Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Haarlem

For one person, living is cheaper in Haarlem: $3,171 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 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
154

Cost of Living Index in Haarlem
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Haarlem Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Haarlem

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,171

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Haarlem

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

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $3,171 in Haarlem, rent included.

London $4,086
Haarlem $3,171

A couple spends around $5,816 per month in London vs $4,482 in Haarlem, rent included.

London $5,816
Haarlem $4,482

A family of three spends $7,546 per month in London vs $5,792 in Haarlem, rent included.

London $7,546
Haarlem $5,792

London costs about 29% more than Haarlem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Haarlem sit above the global median – London by 205%, Haarlem by 137%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.62 £20.11

$28.72 €25.63

-7.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.3

$99.5 €88.8

8.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 £7.85

$13.62 €12.15

-23.72%

Cappuccino

$5.79 £4.38

$4.31 €3.85

34.34%

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

$3.01 £2.27

$4.05 €3.61

-25.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.63

$3.28 €2.93

-34.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.35 £7.06

$8.07 €7.20

15.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 £5.93

$5.77 €5.15

35.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.47 €1.31

21.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 £1.56

$2.76 €2.47

-25.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 £1.74

$2.63 €2.35

-12.17%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.82

$4.92 €4.39

2.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 £9.50

$13.60 €12.14

-7.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 £8.05

$13.01 €11.61

-18.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 £12.94

$21.70 €19.37

-21.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$2.89 €2.58

4.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.07

$2.53 €2.25

-44.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.31

$1.83 €1.63

66.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.56

$5.15 €4.59

-34.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$1.83 €1.64

-8.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.31

$2.23 €1.99

-22.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.07

$1.23 €1.10

14.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.00 €0.89

79.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.22 £17.55

$13.77 €12.29

68.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 £9.82

$7.77 €6.93

67.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.40

$1.56 €1.39

103.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 £3.33

$2.48 €2.21

77.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 £2.93

$2.89 €2.57

33.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$250 £189

$80.8 €72.1

209.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 £4.31

$6.47 €5.78

-11.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 £2.51

$2.54 €2.27

31.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.9 £43.76

$26.21 €23.39

120.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.54

$2.46 €2.19

-17.07%

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

$37.5K £28.4K

$40.9K €36.5K

-8.23%

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

$40.9K £30.9K

$39.4K €35.1K

3.92%

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

$376 £284

$251 €224

49.56%

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

$17.88 £13.51

$23.91 €21.34

-25.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.01 £30.24

$59.8 €53.3

-33.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 £46.22

$57.4 €51.2

6.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 £15.93

$28.49 €25.42

-26.04%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.57

$16.36 €14.60

9.72%

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

$2,865 £2,165

$2,638 €2,354

8.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.7K

$6,600 €5,890

435.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.7

$85.0 €75.9

36.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 £40.87

$62.2 €55.5

-13.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 £95.7

$97.1 €86.7

30.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 £120

$147 €131

8.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,853 £2,156

$1,980 €1,767

44.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 £1,739

$1,675 €1,495

37.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,201 £3,931

$2,884 €2,573

80.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,723 £2,813

$2,356 €2,103

57.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.0K £14.4K

$7,735 €6,902

145.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,881 £5,955

$5,735 €5,118

37.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,818 £3,641

$4,202 €3,749

14.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

3.8

22.37%

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

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Last update for Haarlem: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.5%

Haarlem

$1.7K 53.1% 27.2% $627

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$434 10.7%

Haarlem

$335 10.6% 22.8% $99

Eating Out

London

$397 9.7%

Haarlem

$404 12.8% 1.7% $6.8

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.6%

Haarlem

$361 11.5% 3.4% $12

Getting Around

London

$288 7.1%

Haarlem

$112 3.5% 61.3% $176

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5%

Haarlem

$176 5.6% 14.1% $29

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Haarlem

$90 2.9% 7.2% $7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,853 in London versus $1,980 in Haarlem. 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 15% 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 $99.0 in Haarlem. Groceries tell a different story – $349 in London vs $361 in Haarlem – so London wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇳🇱 Haarlem

🕒 Local time

07:05 7:05 AM

08:05 8:05 AM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

165,396

💱 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 Haarlem 340 km

From you

London
Haarlem

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 Haarlem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

London costs about 29% more than Haarlem, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,129 per month in London and $4,757 in Haarlem. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Haarlem, 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 $108 in London and $99.0 in Haarlem. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,086 in London and $3,171 in Haarlem. That's a gap of about 29%.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,086 in London and $3,171 in Haarlem. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Haarlem costs $3,171 versus $4,086 in London. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Haarlem. 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.