Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Roskilde

For one person, living is cheaper in Roskilde: $2,530 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $17,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,986
/mo nomad
Roskilde
🇩🇰 Denmark
$2,530
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Roskilde

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

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $2,530 in Roskilde, rent included.

  • London $3,986
  • Roskilde $2,530

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $3,882 in Roskilde, rent included.

  • London $5,791
  • Roskilde $3,882

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $5,233 in Roskilde, rent included.

  • London $7,595
  • Roskilde $5,233

London costs about 58% more than Roskilde, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Roskilde sit above the global median – London by 195%, Roskilde by 87%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
London
Roskilde
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$25.93 £19.45
$18.05 DKK 120
43.66%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$107 £79.9
$112 DKK 742
-4.58%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.71 £8.03
$15.03 DKK 100.0
-28.74%
Cappuccino
$5.47 £4.11
$6.93 DKK 46.06
-21.07%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 £2.23
$4.07 DKK 27.04
-27.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.20 £1.65
$3.33 DKK 22.15
-33.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.13 £6.85
$8.17 DKK 54.3
11.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.94 £5.96
$8.38 DKK 55.7
-5.25%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
Roskilde
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.86 £1.40
$2.04 DKK 13.55
-8.82%
White Bread (500g)
$2.07 £1.55
$3.76 DKK 25.03
-44.95%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.42 £1.81
$2.40 DKK 15.95
0.83%
Eggs
$5.09 £3.82
$4.89 DKK 32.53
4.09%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.87 £9.66
$14.12 DKK 93.9
-8.85%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.43 £7.82
$11.50 DKK 76.5
-9.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.87 £12.66
$17.93 DKK 119
-5.91%
Apples (1kg)
$3.11 £2.33
$2.65 DKK 17.62
17.36%
Banana (1kg)
$1.40 £1.05
$2.78 DKK 18.46
-49.64%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.08 £2.31
$2.07 DKK 13.79
48.79%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.27 £2.45
$4.01 DKK 26.64
-18.45%
Potato (1kg)
$1.58 £1.19
$1.75 DKK 11.61
-9.71%
Onion (1kg)
$1.74 £1.31
$1.38 DKK 9.18
26.09%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.40 £1.05
$1.45 DKK 9.66
-3.45%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.80 £1.35
$0.64 DKK 4.25
181.25%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.28 £17.46
$8.70 DKK 57.9
167.59%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.03 £9.77
$7.55 DKK 50.2
72.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.17 £2.38
$1.99 DKK 13.22
59.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 £3.32
$2.68 DKK 17.82
64.93%
🚌 Getting Around
London
Roskilde
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.07 £3.05
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$247 £185
$75.9 DKK 505
225.03%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.58 £4.18
$5.70 DKK 37.94
-2.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.36 £2.52
$1.68 DKK 11.19
100.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$56.8 £42.58
$61.9 DKK 412
-8.31%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.13 £1.60
$2.27 DKK 15.09
-6.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.2K £28.6K
$49.5K DKK 329.0K
-22.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.9K £30.7K
$52.7K DKK 350.6K
-22.42%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
Roskilde
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$372 £279
$216 DKK 1,436
72.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.82 £13.37
$15.77 DKK 105
13.00%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.37 £30.29
$43.29 DKK 288
-6.75%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
Roskilde
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.0 £44.99
$60.4 DKK 402
-0.70%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.29 £15.97
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$17.74 £13.31
$16.22 DKK 108
9.37%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
Roskilde
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,864 £2,149
$374 DKK 2,488
665.73%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$35.3K £26.5K
$6,075 DKK 40.4K
481.51%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
Roskilde
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$114 £85.5
$106 DKK 704
7.66%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.3 £40.71
$45.94 DKK 306
18.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$124 £93.2
$151 DKK 1,004
-17.72%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$163 £122
$187 DKK 1,243
-12.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
Roskilde
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,869 £2,152
$1,280 DKK 8,513
124.14%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,233 £1,675
$1,141 DKK 7,590
95.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,266 £3,951
$2,560 DKK 17.0K
105.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,778 £2,835
$1,991 DKK 13.2K
89.79%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$18.3K £13.8K
$6,477 DKK 43.1K
183.05%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,024 £6,020
$5,960 DKK 39.6K
34.64%
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
Roskilde
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,037 £3,779
$4,095 DKK 27.2K
23.01%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.74
3.67
29.16%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Roskilde: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
London
$2.2K
Roskilde
$1.1K 48.9% $1.1K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
$430
Roskilde
$275 36.1% $155
Eating Out
London
$388
Roskilde
$360 7.2% $28
Groceries & Markets
London
$349
Roskilde
$351 0.4% $1.4
Getting Around
London
$285
Roskilde
$90 * 68.5% $195
Clothing & Footwear
London
$205
Roskilde
$220 7.5% $15
Sport & Entertainment
London
$95
Roskilde
$93 2.7% $2.6

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,869 in London versus $1,280 in Roskilde. 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 23% 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 $112 in Roskilde. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $351 – making London the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 London
🇩🇰 Roskilde
🕒 Local time
02:39 2:39 AM
03:39 3:39 AM
1 h ahead of London
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,908,083 Capital
50,781
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

DKK, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

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).

Danish Krone exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 DKK (1 DKK = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.48 DKK (1 DKK = 0.134 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • London Roskilde 930 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • London
  • Roskilde

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 Roskilde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in London and in Roskilde compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $3,986 in London, $2,530 in Roskilde – roughly 58% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in London compared to Roskilde?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $3,795 in Roskilde. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between London and Roskilde?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Roskilde, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 0% cheaper in London – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London and $112 in Roskilde. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $2,500 per month?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Roskilde, where all-in costs run around $2,530, than in London at $3,986. In Roskilde it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between London and Roskilde?
It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,530 in Roskilde to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is London or Roskilde safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between London and Roskilde?
If budget matters most, go with Roskilde. 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.

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