Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Dusseldorf

For one person, living is cheaper in Dusseldorf: $2,318 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $21,200 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
112

Cost of Living Index in Dusseldorf
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Dusseldorf Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Dusseldorf

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,318

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Dusseldorf

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,086 in London versus $2,318 in Dusseldorf.

London $4,086
Dusseldorf $2,318

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,816 in London versus $3,503 in Dusseldorf.

London $5,816
Dusseldorf $3,503

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,546 in London versus $4,688 in Dusseldorf.

London $7,546
Dusseldorf $4,688

Living in London is roughly 76% more expensive than in Dusseldorf, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 205% above, Dusseldorf 73% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.62 £20.11

$16.75 €14.95

58.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.3

$72.2 €64.5

48.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 £7.85

$13.50 €12.05

-23.04%

Cappuccino

$5.79 £4.38

$4.30 €3.84

34.65%

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

$3.01 £2.27

$3.13 €2.79

-3.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.63

$3.03 €2.70

-29.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.35 £7.06

$5.20 €4.64

79.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 £5.93

$4.59 €4.09

70.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.38 €1.23

29.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 £1.56

$2.51 €2.24

-17.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 £1.74

$2.85 €2.55

-18.95%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.82

$4.17 €3.72

21.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 £9.50

$15.11 €13.48

-16.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 £8.05

$12.73 €11.36

-16.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 £12.94

$22.77 €20.32

-24.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$3.13 €2.79

-3.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.07

$2.28 €2.04

-38.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.31

$2.19 €1.95

39.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.56

$4.17 €3.72

-18.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$1.23 €1.10

35.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.31

$1.16 €1.04

49.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.07

$1.65 €1.48

-14.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.22 €1.09

46.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.22 £17.55

$9.58 €8.55

142.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 £9.82

$6.69 €5.97

94.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.40

$1.11 €0.99

186.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 £3.33

$1.79 €1.60

146.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 £2.93

$4.26 €3.80

-9.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$250 £189

$69.7 €62.2

258.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 £4.31

$5.55 €4.95

2.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 £2.51

$3.01 €2.68

10.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.9 £43.76

$48.93 €43.66

18.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.54

$2.33 €2.08

-12.45%

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

$37.5K £28.4K

$32.8K €29.2K

14.57%

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

$40.9K £30.9K

$39.0K €34.8K

4.80%

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

$376 £284

$342 €305

9.94%

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

$17.88 £13.51

$19.49 €17.39

-8.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.01 £30.24

$41.91 €37.40

-4.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 £46.22

$43.39 €38.72

40.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 £15.93

$35.61 €31.77

-40.83%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.57

$16.44 €14.67

9.18%

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

$2,865 £2,165

$1,070 €955

167.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.7K

$20.3K €18.1K

74.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.7

$101 €90.1

14.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 £40.87

$41.08 €36.66

31.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 £95.7

$114 €102

11.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 £120

$168 €150

-5.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,853 £2,156

$1,063 €948

168.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 £1,739

$904 €807

154.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,201 £3,931

$2,382 €2,126

118.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,723 £2,813

$1,637 €1,461

127.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.0K £14.4K

$9,028 €8,056

110.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,881 £5,955

$4,922 €4,393

60.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,818 £3,641

$3,735 €3,333

28.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

3.91

18.93%

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

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Last update for Dusseldorf: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.5%

Dusseldorf

$904 39% 60.7% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$434 10.7%

Dusseldorf

$403 17.4% 7% $31

Eating Out

London

$397 9.7%

Dusseldorf

$286 12.3% 27.9% $111

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.6%

Dusseldorf

$353 15.2% 1% $3.6

Getting Around

London

$288 7.1%

Dusseldorf

$107 4.6% 62.7% $181

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5%

Dusseldorf

$191 8.2% 7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Dusseldorf

$76 3.3% 21.4% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,853 in London and $1,063 in Dusseldorf. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 29% 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: $108 in London vs $72.0 in Dusseldorf. Groceries flip the comparison at $349 vs $353, with London cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇩🇪 Dusseldorf

🕒 Local time

08:44 8:44 AM

09:44 9:44 AM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

618,128

💱 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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London Dusseldorf 480 km

From you

London
Dusseldorf

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 Dusseldorf: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dusseldorf is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and clothing. The 76% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 29% 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: $2,853 in London versus $1,063 in Dusseldorf. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Dusseldorf – a meal for two runs $72.0 versus $108 in London. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $4,086 per month in London versus $2,318 in Dusseldorf – a 76% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,318 in Dusseldorf versus $4,086 in London, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Dusseldorf but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Dusseldorf the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Dusseldorf 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 Dusseldorf 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 Dusseldorf gentler on the wallet – expenses run 76% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.