Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Hoofddorp

For one person, living is cheaper in Hoofddorp: $3,076 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 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
151

Cost of Living Index in Hoofddorp
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Hoofddorp Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Hoofddorp

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,076

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Hoofddorp

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,986 in London versus $3,076 in Hoofddorp.

London $3,986
Hoofddorp $3,076

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,791 in London versus $4,186 in Hoofddorp.

London $5,791
Hoofddorp $4,186

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,595 in London versus $5,296 in Hoofddorp.

London $7,595
Hoofddorp $5,296

Living in London is roughly 30% more expensive than in Hoofddorp, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 195% above, Hoofddorp 128% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$22.33 €19.86

16.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$87.9 €78.2

21.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$14.87 €13.23

-27.98%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$3.27 €2.91

67.28%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$2.74 €2.43

8.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$2.29 €2.04

-3.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$7.65 €6.80

19.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$5.07 €4.51

56.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.57 €1.40

18.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$2.33 €2.07

-11.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$2.57 €2.29

-5.84%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$5.24 €4.66

-2.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$12.45 €11.08

3.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$13.22 €11.76

-21.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$17.97 €15.98

-6.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$2.70 €2.40

15.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$2.82 €2.51

-50.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$2.63 €2.34

17.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$3.31 €2.94

-1.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$2.36 €2.10

-33.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.63 €1.45

6.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.15 €1.02

21.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.61 €1.43

11.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$8.82 €7.85

163.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$6.82 €6.07

91.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$1.50 €1.33

111.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$2.53 €2.25

74.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$5.05 €4.49

-19.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$3.67 €3.26

52.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$2.72 €2.42

23.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$27.98 €24.89

102.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$2.53 €2.25

-15.81%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$37.1K €33.0K

2.82%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$38.2K €34.0K

7.00%

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

$372 £279

$285 €254

30.39%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$22.33 €19.86

-20.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$52.5 €46.66

-23.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$27.33 €24.31

119.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

$11.26 €10.02

89.08%

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$10.20 €9.07

73.92%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$1,900 €1,690

50.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$17.4K €15.5K

103.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$89.6 €79.7

27.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$40.38 €35.92

34.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$101 €90.0

22.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$132 €117

23.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$1,970 €1,752

45.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$1,791 €1,593

24.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,951

$2,761 €2,456

90.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,835

$2,435 €2,166

55.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

$6,108 €5,433

200.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,020

$4,839 €4,304

65.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,779

$3,508 €3,120

43.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

3.27

44.95%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Hoofddorp: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Hoofddorp

$1.8K 58.2% 19.8% $442

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Hoofddorp

$360 11.7% 16.3% $70

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Hoofddorp

$331 10.8% 14.6% $57

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Hoofddorp

$346 11.2% 1.1% $4

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Hoofddorp

$37 * 1.2% 86.9% $248

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Hoofddorp

$163 5.3% 20.3% $42

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Hoofddorp

$48 1.6% 50% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,869 in London and $1,970 in Hoofddorp. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 44% 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 $88.0 in Hoofddorp for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $346 per month, with Hoofddorp cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇳🇱 Hoofddorp

🕒 Local time

15:00 3:00 PM

16:00 4:00 PM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

76,638

💱 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

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Between locations

London Hoofddorp 340 km

From you

London
Hoofddorp

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 Hoofddorp: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hoofddorp is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. The 30% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 44% 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 $1,970 in Hoofddorp. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in London. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $3,986 per month in London versus $3,076 in Hoofddorp – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Hoofddorp is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Hoofddorp is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in London, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, London and Hoofddorp 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 Hoofddorp gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.