Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Bochum

For one person, living is cheaper in Bochum: $1,806 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $26,200 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
88

Cost of Living Index in Bochum
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Bochum Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Bochum

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Bochum

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

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $1,806 in Bochum, rent included.

London $3,986
Bochum $1,806

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $2,869 in Bochum, rent included.

London $5,791
Bochum $2,869

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $3,933 in Bochum, rent included.

London $7,595
Bochum $3,933

London costs about 121% more than Bochum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Bochum sit above the global median – London by 195%, Bochum by 34%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.54

$16.55 €14.76

56.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £80.3

$79.2 €70.6

34.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.07

$12.43 €11.08

-13.84%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.13

$4.16 €3.71

31.49%

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

$2.97 £2.24

$3.17 €2.83

-6.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.66

$3.00 €2.67

-26.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.88

$5.73 €5.11

59.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.98

$5.15 €4.60

54.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.21 €1.08

53.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.56

$2.36 €2.11

-12.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.82

$3.65 €3.26

-33.70%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.83

$3.67 €3.27

38.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.70

$14.61 €13.02

-11.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.86

$12.42 €11.07

-16.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.71

$23.25 €20.73

-27.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.34

$3.31 €2.95

-6.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.06

$2.02 €1.80

-30.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.32

$2.13 €1.90

44.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.46

$4.02 €3.58

-18.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.33 €1.18

18.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.22 €1.09

42.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.06

$1.55 €1.38

-9.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.08 €0.97

66.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.54

$9.67 €8.62

140.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.82

$6.54 €5.83

99.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.39

$0.91 €0.81

248.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.33

$1.63 €1.45

171.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.07

$3.80 €3.39

7.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £186

$65.0 €58.0

279.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.20

$5.55 €4.95

0.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.53

$2.72 €2.43

23.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.76

$34.12 €30.42

66.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.61

$2.06 €1.84

3.40%

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

$38.2K £28.8K

$32.2K €28.7K

18.55%

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

$40.9K £30.8K

$38.5K €34.4K

6.14%

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

$372 £280

$324 €289

14.71%

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

$17.82 £13.42

$30.22 €26.95

-41.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.42

$36.16 €32.24

11.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £45.19

$30.24 €26.96

98.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £16.04

$26.57 €23.69

-19.87%

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.37

$16.45 €14.67

7.84%

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

$2,864 £2,158

$400 €357

615.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.6K

$21.9K €19.5K

61.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.9

$89.1 €79.4

28.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.89

$41.59 €37.09

30.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.6

$95.7 €85.4

29.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £123

$134 €120

21.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,162

$805 €717

256.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,683

$463 €412

382.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,968

$1,290 €1,151

308.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,847

$1,014 €904

272.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

$3,951 €3,523

363.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,046

$4,240 €3,781

89.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,795

$2,674 €2,385

88.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

3.83

23.76%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bochum: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Bochum

$463 25.6% 79.3% $1.8K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Bochum

$391 21.6% 9.2% $40

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Bochum

$283 15.7% 26.9% $104

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Bochum

$345 19.1% 1.4% $5

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Bochum

$99 5.5% 65.2% $186

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Bochum

$162 9% 20.8% $43

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Bochum

$63 3.5% 33.9% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,869 in London versus $805 in Bochum. 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 88% 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 $107 in London versus $79.0 in Bochum. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $345 – making Bochum the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇩🇪 Bochum

🕒 Local time

08:27 8:27 AM

09:27 9:27 AM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

371,075

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 0.754 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.845 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 16, 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 Bochum 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

London
Bochum

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 Bochum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,986 in London, $1,806 in Bochum – roughly 121% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $2,709 in Bochum. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London and $79.0 in Bochum. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,986 in London and $1,806 in Bochum. That's a gap of about 121%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Bochum, where all-in costs run around $1,806, than in London at $3,986. In Bochum it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,806 in Bochum to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Bochum. 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.