Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Solingen

For one person, living is cheaper in Solingen: $2,001 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $23,800 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
98

Cost of Living Index in Solingen
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Solingen Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Solingen

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,001

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Solingen

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

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $2,001 in Solingen, rent included.

London $3,986
Solingen $2,001

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $3,003 in Solingen, rent included.

London $5,791
Solingen $3,003

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $4,006 in Solingen, rent included.

London $7,595
Solingen $4,006

London costs about 99% more than Solingen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Solingen sit above the global median – London by 195%, Solingen by 48%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$19.24 €17.11

34.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$73.5 €65.4

44.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$13.48 €11.99

-20.55%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$3.88 €3.45

40.98%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$3.13 €2.78

-5.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$2.92 €2.59

-24.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$5.11 €4.55

78.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$4.50 €4.00

76.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.26 €1.12

47.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$2.08 €1.85

-0.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$2.96 €2.63

-18.24%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$3.91 €3.48

30.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$16.36 €14.55

-21.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$12.79 €11.38

-18.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$22.56 €20.06

-25.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$3.12 €2.77

-0.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$2.12 €1.88

-33.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$2.13 €1.89

44.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$3.89 €3.46

-15.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.20 €1.06

31.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.30 €1.16

33.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.58 €1.41

-11.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.16 €1.04

55.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$9.94 €8.84

134.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$5.64 €5.01

131.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$1.05 €0.94

201.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$1.46 €1.30

202.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$3.43 €3.05

18.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

$65.1 €57.9

279.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$5.01 €4.46

11.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$3.04 €2.71

10.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.57

$38.45 €34.20

47.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$2.20 €1.96

-3.18%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$33.4K €29.7K

14.28%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$37.6K €33.5K

8.69%

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

$372 £279

$330 €294

12.72%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$19.79 €17.61

-9.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$41.22 €36.66

-2.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$39.77 €35.37

50.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

$23.78 €21.15

-10.47%

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$15.29 €13.60

16.02%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$470 €418

510.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$9,286 €8,260

280.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$94.6 €84.2

20.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$41.74 €37.13

30.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$112 €99.2

11.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$166 €148

-1.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$842 €749

240.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$611 €543

265.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,950

$1,372 €1,220

283.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,834

$1,023 €910

269.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

$4,992 €4,441

267.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,019

$3,334 €2,966

140.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,778

$5,206 €4,631

-3.25%

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 Solingen: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Solingen

$611 30.5% 72.7% $1.6K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Solingen

$391 19.6% 9.1% $39

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Solingen

$300 15% 22.7% $88

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Solingen

$344 17.2% 1.6% $5.6

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Solingen

$99 5% 65.3% $186

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Solingen

$186 9.3% 9.1% $19

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Solingen

$70 3.5% 26.3% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,869 in London versus $842 in Solingen. 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 3% higher in Solingen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London versus $73.0 in Solingen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $344 – making Solingen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇩🇪 Solingen

🕒 Local time

22:03 10:03 PM

23:03 11:03 PM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

164,205

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 Solingen 500 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

London
Solingen

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 Solingen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,986 in London, $2,001 in Solingen – roughly 99% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $3,001 in Solingen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 2% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London and $73.0 in Solingen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Solingen, where all-in costs run around $2,001, than in London at $3,986. In Solingen it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,001 in Solingen to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Solingen. 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.