Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Hamm

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamm: $1,481 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $30,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,986
/mo nomad
Hamm
🇩🇪 Germany
$1,481
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Hamm

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,986 in London versus $1,481 in Hamm.

  • London $3,986
  • Hamm $1,481

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,791 in London versus $2,219 in Hamm.

  • London $5,791
  • Hamm $2,219

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,595 in London versus $2,957 in Hamm.

  • London $7,595
  • Hamm $2,957

Living in London is roughly 169% more expensive than in Hamm, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 195% above, Hamm 10% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
London
Hamm
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$25.93 £19.45
$13.40 €11.92
93.51%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$107 £79.9
$66.0 €58.7
61.46%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.71 £8.03
$18.02 €16.03
-40.57%
Cappuccino
$5.47 £4.11
$4.49 €4.00
21.83%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 £2.23
$2.83 €2.51
4.95%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.20 £1.65
$2.38 €2.11
-7.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.13 £6.85
$2.77 €2.46
229.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.94 £5.96
$3.84 €3.41
106.77%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
Hamm
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.86 £1.40
$1.24 €1.10
50.00%
White Bread (500g)
$2.07 £1.55
$2.10 €1.87
-1.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.42 £1.81
$3.92 €3.48
-38.27%
Eggs
$5.09 £3.82
$3.41 €3.03
49.27%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.87 £9.66
$14.30 €12.72
-10.00%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.43 £7.82
$10.69 €9.50
-2.43%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.87 £12.66
$25.33 €22.53
-33.40%
Apples (1kg)
$3.11 £2.33
$3.43 €3.05
-9.33%
Banana (1kg)
$1.40 £1.05
$2.24 €1.99
-37.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.08 £2.31
$2.38 €2.12
29.41%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.27 £2.45
$4.26 €3.79
-23.24%
Potato (1kg)
$1.58 £1.19
$1.48 €1.32
6.76%
Onion (1kg)
$1.74 £1.31
$1.16 €1.03
50.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.40 £1.05
$1.73 €1.54
-19.08%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.80 £1.35
$1.00 €0.89
80.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.28 £17.46
$9.17 €8.16
153.87%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.03 £9.77
$6.82 €6.07
91.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.17 £2.38
$1.11 €0.98
185.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 £3.32
$1.33 €1.18
232.33%
🚌 Getting Around
London
Hamm
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.07 £3.05
$3.05 €2.72
33.44%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$247 £185
$60.8 €54.1
306.12%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.58 £4.18
$5.11 €4.55
9.20%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.36 £2.52
$2.29 €2.04
46.72%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$56.8 £42.58
$33.12 €29.46
71.35%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.13 £1.60
$2.08 €1.85
2.40%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.2K £28.6K
$32.4K €28.8K
17.85%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.9K £30.7K
$38.5K €34.3K
6.11%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
Hamm
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$372 £279
$468 €416
-20.43%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.82 £13.37
$25.27 €22.48
-29.48%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.37 £30.29
$40.90 €36.38
-1.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
Hamm
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.0 £44.99
$27.40 €24.38
118.87%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.29 £15.97
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$17.74 £13.31
$13.51 €12.02
31.31%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
Hamm
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,864 £2,149
$164 €146
1645.72%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$35.3K £26.5K
$25.3K €22.5K
39.87%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
Hamm
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$114 £85.5
$95.2 €84.7
19.72%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.3 £40.71
$49.25 €43.81
10.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$124 £93.2
$110 €97.4
13.46%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$163 £122
$195 €174
-16.41%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
Hamm
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,869 £2,152
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,233 £1,675
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,266 £3,951
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,778 £2,835
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$18.3K £13.8K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,024 £6,020
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
Hamm
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,037 £3,779
$2,045 €1,819
146.33%
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 Hamm: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
London
$2.2K
Hamm
- * 100%
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
$430
Hamm
$534 24.1% $104
Eating Out
London
$388
Hamm
$258 33.5% $130
Groceries & Markets
London
$349
Hamm
$344 1.6% $5.6
Getting Around
London
$285
Hamm
$90 68.6% $196
Clothing & Footwear
London
$205
Hamm
$202 1.4% $3
Sport & Entertainment
London
$95
Hamm
$54 43% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

London pays 146% 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 $66.0 in Hamm for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $344 per month, with Hamm cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇧 London
🇩🇪 Hamm
🕒 Local time
14:07 2:07 PM
15:07 3:07 PM
1 h ahead of London
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,908,083 Capital
180,000
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • London Hamm 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • London
  • Hamm

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 Hamm: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in London and in Hamm?
London and Hamm differ by about 169% in total monthly costs ($3,986 vs $1,481 including rent). Hamm is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: London or Hamm?
Average pay runs 146% higher in London, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the difference in childcare costs between London and Hamm?
Childcare runs $2,864 in London versus $164 in Hamm. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in London. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,481 in Hamm versus $3,986 in London, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Hamm but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Hamm the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between London and Hamm?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Is London or Hamm safer for residents?
Safety-wise, London and Hamm are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: London or Hamm?
Expats usually find Hamm gentler on the wallet – expenses run 169% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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