Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Dessau

For one person, living is cheaper in Dessau: $1,795 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $26,300 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
87

Cost of Living Index in Dessau
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Dessau Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Dessau

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,795

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Dessau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,986 in London versus $1,795 in Dessau.

London $3,986
Dessau $1,795

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,791 in London versus $2,880 in Dessau.

London $5,791
Dessau $2,880

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,595 in London versus $3,965 in Dessau.

London $7,595
Dessau $3,965

Living in London is roughly 122% more expensive than in Dessau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 195% above, Dessau 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$16.43 €14.61

57.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$83.7 €74.5

27.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$15.15 €13.47

-29.31%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$4.27 €3.80

28.10%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$2.84 €2.53

4.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$4.24 €3.77

-48.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$5.07 €4.51

80.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$5.45 €4.85

45.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.38 €1.23

34.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$2.05 €1.83

0.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$3.87 €3.44

-37.47%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$3.63 €3.23

40.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$10.07 €8.95

27.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$11.70 €10.40

-10.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$21.72 €19.32

-22.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$3.37 €3.00

-7.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$2.13 €1.90

-34.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$2.17 €1.93

41.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$3.63 €3.23

-9.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.25 €1.11

26.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.17 €1.04

48.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.62 €1.44

-13.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.23 €1.09

46.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$9.58 €8.53

143.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$6.73 €5.99

93.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$1.08 €0.96

193.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$1.66 €1.48

166.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$2.53 €2.25

60.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

$64.9 €57.7

280.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$5.10 €4.53

9.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$2.38 €2.12

41.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.57

$33.53 €29.83

69.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$1.92 €1.71

10.94%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$33.4K €29.7K

14.47%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$37.9K €33.7K

7.90%

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

$372 £279

$288 €256

29.20%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$25.96 €23.09

-31.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$50.8 €45.19

-20.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$71.1 €63.2

-15.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

$22.29 €19.83

-4.49%

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$11.95 €10.63

48.45%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$303 €269

846.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$73.1 €65.0

56.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$46.38 €41.25

17.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$132 €117

-5.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$171 €152

-4.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$445 €396

545.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$436 €388

411.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,950

$720 €641

630.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,834

$987 €878

282.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

$3,356 €2,985

446.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,019

$1,748 €1,555

359.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,778

$2,145 €1,908

134.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

3.95

20.00%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Dessau: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Dessau

$436 24.3% 80.5% $1.8K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Dessau

$365 20.3% 15.2% $66

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Dessau

$293 16.3% 24.5% $95

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Dessau

$324 18.1% 7.2% $25

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Dessau

$92 5.1% 67.8% $193

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Dessau

$190 10.6% 7.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Dessau

$95 5.3% 0.5% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,869 in London and $445 in Dessau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 135% 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 $84.0 in Dessau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $324 per month, with Dessau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇩🇪 Dessau

🕒 Local time

20:04 8:04 PM

21:04 9:04 PM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

68,116

💱 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Dessau 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

London
Dessau

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 Dessau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dessau is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. The 122% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 135% 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 $445 in Dessau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in London. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Dessau – a meal for two runs $84.0 versus $107 in London. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,795 in Dessau versus $3,986 in London, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Dessau but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Dessau the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Dessau is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in London, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, London and Dessau 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 Dessau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 122% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.