Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lübeck and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Lübeck: $2,136 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $23,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lübeck
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Lübeck Living Index
196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Lübeck

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,136

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lübeck and in London

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lübeck and in London actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,136 per month in Lübeck vs $4,086 in London, rent included.

Lübeck $2,136
London $4,086

A couple spends around $3,212 per month in Lübeck vs $5,816 in London, rent included.

Lübeck $3,212
London $5,816

A family of three spends $4,288 per month in Lübeck vs $7,546 in London, rent included.

Lübeck $4,288
London $7,546

Lübeck is about 48% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Lübeck and London sit above the global median – Lübeck by 59%, London by 205%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 €15.35

$26.62 £20.11

-35.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.8 €56.9

$108 £81.3

-40.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.69 €11.33

$10.39 £7.85

22.14%

Cappuccino

$3.96 €3.54

$5.79 £4.38

-31.61%

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

$3.11 €2.78

$3.01 £2.27

3.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 €3.18

$2.15 £1.63

66.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.66 €5.05

$9.35 £7.06

-39.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 €3.97

$7.84 £5.93

-43.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.10

$1.79 £1.35

-30.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.06 £1.56

5.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.59 €3.21

$2.31 £1.74

55.41%

Eggs

$3.57 €3.19

$5.05 £3.82

-29.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.30 €12.76

$12.57 £9.50

13.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.63 €10.38

$10.66 £8.05

9.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.23 €17.16

$17.13 £12.94

12.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 €2.77

$3.03 £2.29

2.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.41 £1.07

23.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$3.05 £2.31

-28.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 €4.39

$3.38 £2.56

45.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.67 £1.26

-23.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.73 £1.31

-30.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.41 £1.07

20.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$1.79 £1.35

-50.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.55 €8.52

$23.22 £17.55

-58.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.77 €6.04

$12.99 £9.82

-47.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$3.18 £2.40

-65.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.25

$4.41 £3.33

-68.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.41 €3.04

$3.87 £2.93

-11.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.7 €63.1

$250 £189

-71.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 €3.57

$5.71 £4.31

-29.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.88 €3.46

$3.33 £2.51

16.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.56 €14.78

$57.9 £43.76

-71.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.90

$2.04 £1.54

4.41%

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

$30.0K €26.8K

$37.5K £28.4K

-19.99%

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

$39.5K €35.2K

$40.9K £30.9K

-3.45%

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

$336 €300

$376 £284

-10.61%

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

$34.95 €31.19

$17.88 £13.51

95.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.9 €47.18

$40.01 £30.24

32.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.45 €36.99

$61.2 £46.22

-32.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.46 €25.40

$21.07 £15.93

35.07%

Cinema Ticket

$13.34 €11.90

$17.95 £13.57

-25.68%

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

$440 €393

$2,865 £2,165

-84.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.6 €71.1

$116 £87.7

-31.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.21 €34.99

$54.1 £40.87

-27.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 €109

$127 £95.7

-3.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 €131

$159 £120

-7.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$765 €683

$2,853 £2,156

-73.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 €688

$2,301 £1,739

-66.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,795 €1,602

$5,201 £3,931

-65.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,413 €1,261

$3,723 £2,813

-62.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,996 €3,566

$19.0K £14.4K

-78.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,228 €3,773

$7,881 £5,955

-46.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,550 €3,168

$4,818 £3,641

-26.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.97

4.65

-14.62%

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

Last update for Lübeck: October 3, 2026

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lübeck

$771 35.7%

London

$2.3K 56.5% 198% $1.5K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lübeck

$424 19.6%

London

$434 10.7% 2.4% $10

Groceries & Markets

Lübeck

$326 15.1%

London

$349 8.6% 7.1% $23

Eating Out

Lübeck

$287 13.3%

London

$397 9.7% 38.1% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Lübeck

$175 8.1%

London

$205 5% 17.3% $30

Getting Around

Lübeck

$108 5%

London

$288 7.1% 167% $180

Sport & Entertainment

Lübeck

$68 3.2%

London

$97 2.4% 42.5% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $765 in Lübeck versus $2,853 in London. 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 36% 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 $64.0 in Lübeck versus $108 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $326 vs $349 – making Lübeck the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Lübeck

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

08:35 8:35 AM

07:35 7:35 AM

1 h behind Lübeck

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

212,958

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lübeck London 770 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lübeck
London

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

Lübeck vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,136 in Lübeck, $4,086 in London – roughly 91% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,203 per month in Lübeck and $6,129 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 7% 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 $64.0 in Lübeck and $108 in London. 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 Lübeck, where all-in costs run around $2,136, than in London at $4,086. In Lübeck 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 $2,136 in Lübeck to $4,086 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 Lübeck. 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.