Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Best

For one person, living is cheaper in Best: $2,217 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $22,400 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
107

Cost of Living Index in Best
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Best Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Best

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,217

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Best

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

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $2,217 in Best, rent included.

London $4,086
Best $2,217

A couple spends around $5,816 per month in London vs $3,095 in Best, rent included.

London $5,816
Best $3,095

A family of three spends $7,546 per month in London vs $3,973 in Best, rent included.

London $7,546
Best $3,973

London costs about 84% more than Best, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Best sit above the global median – London by 205%, Best by 65%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.62 £20.11

$22.31 €19.91

19.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.3

$86.5 €77.2

24.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 £7.85

$12.25 €10.94

-15.18%

Cappuccino

$5.79 £4.38

$3.65 €3.26

58.63%

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

$3.01 £2.27

$3.26 €2.91

-7.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.63

$2.48 €2.21

-13.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.35 £7.06

$5.77 €5.15

62.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 £5.93

$4.90 €4.37

60.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.13 €1.01

58.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 £1.56

$1.89 €1.69

8.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 £1.74

$2.22 €1.98

4.05%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.82

$3.12 €2.79

61.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 £9.50

$11.28 €10.07

11.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 £8.05

$11.49 €10.26

-7.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 £12.94

$14.84 €13.24

15.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$2.01 €1.80

50.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.07

$1.60 €1.43

-11.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.31

$1.73 €1.54

76.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.56

$4.95 €4.41

-31.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$1.17 €1.04

42.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.31

$1.19 €1.06

45.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.07

$1.11 €0.99

27.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.35

$0.71 €0.63

152.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.22 £17.55

$11.21 €10.01

107.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 £9.82

$5.55 €4.95

134.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.40

$1.51 €1.34

110.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 £3.33

$2.50 €2.23

76.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 £2.93

$2.48 €2.22

56.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$250 £189

$70.9 €63.3

252.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 £4.31

$3.94 €3.52

44.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 £2.51

$2.89 €2.57

15.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.9 £43.76

$29.72 €26.52

94.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.54

$2.35 €2.09

-13.19%

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

$37.5K £28.4K

$25.6K €22.9K

46.44%

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

$40.9K £30.9K

$34.0K €30.3K

20.35%

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

$376 £284

$185 €165

103.19%

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

$17.88 £13.51

$14.56 €12.99

22.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.01 £30.24

$37.61 €33.56

6.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 £46.22

$40.32 €35.98

51.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 £15.93

$25.33 €22.60

-16.82%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.57

$13.97 €12.47

28.49%

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

$2,865 £2,165

$1,298 €1,158

120.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.7K

$5,115 €4,564

591.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.7

$51.7 €46.13

124.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 £40.87

$32.89 €29.35

64.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 £95.7

$74.5 €66.5

69.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 £120

$57.9 €51.7

175.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,853 £2,156

$1,544 €1,378

84.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 £1,739

$1,100 €982

109.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,201 £3,931

$1,975 €1,763

163.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,723 £2,813

$1,352 €1,206

175.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.0K £14.4K

$5,221 €4,659

264.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,881 £5,955

$4,354 €3,886

80.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,818 £3,641

$4,077 €3,639

18.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

3.54

31.36%

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

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Last update for Best: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.5%

Best

$1.1K 49.9% 52.2% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$434 10.7%

Best

$237 10.8% 45.3% $197

Eating Out

London

$397 9.7%

Best

$321 14.6% 19.2% $76

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.6%

Best

$281 12.8% 19.5% $68

Getting Around

London

$288 7.1%

Best

$99 4.5% 65.5% $189

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5%

Best

$98 4.4% 52.4% $108

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Best

$68 3.1% 29.7% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,853 in London versus $1,544 in Best. 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 18% 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 $86.0 in Best. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $281 – making Best the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇳🇱 Best

🕒 Local time

15:11 3:11 PM

16:11 4:11 PM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

29,988

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

London Best 380 km

From you

London
Best

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 Best: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – London is pricier by about 84%, 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 $3,325 in Best. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,086 in London and $2,217 in Best. That's a gap of about 84%.

Public transport costs about 253% less in Best. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Best, where all-in costs run around $2,217, than in London at $4,086. In Best it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Best – 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 Best. 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.