Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Alkmaar

For one person, living is cheaper in Alkmaar: $2,379 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 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
115

Cost of Living Index in Alkmaar
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Alkmaar Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Alkmaar

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,379

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Alkmaar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,986 in London versus $2,379 in Alkmaar.

London $3,986
Alkmaar $2,379

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,791 in London versus $3,521 in Alkmaar.

London $5,791
Alkmaar $3,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,595 in London versus $4,662 in Alkmaar.

London $7,595
Alkmaar $4,662

Living in London is roughly 68% more expensive than in Alkmaar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 195% above, Alkmaar 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$29.95 €26.64

-13.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$90.2 €80.2

18.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$14.57 €12.96

-26.49%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$3.91 €3.48

39.90%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$3.14 €2.80

-5.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$2.45 €2.18

-10.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$5.72 €5.08

59.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$4.50 €4.00

76.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.44 €1.28

29.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$2.34 €2.08

-11.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$3.54 €3.15

-31.64%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$4.74 €4.21

7.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$13.90 €12.37

-7.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$14.52 €12.91

-28.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$17.18 €15.28

-1.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$2.56 €2.27

21.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$2.40 €2.13

-41.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$1.79 €1.59

72.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$4.24 €3.77

-22.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.96 €1.75

-19.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$2.08 €1.85

-16.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.27 €1.13

10.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.80 €0.71

125.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$12.76 €11.35

82.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$7.21 €6.41

80.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$1.27 €1.13

149.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$2.23 €1.98

98.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$2.27 €2.02

79.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

$58.3 €51.8

323.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$2.83 €2.52

97.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$1.64 €1.46

104.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$24.57 €21.86

130.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$2.34 €2.08

-8.97%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$40.8K €36.3K

-6.48%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$38.9K €34.6K

5.15%

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

$372 £279

$239 €213

55.63%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$20.90 €18.59

-14.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$46.16 €41.06

-12.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$45.38 €40.37

32.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

$6.17 €5.49

245.06%

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$15.01 €13.36

18.19%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$716 €637

300.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$2,313 €2,058

1427.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$112 €100

1.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$45.65 €40.60

18.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$107 €95.3

15.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$118 €105

38.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$788 €701

263.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$1,015 €903

120.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,951

$2,815 €2,504

87.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,835

$1,568 €1,395

140.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

$5,013 €4,459

265.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,020

$4,123 €3,668

94.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,779

$3,317 €2,951

51.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

18.50%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Alkmaar: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Alkmaar

$1K 42.7% 54.6% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Alkmaar

$306 12.9% 28.8% $124

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Alkmaar

$390 16.4% 0.7% $2.7

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Alkmaar

$342 14.4% 2.1% $7.3

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Alkmaar

$78 3.3% 72.5% $207

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Alkmaar

$172 7.2% 16% $33

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Alkmaar

$75 3.2% 21% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,869 in London and $788 in Alkmaar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 52% 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 $90.0 in Alkmaar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $342 per month, with Alkmaar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇳🇱 Alkmaar

🕒 Local time

13:20 1:20 PM

14:20 2:20 PM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

111,834

💱 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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London Alkmaar 360 km

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London
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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

London vs Alkmaar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alkmaar wins on cost – living expenses run 68% lower than in London. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Alkmaar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 52% 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 $788 in Alkmaar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Alkmaar runs roughly 324% less than in London. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,864 in London versus $716 in Alkmaar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,379 in Alkmaar versus $3,986 in London, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alkmaar but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Alkmaar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Alkmaar delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,379 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Alkmaar hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, London and Alkmaar 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 Alkmaar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.