Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nottingham and Gelsenkirchen

For one person, living is cheaper in Gelsenkirchen: $1,894 a month against $2,318 in Nottingham, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Nottingham, United Kingdom
Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Nottingham
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,318
/mo nomad
Gelsenkirchen
🇩🇪 Germany
$1,894
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nottingham and in Gelsenkirchen

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

A single person spends $2,318 per month in Nottingham vs $1,894 in Gelsenkirchen, rent included.

  • Nottingham $2,318
  • Gelsenkirchen $1,894

A couple spends around $3,304 per month in Nottingham vs $2,790 in Gelsenkirchen, rent included.

  • Nottingham $3,304
  • Gelsenkirchen $2,790

A family of three spends $4,291 per month in Nottingham vs $3,685 in Gelsenkirchen, rent included.

  • Nottingham $4,291
  • Gelsenkirchen $3,685

Nottingham costs about 22% more than Gelsenkirchen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nottingham and Gelsenkirchen sit above the global median – Nottingham by 71%, Gelsenkirchen by 40%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nottingham
Gelsenkirchen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$21.07 £15.71
$13.24 €11.83
59.14%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$80.0 £59.6
$78.6 €70.2
1.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.70 £7.98
$10.65 €9.51
0.47%
Cappuccino
$4.59 £3.42
$4.35 €3.89
5.52%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.38 £1.78
$3.71 €3.32
-35.85%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.76 £1.32
$2.99 €2.67
-41.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.83 £5.09
$4.97 €4.44
37.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.81 £5.08
$3.91 €3.49
74.17%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nottingham
Gelsenkirchen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.96 £1.46
$1.34 €1.20
46.27%
White Bread (500g)
$1.57 £1.17
$2.25 €2.01
-30.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.27 £1.69
$3.71 €3.32
-38.81%
Eggs
$5.09 £3.80
$3.38 €3.02
50.59%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.40 £6.26
$14.18 €12.66
-40.76%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.99 £6.70
$10.93 €9.77
-17.75%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.10 £11.26
$23.80 €21.25
-36.55%
Apples (1kg)
$2.95 £2.20
$3.54 €3.17
-16.67%
Banana (1kg)
$1.81 £1.35
$1.96 €1.75
-7.65%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.65 £2.72
$2.09 €1.86
74.64%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.56 £2.66
$4.16 €3.72
-14.42%
Potato (1kg)
$2.04 £1.52
$1.48 €1.32
37.84%
Onion (1kg)
$1.99 £1.49
$1.16 €1.03
71.55%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.37 £1.02
$1.71 €1.53
-19.88%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.85 £1.38
$0.80 €0.72
131.25%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.71 £17.68
$9.75 €8.71
143.18%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.66 £10.19
$5.45 €4.87
150.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.52 £2.62
$1.08 €0.97
225.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.34 £3.98
$1.43 €1.28
273.43%
🚌 Getting Around
Nottingham
Gelsenkirchen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.09 £3.05
$3.84 €3.43
6.51%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$106 £79.2
$71.7 €64.0
48.02%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.69 £2.01
$5.04 €4.50
-46.63%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.62 £1.21
$2.22 €1.98
-27.03%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$25.50 £19.01
$33.88 €30.26
-24.73%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.08 £1.55
$2.28 €2.03
-8.77%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.2K £28.5K
$30.7K €27.4K
24.50%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.5K £30.2K
$38.5K €34.4K
5.27%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nottingham
Gelsenkirchen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$292 £217
$392 €350
-25.63%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.57 £14.60
$25.91 €23.14
-24.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$41.56 £30.99
$40.55 €36.22
2.49%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nottingham
Gelsenkirchen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.44 £28.66
$31.83 €28.43
20.77%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.90 £15.59
$27.58 €24.63
-24.22%
Cinema Ticket
$16.02 £11.94
$8.77 €7.84
82.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nottingham
Gelsenkirchen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,773 £1,322
$169 €151
948.58%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.6K £18.3K
$19.1K €17.0K
28.96%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nottingham
Gelsenkirchen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$75.1 £56.0
$97.4 €87.0
-22.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$62.6 £46.64
$39.48 €35.26
58.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$109 £81.3
$95.5 €85.3
14.21%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$103 £77.0
$108 €96.7
-4.57%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nottingham
Gelsenkirchen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,218 £908
$595 €531
104.80%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$953 £710
$546 €488
74.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,822 £1,359
$1,021 €912
78.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,326 £989
$839 €750
57.99%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,410 £3,289
$1,692 €1,511
160.69%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,687 £3,495
$1,342 €1,199
249.16%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nottingham
Gelsenkirchen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,497 £2,608
$2,280 €2,036
53.37%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.09
3.96
28.54%

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

Last update for Nottingham: October 31, 2026

Last update for Gelsenkirchen: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Nottingham
$953
Gelsenkirchen
$546 42.7% $407
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nottingham
$353
Gelsenkirchen
$459 30% $106
Groceries & Markets
Nottingham
$332
Gelsenkirchen
$334 0.7% $2.4
Eating Out
Nottingham
$320
Gelsenkirchen
$250 22% $70
Clothing & Footwear
Nottingham
$157
Gelsenkirchen
$153 2.7% $4.2
Getting Around
Nottingham
$133
Gelsenkirchen
$103 22.6% $30
Sport & Entertainment
Nottingham
$70
Gelsenkirchen
$49 29.9% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,218 in Nottingham versus $595 in Gelsenkirchen. 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 53% higher in Nottingham. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80 in Nottingham versus $79 in Gelsenkirchen. Groceries tell a different story – $332 in Nottingham vs $334 in Gelsenkirchen – so Nottingham wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Nottingham
🇩🇪 Gelsenkirchen
🕒 Local time
19:28 7:28 PM
20:28 8:28 PM
1 h ahead of Nottingham
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
305,700
270,107
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.746 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nottingham Gelsenkirchen 580 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Nottingham
  • Gelsenkirchen

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
Nottingham vs Gelsenkirchen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Nottingham or Gelsenkirchen?
Nottingham costs about 22% more than Gelsenkirchen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Nottingham and in Gelsenkirchen?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,477 per month in Nottingham and $2,841 in Gelsenkirchen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Nottingham or Gelsenkirchen?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Gelsenkirchen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $595 there versus $1,218 in Nottingham.
How much does it cost to live in Nottingham compared to Gelsenkirchen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,318 in Nottingham and $1,894 in Gelsenkirchen. That makes Gelsenkirchen about 18% cheaper.
How expensive is transport in Nottingham compared to Gelsenkirchen?
Public transport costs about 32% less in Gelsenkirchen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Gelsenkirchen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Should I move to Nottingham or to Gelsenkirchen?
If budget matters most, go with Gelsenkirchen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nottingham makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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