Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Essen

For one person, living is cheaper in Essen: $1,973 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $25,400 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
97

Cost of Living Index in Essen
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Essen Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Essen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,973

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Essen

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

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $1,973 in Essen, rent included.

London $4,086
Essen $1,973

A couple spends around $5,816 per month in London vs $3,106 in Essen, rent included.

London $5,816
Essen $3,106

A family of three spends $7,546 per month in London vs $4,239 in Essen, rent included.

London $7,546
Essen $4,239

London costs about 107% more than Essen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Essen sit above the global median – London by 205%, Essen by 47%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.62 £20.11

$19.82 €17.69

34.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.3

$86.1 €76.8

25.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 £7.85

$13.62 €12.15

-23.72%

Cappuccino

$5.79 £4.38

$3.90 €3.48

48.46%

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

$3.01 £2.27

$3.17 €2.83

-5.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.63

$2.64 €2.35

-18.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.35 £7.06

$6.10 €5.44

53.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 £5.93

$5.63 €5.02

39.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.23 €1.09

45.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 £1.56

$2.10 €1.88

-1.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 £1.74

$3.32 €2.96

-30.42%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.82

$3.80 €3.39

32.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 £9.50

$16.79 €14.98

-25.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 £8.05

$10.28 €9.18

3.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 £12.94

$24.58 €21.94

-30.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$3.34 €2.98

-9.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.07

$2.09 €1.87

-32.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.31

$2.16 €1.92

41.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.56

$3.93 €3.51

-13.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$1.36 €1.21

22.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.31

$1.25 €1.12

38.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.07

$1.54 €1.38

-8.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.17 €1.05

52.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.22 £17.55

$9.65 €8.61

140.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 £9.82

$5.53 €4.94

134.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.40

$1.09 €0.98

191.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 £3.33

$1.51 €1.35

192.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 £2.93

$4.07 €3.63

-4.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$250 £189

$65.5 €58.4

281.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 £4.31

$4.99 €4.46

14.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 £2.51

$3.46 €3.09

-3.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.9 £43.76

$39.97 €35.67

44.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.54

$2.20 €1.96

-7.27%

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

$37.5K £28.4K

$33.4K €29.8K

12.56%

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

$40.9K £30.9K

$38.9K €34.7K

5.19%

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

$376 £284

$389 €347

-3.22%

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

$17.88 £13.51

$38.24 €34.13

-53.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.01 £30.24

$41.91 €37.40

-4.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 £46.22

$41.22 €36.78

48.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 £15.93

$36.96 €32.98

-42.99%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.57

$15.36 €13.71

16.86%

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

$2,865 £2,165

$465 €415

516.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.7K

$9,333 €8,329

278.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.7

$94.4 €84.3

22.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 £40.87

$83.9 €74.8

-35.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 £95.7

$111 €99.5

13.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 £120

$159 €142

0.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,853 £2,156

$641 €572

345.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 £1,739

$487 €435

372.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,201 £3,931

$1,423 €1,270

265.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,723 £2,813

$950 €848

291.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.0K £14.4K

$4,666 €4,164

307.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,881 £5,955

$3,040 €2,713

159.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,818 £3,641

$3,050 €2,722

57.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

3.95

17.72%

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

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Last update for Essen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.5%

Essen

$487 24.5% 78.8% $1.8K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$434 10.7%

Essen

$469 23.6% 8% $35

Eating Out

London

$397 9.7%

Essen

$311 15.7% 21.5% $85

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.6%

Essen

$341 17.2% 2.3% $8.2

Getting Around

London

$288 7.1%

Essen

$104 5.2% 63.9% $184

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5%

Essen

$202 10.2% 1.6% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Essen

$72 3.6% 25.9% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,853 in London versus $641 in Essen. 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 58% 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 $108 in London versus $86.0 in Essen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $341 – making Essen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇩🇪 Essen

🕒 Local time

05:59 5:59 AM

06:59 6:59 AM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

569,884

💱 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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Between locations

London Essen 490 km

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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 Essen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,086 in London, $1,973 in Essen – roughly 107% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,129 per month in London and $2,959 in Essen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 282% less in Essen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,865 per month in London and $465 in Essen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Essen, where all-in costs run around $1,973, than in London at $4,086. In Essen 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 $1,973 in Essen to $4,086 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 Essen. 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.