London versus $1,932 in Alcala de Henares.

London $3,986
Alcala de Henares $1,932

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,791 in London versus $2,723 in Alcala de Henares.

London $5,791
Alcala de Henares $2,723

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,595 in London versus $3,515 in Alcala de Henares.

London $7,595
Alcala de Henares $3,515

Living in London is roughly 106% more expensive than in Alcala de Henares, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 195% above, Alcala de Henares 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$17.00 €15.12

52.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$65.8 €58.5

61.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$11.08 €9.86

-3.34%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$2.72 €2.42

101.10%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$3.34 €2.97

-11.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$1.87 €1.67

17.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$3.96 €3.52

130.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$4.64 €4.13

71.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.19 €1.05

56.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.55 €1.38

33.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$1.72 €1.53

40.70%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$2.96 €2.64

71.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$21.99 €19.56

-41.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$9.20 €8.18

13.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$17.25 €15.35

-2.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$2.68 €2.39

16.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$2.31 €2.05

-39.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$2.18 €1.94

41.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$2.58 €2.29

26.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$2.13 €1.89

-25.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$2.13 €1.89

-18.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.57 €1.40

-10.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.70 €0.63

157.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$6.12 €5.44

280.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$7.84 €6.98

66.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$1.22 €1.08

159.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$2.14 €1.91

106.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$1.46 €1.30

178.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

$46.53 €41.39

430.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$3.80 €3.38

46.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$1.93 €1.72

74.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$23.26 €20.69

143.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$1.80 €1.60

18.33%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$35.7K €31.8K

6.96%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$30.3K €26.9K

35.09%

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

$372 £279

$189 €168

97.10%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$19.65 €17.48

-9.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$30.18 €26.85

33.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$40.29 €35.84

48.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

$8.12 €7.22

162.19%

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$9.43 €8.39

88.12%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$178 €159

1504.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$5,820 €5,177

507.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$73.7 €65.6

54.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$36.52 €32.48

48.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$78.2 €69.6

58.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$94.3 €83.9

72.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$966 €859

197.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$879 €782

154.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,951

$1,858 €1,653

183.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,835

$1,142 €1,016

230.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

$4,260 €3,789

330.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,020

$3,507 €3,119

128.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,779

$1,735 €1,544

190.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

3.14

50.96%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Alcala de Henares: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Alcala de Henares

$879 45.5% 60.6% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Alcala de Henares

$239 12.4% 44.5% $192

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Alcala de Henares

$252 13% 35% $136

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Alcala de Henares

$310 16.1% 11.3% $39

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Alcala de Henares

$66 3.4% 76.9% $220

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Alcala de Henares

$127 6.6% 37.9% $78

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Alcala de Henares

$59 3.1% 38% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,869 in London and $966 in Alcala de Henares. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 190% 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 $66.0 in Alcala de Henares for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $310 per month, with Alcala de Henares cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇪🇸 Alcala de Henares

🕒 Local time

12:56 12:56 PM

13:56 1:56 PM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

199,184

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

London Alcala de Henares 1,250 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

London
Alcala de Henares

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 Alcala de Henares: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

London and Alcala de Henares differ by about 106% in total monthly costs ($3,986 vs $1,932 including rent). Alcala de Henares is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 190% 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 $966 in Alcala de Henares. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,864 in London versus $178 in Alcala de Henares. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in London. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,932 in Alcala de Henares versus $3,986 in London, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Alcala de Henares but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Alcala de Henares 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 Alcala de Henares 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 Alcala de Henares gentler on the wallet – expenses run 106% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.