Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Bielefeld

For one person, living is cheaper in Bielefeld: $1,976 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $25,300 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
96

Cost of Living Index in Bielefeld
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Bielefeld Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Bielefeld

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,976

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Bielefeld

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

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $1,976 in Bielefeld, rent included.

London $4,086
Bielefeld $1,976

A couple spends around $5,816 per month in London vs $3,009 in Bielefeld, rent included.

London $5,816
Bielefeld $3,009

A family of three spends $7,546 per month in London vs $4,042 in Bielefeld, rent included.

London $7,546
Bielefeld $4,042

London costs about 107% more than Bielefeld, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Bielefeld sit above the global median – London by 205%, Bielefeld by 47%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.62 £20.11

$13.45 €12.01

97.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.3

$83.7 €74.7

28.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 £7.85

$12.54 €11.19

-17.15%

Cappuccino

$5.79 £4.38

$3.86 €3.44

50.00%

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

$3.01 £2.27

$2.94 €2.62

2.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.63

$2.84 €2.54

-24.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.35 £7.06

$5.21 €4.65

79.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 £5.93

$5.18 €4.62

51.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.29 €1.15

38.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 £1.56

$2.20 €1.96

-6.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 £1.74

$3.96 €3.53

-41.67%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.82

$3.71 €3.31

36.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 £9.50

$14.75 €13.16

-14.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 £8.05

$11.38 €10.16

-6.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 £12.94

$23.35 €20.84

-26.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$3.34 €2.98

-9.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.07

$2.08 €1.86

-32.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.31

$2.06 €1.83

48.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.56

$5.25 €4.68

-35.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$1.34 €1.20

24.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.31

$1.29 €1.15

34.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.07

$1.58 €1.41

-10.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.02 €0.91

75.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.22 £17.55

$9.50 €8.47

144.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 £9.82

$6.26 €5.58

107.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.40

$1.05 €0.93

202.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 £3.33

$1.64 €1.47

168.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 £2.93

$3.45 €3.08

12.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$250 £189

$65.6 €58.6

281.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 £4.31

$5.23 €4.66

9.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 £2.51

$2.88 €2.57

15.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.9 £43.76

$36.66 €32.71

57.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.54

$2.10 €1.87

-2.86%

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

$37.5K £28.4K

$32.9K €29.4K

14.12%

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

$40.9K £30.9K

$37.7K €33.7K

8.41%

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

$376 £284

$300 €268

25.18%

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

$17.88 £13.51

$30.52 €27.24

-41.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.01 £30.24

$43.32 €38.66

-7.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 £46.22

$33.98 €30.32

79.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 £15.93

$38.27 €34.16

-44.94%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.57

$15.61 €13.93

14.99%

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

$2,865 £2,165

$409 €365

599.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.7K

$28.5K €25.4K

24.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.7

$92.0 €82.1

26.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 £40.87

$39.46 €35.21

37.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 £95.7

$86.8 €77.5

45.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 £120

$240 €214

-33.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,853 £2,156

$694 €619

311.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 £1,739

$632 €564

264.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,201 £3,931

$1,211 €1,080

329.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,723 £2,813

$1,158 €1,033

221.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.0K £14.4K

$4,593 €4,099

313.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,881 £5,955

$2,241 €2,000

251.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,818 £3,641

$2,852 €2,545

68.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

3.95

17.72%

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

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bielefeld: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.5%

Bielefeld

$632 32% 72.5% $1.7K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$434 10.7%

Bielefeld

$374 19% 13.8% $60

Eating Out

London

$397 9.7%

Bielefeld

$251 12.7% 36.7% $146

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.6%

Bielefeld

$347 17.6% 0.8% $2.7

Getting Around

London

$288 7.1%

Bielefeld

$99 5% 65.6% $189

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5%

Bielefeld

$206 10.4% 0.5% $1

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Bielefeld

$65 3.3% 32.8% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,853 in London versus $694 in Bielefeld. 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 69% 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 $84.0 in Bielefeld. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $347 – making Bielefeld the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇩🇪 Bielefeld

🕒 Local time

10:05 10:05 AM

11:05 11:05 AM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

328,012

💱 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 = 0.848 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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Between locations

London Bielefeld 600 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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 Bielefeld: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – London is pricier by about 107%, 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 $2,965 in Bielefeld. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 1% more in London, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in London and $84.0 in Bielefeld. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Bielefeld, where all-in costs run around $1,976, than in London at $4,086. In Bielefeld it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bielefeld – 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 Bielefeld. 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.