Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Genk

For one person, living is cheaper in Genk: $1,812 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $26,100 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
89

Cost of Living Index in Genk
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Genk Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Genk

🇧🇪 Belgium

$1,812

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Genk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,986 in London versus $1,812 in Genk.

London $3,986
Genk $1,812

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,791 in London versus $2,755 in Genk.

London $5,791
Genk $2,755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,595 in London versus $3,698 in Genk.

London $7,595
Genk $3,698

Living in London is roughly 120% more expensive than in Genk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 195% above, Genk 34% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$22.46 €19.98

15.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$88.3 €78.5

20.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$13.46 €11.97

-20.43%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$4.10 €3.65

33.41%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$2.52 €2.24

17.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$2.18 €1.94

0.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$4.52 €4.02

101.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$4.01 €3.56

98.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$0.94 €0.84

97.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$2.80 €2.49

-26.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$2.24 €1.99

8.04%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$3.73 €3.32

36.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$8.92 €7.93

44.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$7.31 €6.50

42.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$11.22 €9.98

50.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$2.42 €2.16

28.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$2.35 €2.09

-40.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$2.61 €2.32

18.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$2.89 €2.57

13.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$2.43 €2.16

-34.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.86 €1.66

-6.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.52 €1.35

-7.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.02 €0.90

76.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$12.92 €11.49

80.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$7.11 €6.32

83.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$1.70 €1.51

86.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$1.10 €0.98

301.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$3.27 €2.90

24.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

$55.6 €49.48

343.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$5.70 €5.07

-2.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$2.72 €2.42

23.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.57

$25.50 €22.68

122.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$1.90 €1.69

12.11%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$21.9K €19.5K

74.43%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$27.7K €24.7K

47.40%

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

$372 £279

$167 €148

123.30%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$20.09 €17.87

-11.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$41.01 €36.48

-1.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$37.87 €33.68

58.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

$19.49 €17.34

9.24%

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$14.91 €13.26

18.98%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$278 €248

928.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$33.1K €29.4K

6.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$110 €97.8

3.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$46.74 €41.57

16.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$76.9 €68.4

61.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$104 €92.8

56.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$947 €842

202.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$695 €618

221.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,950

$1,281 €1,139

311.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,834

$1,069 €951

253.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

$4,137 €3,680

343.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,019

$2,877 €2,559

178.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,778

$2,276 €2,024

121.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

3.46

36.99%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Genk: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Genk

$695 38.3% 68.9% $1.5K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Genk

$228 12.6% 47.1% $203

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Genk

$319 17.6% 17.7% $69

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Genk

$263 14.5% 24.6% $86

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Genk

$88 4.9% 69.2% $197

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Genk

$152 8.4% 25.8% $53

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Genk

$68 3.7% 29.1% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,869 in London and $947 in Genk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 121% 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 $88.0 in Genk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $263 per month, with Genk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇧🇪 Genk

🕒 Local time

02:07 2:07 AM

03:07 3:07 AM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

65,321

💱 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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Between locations

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London
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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 Genk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Genk is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. The 120% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 121% 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 $947 in Genk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in London. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Genk – a meal for two runs $88.0 versus $107 in London. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,812 in Genk versus $3,986 in London, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Genk but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Genk the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Genk 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 Genk 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 Genk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 120% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.