Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Amsterdam

For one person, living is cheaper in Amsterdam: $3,504 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
169

Cost of Living Index in Amsterdam
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Amsterdam Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Amsterdam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Amsterdam

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

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $3,504 in Amsterdam, rent included.

London $4,086
Amsterdam $3,504

A couple spends around $5,816 per month in London vs $5,010 in Amsterdam, rent included.

London $5,816
Amsterdam $5,010

A family of three spends $7,546 per month in London vs $6,516 in Amsterdam, rent included.

London $7,546
Amsterdam $6,516

London costs about 17% more than Amsterdam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Amsterdam sit above the global median – London by 205%, Amsterdam by 161%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.62 £20.11

$22.37 €19.96

19.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.3

$91.0 €81.2

18.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 £7.85

$15.36 €13.71

-32.36%

Cappuccino

$5.79 £4.38

$4.60 €4.11

25.87%

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

$3.01 £2.27

$3.74 €3.33

-19.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.63

$3.03 €2.70

-29.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.35 £7.06

$7.41 €6.62

26.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 £5.93

$5.68 €5.07

38.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.52 €1.36

17.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 £1.56

$2.38 €2.13

-13.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 £1.74

$2.54 €2.26

-9.06%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.82

$5.24 €4.68

-3.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 £9.50

$16.95 €15.13

-25.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 £8.05

$13.41 €11.97

-20.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 £12.94

$23.00 €20.53

-25.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$2.75 €2.45

10.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.07

$2.83 €2.52

-50.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.31

$2.63 €2.35

15.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.56

$3.87 €3.45

-12.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$2.39 €2.13

-30.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.31

$1.71 €1.53

1.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.07

$1.43 €1.28

-1.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.78 €1.59

0.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.22 £17.55

$14.48 €12.92

60.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 £9.82

$9.21 €8.22

41.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.40

$1.78 €1.59

78.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 £3.33

$2.53 €2.26

74.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 £2.93

$3.72 €3.32

4.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$250 £189

$116 €104

115.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 £4.31

$4.70 €4.19

21.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 £2.51

$3.40 €3.04

-2.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.9 £43.76

$38.74 €34.57

49.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.54

$2.61 €2.33

-21.84%

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

$37.5K £28.4K

$41.7K €37.2K

-9.90%

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

$40.9K £30.9K

$38.2K €34.1K

7.18%

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

$376 £284

$298 €266

26.27%

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

$17.88 £13.51

$22.98 €20.51

-22.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.01 £30.24

$53.0 €47.26

-24.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 £46.22

$60.4 €53.9

1.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 £15.93

$35.40 €31.59

-40.48%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.57

$16.86 €15.05

6.47%

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

$2,865 £2,165

$2,764 €2,466

3.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.7K

$17.1K €15.3K

106.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.7

$93.3 €83.2

24.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 £40.87

$41.20 €36.77

31.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 £95.7

$100 €89.3

26.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 £120

$133 €119

19.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,853 £2,156

$2,605 €2,325

9.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 £1,739

$1,927 €1,720

19.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,201 £3,931

$3,903 €3,483

33.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,723 £2,813

$3,115 €2,780

19.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.0K £14.4K

$10.3K €9,201

84.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,881 £5,955

$6,540 €5,836

20.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,818 £3,641

$4,524 €4,038

6.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

3.27

42.20%

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

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Last update for Amsterdam: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.5%

Amsterdam

$1.9K 55.8% 16.3% $374

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$434 10.7%

Amsterdam

$374 10.8% 13.9% $60

Eating Out

London

$397 9.7%

Amsterdam

$356 10.3% 10.3% $41

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.6%

Amsterdam

$388 11.2% 11% $38

Getting Around

London

$288 7.1%

Amsterdam

$153 4.4% 46.9% $135

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5%

Amsterdam

$165 4.8% 19.4% $40

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Amsterdam

$94 2.7% 3% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,853 in London versus $2,605 in Amsterdam. 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 6% 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 $91.0 in Amsterdam. Groceries tell a different story – $349 in London vs $388 in Amsterdam – so London wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇳🇱 Amsterdam

🕒 Local time

12:50 12:50 PM

13:50 1:50 PM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

881,933 Capital

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Amsterdam 360 km

From you

London
Amsterdam

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 Amsterdam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – London is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,129 per month in London and $5,255 in Amsterdam. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 115% less in Amsterdam. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,865 per month in London and $2,764 in Amsterdam. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,086 in London and $3,504 in Amsterdam. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Amsterdam – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Amsterdam. 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.