Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Zoetermeer

For one person, living is cheaper in Zoetermeer: $2,285 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $20,400 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
112

Cost of Living Index in Zoetermeer
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Zoetermeer Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Zoetermeer

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Zoetermeer

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

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $2,285 in Zoetermeer, rent included.

London $3,986
Zoetermeer $2,285

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $3,470 in Zoetermeer, rent included.

London $5,791
Zoetermeer $3,470

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $4,654 in Zoetermeer, rent included.

London $7,595
Zoetermeer $4,654

London costs about 74% more than Zoetermeer, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Zoetermeer sit above the global median – London by 195%, Zoetermeer by 69%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$20.80 €18.50

24.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$84.1 €74.8

26.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$10.96 €9.75

-2.28%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$4.25 €3.78

28.71%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$3.29 €2.92

-9.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$2.21 €1.96

-0.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$4.92 €4.37

85.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$5.77 €5.13

37.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.12 €1.00

66.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.15 €1.02

80.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$2.94 €2.62

-17.69%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$4.53 €4.03

12.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$11.98 €10.65

7.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$13.25 €11.78

-21.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$16.86 €15.00

0.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$1.82 €1.62

70.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$2.50 €2.23

-44.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$1.45 €1.29

112.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$3.49 €3.11

-6.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.73 €1.54

-8.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.50 €1.33

16.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.17 €1.04

19.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.90 €0.80

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$14.11 €12.55

64.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$6.77 €6.02

92.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$1.28 €1.14

147.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$2.50 €2.22

76.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$3.36 €2.99

21.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

$94.0 €83.6

162.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$4.70 €4.18

18.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$3.41 €3.04

-1.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$68.1 €60.6

-16.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$2.10 €1.87

1.43%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$41.6K €37.0K

-8.22%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$39.5K €35.1K

3.53%

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

$372 £279

$88.4 €78.6

321.23%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$21.38 €19.02

-16.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$55.2 €49.13

-26.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$35.40 €31.49

69.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

$24.19 €21.52

-11.99%

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$15.58 €13.86

13.86%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$2,621 €2,332

9.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$12.6K €11.2K

180.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$92.5 €82.3

23.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$39.15 €34.83

38.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$112 €99.3

11.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$140 €125

16.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$1,407 €1,251

103.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$1,143 €1,016

95.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,951

$2,385 €2,122

120.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,835

$1,900 €1,690

98.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

$5,420 €4,821

238.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,020

$4,374 €3,891

83.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,779

$4,357 €3,875

15.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

3.49

35.82%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Zoetermeer: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Zoetermeer

$1.1K 50% 48.8% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Zoetermeer

$165 7.2% 61.7% $265

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Zoetermeer

$308 13.5% 20.4% $79

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Zoetermeer

$301 13.2% 13.8% $48

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Zoetermeer

$129 5.7% 54.7% $156

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Zoetermeer

$173 7.6% 15.8% $32

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Zoetermeer

$67 2.9% 30.3% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,869 in London versus $1,407 in Zoetermeer. 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 16% 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 $84.0 in Zoetermeer. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $301 – making Zoetermeer the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇳🇱 Zoetermeer

🕒 Local time

07:05 7:05 AM

08:05 8:05 AM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

126,998

💱 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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London Zoetermeer 320 km

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London
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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 Zoetermeer: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,986 in London, $2,285 in Zoetermeer – roughly 74% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $3,428 in Zoetermeer. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 16% 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 $84.0 in Zoetermeer. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Zoetermeer, where all-in costs run around $2,285, than in London at $3,986. In Zoetermeer 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 $2,285 in Zoetermeer 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 Zoetermeer. 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.