Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Hilversum

For one person, living is cheaper in Hilversum: $2,920 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

194

Cost of Living Index in London
Learn more

London Living Index
142

Cost of Living Index in Hilversum
Learn more

Hilversum Living Index

Jump to prices

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Hilversum

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,920

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Hilversum

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,986 in London versus $2,920 in Hilversum.

London $3,986
Hilversum $2,920

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,791 in London versus $4,236 in Hilversum.

London $5,791
Hilversum $4,236

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,595 in London versus $5,553 in Hilversum.

London $7,595
Hilversum $5,553

Living in London is roughly 37% more expensive than in Hilversum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 195% above, Hilversum 116% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$27.73 €24.67

-6.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$79.5 €70.7

33.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$16.70 €14.85

-35.87%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$4.30 €3.82

27.21%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$3.92 €3.49

-24.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$2.98 €2.65

-26.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$5.53 €4.92

65.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$5.53 €4.92

43.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.81 €1.61

2.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$2.37 €2.11

-12.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$3.47 €3.09

-30.26%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$5.27 €4.69

-3.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$14.30 €12.72

-10.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$13.89 €12.35

-24.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$16.46 €14.64

2.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$2.53 €2.25

22.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$2.68 €2.38

-47.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$2.71 €2.41

13.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$5.21 €4.63

-37.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.89 €1.68

-16.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$2.23 €1.98

-21.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.48 €1.32

-5.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.14 €1.02

57.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$12.60 €11.21

84.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$6.83 €6.07

90.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$1.48 €1.31

114.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$2.72 €2.42

62.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$3.62 €3.22

12.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

$66.0 €58.7

273.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$5.50 €4.89

1.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$3.44 €3.06

-2.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$22.12 €19.67

156.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$2.39 €2.13

-10.88%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$41.8K €37.2K

-8.69%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$42.6K €37.9K

-3.95%

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

$372 £279

$265 €236

40.47%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$28.28 €25.15

-36.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$63.2 €56.2

-36.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$68.0 €60.5

-11.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

$33.61 €29.89

-36.66%

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$16.73 €14.88

6.04%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$678 €603

322.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$15.6K €13.9K

125.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$113 €100

0.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$47.90 €42.60

13.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$90.3 €80.4

37.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$141 €126

15.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$1,683 €1,497

70.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$1,432 €1,274

55.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,951

$2,924 €2,601

80.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,835

$2,281 €2,029

65.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

$6,800 €6,049

169.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,020

$5,225 €4,648

53.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,779

$3,910 €3,478

28.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

4.3

10.23%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Hilversum: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Hilversum

$1.4K 49.1% 35.9% $801

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Hilversum

$356 12.2% 17.2% $74

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Hilversum

$390 13.4% 0.6% $2.3

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Hilversum

$360 12.3% 3.1% $11

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Hilversum

$103 3.5% 63.8% $182

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Hilversum

$177 6.1% 13.9% $28

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Hilversum

$101 3.5% 6.2% $6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,869 in London and $1,683 in Hilversum. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 29% 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 $80.0 in Hilversum. Groceries flip the comparison at $349 vs $360, with London cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇳🇱 Hilversum

🕒 Local time

11:40 11:40 AM

12:40 12:40 PM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

93,345

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Hilversum 370 km

From you

London
Hilversum

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 Hilversum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

London and Hilversum differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($3,986 vs $2,920 including rent). Hilversum is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 29% 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 $1,683 in Hilversum. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Hilversum runs roughly 274% 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 $678 in Hilversum. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Hilversum is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Safety-wise, London and Hilversum 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 Hilversum gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.