Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Drachten

For one person, living is cheaper in Drachten: $2,483 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 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
122

Cost of Living Index in Drachten
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Drachten Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Drachten

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,483

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Drachten

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,986 in London versus $2,483 in Drachten.

London $3,986
Drachten $2,483

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,791 in London versus $3,657 in Drachten.

London $5,791
Drachten $3,657

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,595 in London versus $4,831 in Drachten.

London $7,595
Drachten $4,831

Living in London is roughly 61% more expensive than in Drachten, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 195% above, Drachten 84% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$24.26 €21.58

6.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$84.3 €75.0

26.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$13.55 €12.05

-20.96%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$3.98 €3.54

37.44%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$3.62 €3.22

-17.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$3.10 €2.75

-29.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$5.74 €5.11

59.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$5.68 €5.05

39.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.16 €1.03

60.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.34 €1.19

54.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$1.59 €1.41

52.20%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$5.00 €4.45

1.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$12.45 €11.07

3.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$13.26 €11.80

-21.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$12.08 €10.74

39.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$1.86 €1.66

67.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$2.49 €2.22

-43.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$1.89 €1.68

62.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$3.14 €2.79

4.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.64 €1.45

-3.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.58 €1.41

10.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.28 €1.14

9.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.65 €0.57

176.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$8.96 €7.97

159.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$6.86 €6.10

89.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$1.47 €1.31

115.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$2.65 €2.35

66.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$3.38 €3.00

20.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

$90.0 €80.1

174.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$4.19 €3.73

33.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$3.05 €2.71

10.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$49.31 €43.86

15.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$2.27 €2.01

-6.17%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$41.5K €36.9K

-8.05%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$37.3K €33.2K

9.71%

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

$372 £279

$276 €246

34.69%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$24.01 €21.35

-25.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$49.46 €44.00

-18.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$41.09 €36.55

45.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

$22.13 €19.68

-3.80%

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$16.02 €14.25

10.74%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$2,305 €2,050

24.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$7,889 €7,018

347.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$59.0 €52.5

93.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$44.14 €39.26

22.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$87.4 €77.7

42.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$136 €121

20.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$1,430 €1,272

100.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$1,155 €1,027

93.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,951

$2,384 €2,120

120.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,835

$1,900 €1,690

98.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

$5,428 €4,829

237.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,020

$4,379 €3,895

83.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,779

$2,515 €2,237

100.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

4.3

10.23%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Drachten: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Drachten

$1.2K 46.5% 48.3% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Drachten

$350 14.1% 18.7% $81

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Drachten

$349 14.1% 9.8% $38

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Drachten

$286 11.5% 18.1% $63

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Drachten

$123 5% 56.9% $162

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Drachten

$147 5.9% 28.4% $58

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Drachten

$73 3% 23.4% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,869 in London and $1,430 in Drachten. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 100% 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 Drachten for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $286 per month, with Drachten cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇳🇱 Drachten

🕒 Local time

03:58 3:58 AM

04:58 4:58 AM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

45,186

💱 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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London Drachten 460 km

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London
Drachten

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 Drachten: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Drachten is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. The 61% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 100% 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 $1,430 in Drachten. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,864 in London versus $2,305 in Drachten. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in London. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,483 in Drachten versus $3,986 in London, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Drachten but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Drachten the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Drachten 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 Drachten 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 Drachten gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.