Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Emmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Emmen: $1,881 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $25,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

194

Cost of Living Index in London
Learn more

London Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Emmen
Learn more

Emmen Living Index

Jump to prices

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Emmen

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$1,881

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Emmen

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

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $1,881 in Emmen, rent included.

London $3,986
Emmen $1,881

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $2,894 in Emmen, rent included.

London $5,791
Emmen $2,894

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $3,906 in Emmen, rent included.

London $7,595
Emmen $3,906

London costs about 112% more than Emmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Emmen sit above the global median – London by 195%, Emmen by 39%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$21.79 €19.38

19.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$81.4 €72.4

30.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$13.61 €12.10

-21.31%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$3.36 €2.99

62.80%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$3.33 €2.96

-10.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$3.42 €3.04

-35.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$5.45 €4.85

67.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$4.42 €3.94

79.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.08 €0.96

72.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$2.27 €2.02

-8.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$2.64 €2.35

-8.33%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$4.34 €3.86

17.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$12.25 €10.90

5.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$12.78 €11.37

-18.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$16.94 €15.07

-0.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$2.68 €2.38

16.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$2.43 €2.16

-42.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$1.80 €1.60

71.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$3.18 €2.83

2.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.77 €1.58

-10.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.80 €1.60

-3.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.18 €1.05

18.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.76 €0.68

136.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$12.30 €10.94

89.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$6.59 €5.86

97.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$1.30 €1.16

143.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$2.59 €2.31

70.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$2.24 €2.00

81.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$8.29 €7.38

-32.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$1.99 €1.77

68.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$22.49 €20.01

152.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$2.41 €2.14

-11.62%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$42.0K €37.3K

-8.98%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$38.6K €34.3K

6.09%

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

$372 £279

$166 €148

123.69%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$18.72 €16.65

-4.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$56.6 €50.3

-28.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$41.53 €36.94

44.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

$21.99 €19.56

-3.18%

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$13.65 €12.15

29.96%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$2,474 €2,201

15.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$7,960 €7,081

343.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$76.8 €68.3

48.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$39.25 €34.92

38.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$90.7 €80.7

37.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$100 €89.0

62.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$890 €792

222.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$775 €689

188.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,951

$1,702 €1,514

209.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,835

$1,330 €1,183

183.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,020

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,779

$2,768 €2,462

81.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

3.65

29.86%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Emmen: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Emmen

$775 41.2% 65.3% $1.5K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Emmen

$242 12.9% 43.8% $189

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Emmen

$319 16.9% 17.8% $69

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Emmen

$312 16.6% 10.8% $38

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Emmen

$27 * 1.5% 90.5% $258

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Emmen

$138 7.3% 32.7% $67

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Emmen

$69 3.7% 27.9% $27

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,869 in London versus $890 in Emmen. 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 82% 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 $81.0 in Emmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $312 – making Emmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇳🇱 Emmen

🕒 Local time

08:39 8:39 AM

09:39 9:39 AM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

108,765

💱 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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Emmen 500 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

London
Emmen

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 Emmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,986 in London, $1,881 in Emmen – roughly 112% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $2,821 in Emmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Emmen, 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 $81.0 in Emmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% 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 $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Emmen, where all-in costs run around $1,881, than in London at $3,986. In Emmen 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 $1,881 in Emmen 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 Emmen. 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.