Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Jena

For one person, living is cheaper in Jena: $1,786 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $26,400 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
87

Cost of Living Index in Jena
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Jena Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Jena

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,786

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Jena

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

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $1,786 in Jena, rent included.

London $3,986
Jena $1,786

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $2,668 in Jena, rent included.

London $5,791
Jena $2,668

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $3,550 in Jena, rent included.

London $7,595
Jena $3,550

London costs about 123% more than Jena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Jena sit above the global median – London by 195%, Jena by 32%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$12.92 €11.49

100.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$65.9 €58.7

61.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$11.28 €10.03

-5.05%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$4.02 €3.58

36.07%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$3.04 €2.71

-2.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$2.99 €2.66

-26.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$5.61 €4.99

62.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$4.55 €4.04

74.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.15 €1.03

61.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$2.16 €1.92

-4.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$2.92 €2.60

-17.12%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$3.65 €3.25

39.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$14.56 €12.95

-11.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$11.63 €10.35

-10.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$19.23 €17.11

-12.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$3.10 €2.76

0.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.85 €1.64

-24.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$2.05 €1.82

50.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$3.98 €3.54

-17.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.36 €1.21

16.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.13 €1.00

53.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.45 €1.29

-3.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.10 €0.98

63.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$9.80 €8.72

137.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$5.54 €4.93

135.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$0.99 €0.88

220.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$1.44 €1.28

206.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$2.86 €2.54

42.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

$69.1 €61.4

257.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$4.53 €4.03

23.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$2.71 €2.41

23.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$33.59 €29.88

68.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$2.19 €1.95

-2.74%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$30.1K €26.8K

26.73%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$38.5K €34.2K

6.31%

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

$372 £279

$380 €338

-2.13%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$20.18 €17.95

-11.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$42.58 €37.87

-5.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$36.48 €32.45

64.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$10.06 €8.95

76.34%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$874 €778

227.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$15.2K €13.5K

132.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$86.4 €76.8

32.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$40.90 €36.38

32.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$108 €96.1

14.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$121 €108

34.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$719 €639

299.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$462 €411

383.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,951

$1,212 €1,078

334.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,835

$845 €752

347.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,020

$2,753 €2,449

191.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,779

$3,204 €2,850

57.18%

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 Jena: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Jena

$462 25.9% 79.3% $1.8K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Jena

$443 24.8% 2.9% $13

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Jena

$247 13.8% 36.3% $141

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Jena

$318 17.8% 9% $31

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Jena

$99 5.5% 65.5% $187

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Jena

$161 9% 21.7% $44

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Jena

$57 3.2% 40.7% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,869 in London versus $719 in Jena. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 57% higher in London, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London versus $66.0 in Jena. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $318 – making Jena the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇩🇪 Jena

🕒 Local time

13:17 1:17 PM

14:17 2:17 PM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

111,343

💱 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 Jena 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

London
Jena

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 Jena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

London costs about 123% more than Jena, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $2,679 in Jena. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jena, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $2,864 per month in London and $874 in Jena. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% more in London, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Jena, where all-in costs run around $1,786, than in London at $3,986. In Jena it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Jena costs $1,786 versus $3,986 in London. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Jena. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.