Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Giessen

For one person, living is cheaper in Giessen: $2,261 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $20,700 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
110

Cost of Living Index in Giessen
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Giessen Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Giessen

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,261

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Giessen

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

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $2,261 in Giessen, rent included.

London $3,986
Giessen $2,261

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $3,142 in Giessen, rent included.

London $5,791
Giessen $3,142

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $4,024 in Giessen, rent included.

London $7,595
Giessen $4,024

London costs about 76% more than Giessen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Giessen sit above the global median – London by 195%, Giessen by 67%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$21.47 €19.10

20.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$65.7 €58.4

62.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$13.65 €12.14

-21.54%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$3.82 €3.40

43.19%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$2.43 €2.16

22.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$1.98 €1.76

11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$4.85 €4.31

88.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$5.60 €4.98

41.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.31 €1.16

41.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$2.16 €1.92

-4.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$3.66 €3.25

-33.88%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$3.77 €3.35

35.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$14.13 €12.57

-8.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$10.62 €9.45

-1.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$18.56 €16.51

-9.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$2.89 €2.57

7.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.72 €1.53

-18.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$2.17 €1.93

41.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$4.10 €3.64

-20.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.14 €1.02

38.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.13 €1.01

53.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.51 €1.34

-7.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.23 €1.10

46.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$9.98 €8.87

133.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$5.66 €5.03

130.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$1.02 €0.91

210.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$1.50 €1.34

194.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$3.94 €3.51

3.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

$67.5 €60.1

265.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$5.42 €4.82

2.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$2.25 €2.00

49.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.57

$38.00 €33.80

49.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$1.99 €1.77

7.04%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$30.2K €26.9K

26.32%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$37.3K €33.2K

9.62%

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

$372 £279

$340 €302

9.60%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$32.63 €29.02

-45.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$51.7 €46.01

-21.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$39.04 €34.73

53.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$10.40 €9.25

70.58%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$1,083 €964

164.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$44.0K €39.1K

-19.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$45.18 €40.19

152.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$22.68 €20.17

139.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$113 €100

10.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$146 €130

11.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$717 €638

299.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$903 €803

147.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,950

$1,470 €1,307

258.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,834

$1,206 €1,072

213.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

$5,593 €4,975

227.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,019

$2,817 €2,506

184.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,778

$2,737 €2,435

84.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

3.96

19.70%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Giessen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Giessen

$903 39.9% 59.6% $1.3K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Giessen

$424 18.8% 1.5% $6.4

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Giessen

$312 13.8% 19.6% $76

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Giessen

$315 14% 9.7% $34

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Giessen

$100 4.4% 65% $185

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Giessen

$147 6.5% 28.3% $58

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Giessen

$60 2.7% 37.3% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,869 in London versus $717 in Giessen. 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 84% 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 $66.0 in Giessen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $315 – making Giessen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇩🇪 Giessen

🕒 Local time

21:27 9:27 PM

22:27 10:27 PM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

89,179

💱 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

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Between locations

London Giessen 620 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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 Giessen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,986 in London, $2,261 in Giessen – roughly 76% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $3,391 in Giessen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Giessen, 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 $66.0 in Giessen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,986 in London and $2,261 in Giessen. That's a gap of about 76%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Giessen, where all-in costs run around $2,261, than in London at $3,986. In Giessen 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 $2,261 in Giessen 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 Giessen. 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.