Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Ilmenau

For one person, living is cheaper in Ilmenau: $2,071 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $23,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

194

Cost of Living Index in London
Learn more

London Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Ilmenau
Learn more

Ilmenau Living Index

Jump to prices

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Ilmenau

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,071

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Ilmenau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,986 in London versus $2,071 in Ilmenau.

London $3,986
Ilmenau $2,071

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,791 in London versus $2,525 in Ilmenau.

London $5,791
Ilmenau $2,525

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,595 in London versus $2,980 in Ilmenau.

London $7,595
Ilmenau $2,980

Living in London is roughly 93% more expensive than in Ilmenau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 195% above, Ilmenau 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$10.96 €9.75

136.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$66.5 €59.2

60.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$11.27 €10.02

-4.97%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$3.41 €3.04

60.41%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$4.26 €3.79

-30.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$7.97 €7.09

-72.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$4.41 €3.92

107.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$4.99 €4.44

59.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.13 €1.01

64.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$2.14 €1.90

-3.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$3.24 €2.88

-25.31%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$3.23 €2.87

57.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$14.33 €12.75

-10.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$10.24 €9.11

1.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$17.76 €15.79

-5.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$2.87 €2.55

8.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.40 €1.24

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$3.50 €3.11

-12.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$3.82 €3.40

-14.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$2.11 €1.88

-25.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.36 €1.21

27.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.63 €1.45

-14.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.88 €0.78

104.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$9.22 €8.20

152.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$6.22 €5.53

109.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$1.11 €0.99

185.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$1.48 €1.32

198.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

$65.3 €58.1

278.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$5.23 €4.65

6.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$4.21 €3.75

-20.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$43.78 €38.94

29.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$2.14 €1.90

-0.47%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$32.3K €28.7K

18.38%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$37.8K €33.6K

8.30%

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

$372 £279

$675 €600

-44.85%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$27.38 €24.36

-34.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$34.08 €30.32

18.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$48.13 €42.81

24.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$13.20 €11.74

34.39%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$454 €404

530.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$93.0 €82.8

22.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$31.50 €28.02

72.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$121 €107

2.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$113 €101

44.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$471 €419

509.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$455 €404

391.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,951

$828 €737

535.76%

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

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,779

$3,254 €2,894

54.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

3.95

20.00%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ilmenau: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Ilmenau

$455 22% 79.6% $1.8K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Ilmenau

$736 35.6% 71.1% $306

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Ilmenau

$243 11.8% 37.2% $144

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Ilmenau

$309 14.9% 11.6% $41

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Ilmenau

$92 * 4.4% 67.9% $194

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Ilmenau

$161 7.8% 21.3% $44

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Ilmenau

$75 3.6% 21.9% $21

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 $471 in Ilmenau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 55% 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 $67.0 in Ilmenau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $309 per month, with Ilmenau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇩🇪 Ilmenau

🕒 Local time

09:36 9:36 AM

10:36 10:36 AM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

39,000

💱 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 Ilmenau 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

London
Ilmenau

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 Ilmenau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

London and Ilmenau differ by about 93% in total monthly costs ($3,986 vs $2,071 including rent). Ilmenau is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 55% 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 $471 in Ilmenau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,986 per month in London versus $2,071 in Ilmenau – a 93% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Ilmenau runs roughly 278% less than in London. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,071 in Ilmenau versus $3,986 in London, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Ilmenau but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Ilmenau the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Ilmenau 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 Ilmenau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 93% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.