Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Heerlen

For one person, living is cheaper in Heerlen: $2,263 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 Heerlen
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Heerlen Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Heerlen

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,263

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Heerlen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,986 in London versus $2,263 in Heerlen.

London $3,986
Heerlen $2,263

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,791 in London versus $3,443 in Heerlen.

London $5,791
Heerlen $3,443

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,595 in London versus $4,623 in Heerlen.

London $7,595
Heerlen $4,623

Living in London is roughly 76% more expensive than in Heerlen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 195% above, Heerlen 68% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$23.62 €21.01

9.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$96.7 €86.0

10.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$18.89 €16.81

-43.30%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$3.89 €3.46

40.62%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$3.30 €2.94

-10.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$2.26 €2.01

-2.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$6.24 €5.55

46.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$5.59 €4.97

42.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.33 €1.19

39.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$2.36 €2.10

-12.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$2.59 €2.31

-6.56%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$4.32 €3.84

17.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$11.52 €10.25

11.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$13.77 €12.25

-24.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$17.78 €15.81

-5.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$2.39 €2.12

30.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$2.39 €2.12

-41.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$2.10 €1.87

46.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$4.31 €3.83

-24.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.84 €1.64

-14.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$2.13 €1.89

-18.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.31 €1.17

6.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.79 €0.71

127.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$14.17 €12.61

64.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$7.12 €6.34

83.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$1.41 €1.25

124.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$2.64 €2.35

67.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$3.70 €3.29

10.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

$58.9 €52.4

318.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$6.22 €5.53

-10.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$1.64 €1.46

104.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.57

$22.14 €19.70

156.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$2.37 €2.10

-10.13%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$28.5K €25.3K

34.13%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$35.5K €31.6K

15.08%

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

$372 £279

$190 €169

95.79%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$26.76 €23.81

-33.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$55.1 €49.05

-26.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$35.36 €31.46

69.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

$27.49 €24.45

-22.55%

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$13.48 €11.99

31.60%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$680 €605

321.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$5,341 €4,751

561.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$99.8 €88.8

14.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$49.68 €44.19

9.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$101 €89.4

23.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$187 €167

-13.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$1,106 €984

159.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$958 €852

133.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,950

$1,930 €1,717

172.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,834

$1,569 €1,396

140.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

$3,941 €3,506

365.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,019

$2,828 €2,515

183.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,778

$2,883 €2,564

74.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

4.35

8.97%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Heerlen: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Heerlen

$958 42.3% 57.1% $1.3K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Heerlen

$272 12% 36.8% $158

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Heerlen

$357 15.8% 7.9% $31

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Heerlen

$329 14.5% 5.9% $21

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Heerlen

$88 3.9% 69.1% $197

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Heerlen

$197 8.7% 4% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Heerlen

$62 2.8% 34.7% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,869 in London and $1,106 in Heerlen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 75% 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 $97.0 in Heerlen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $329 per month, with Heerlen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇳🇱 Heerlen

🕒 Local time

22:38 10:38 PM

23:38 11:38 PM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

87,086

💱 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 →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

London Heerlen 430 km

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London
Heerlen

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 Heerlen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Heerlen wins on cost – living expenses run 76% lower than in London. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Heerlen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 75% 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 $1,106 in Heerlen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Heerlen runs roughly 319% less than in London. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,864 in London versus $680 in Heerlen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,263 in Heerlen versus $3,986 in London, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Heerlen but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Heerlen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Heerlen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,263 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Heerlen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, London and Heerlen 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 Heerlen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 76% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.