Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ostend and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Ostend: $1,810 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $26,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ostend
🇧🇪 Belgium
$1,810
/mo nomad
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,986
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ostend 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 Ostend and in London actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,810 per month in Ostend vs $3,986 in London, rent included.

  • Ostend $1,810
  • London $3,986

A couple spends around $2,702 per month in Ostend vs $5,791 in London, rent included.

  • Ostend $2,702
  • London $5,791

A family of three spends $3,595 per month in Ostend vs $7,595 in London, rent included.

  • Ostend $3,595
  • London $7,595

Ostend is about 55% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Ostend and London sit above the global median – Ostend by 34%, London by 195%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ostend
London
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.10 €19.74
$25.93 £19.55
-14.77%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.1 €70.6
$107 £80.3
-25.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.18 €9.98
$10.71 £8.07
4.39%
Cappuccino
$4.09 €3.66
$5.47 £4.13
-25.23%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 €2.68
$2.97 £2.24
1.01%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.52 €2.25
$2.20 £1.66
14.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.40 €3.93
$9.13 £6.88
-51.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.48 €4.01
$7.94 £5.99
-43.58%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ostend
London
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.21 €1.09
$1.86 £1.40
-34.95%
White Bread (500g)
$2.69 €2.41
$2.07 £1.56
29.95%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.08 €1.86
$2.42 £1.82
-14.05%
Eggs
$3.73 €3.33
$5.09 £3.83
-26.72%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.69 €10.44
$12.87 £9.70
-9.17%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.77 €10.51
$10.43 £7.86
12.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.46 €12.02
$16.87 £12.72
-20.21%
Apples (1kg)
$2.83 €2.53
$3.11 £2.34
-9.00%
Banana (1kg)
$2.14 €1.91
$1.40 £1.06
52.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.15 €1.92
$3.08 £2.32
-30.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.32 €2.07
$3.27 £2.46
-29.05%
Potato (1kg)
$1.84 €1.64
$1.58 £1.19
16.46%
Onion (1kg)
$1.71 €1.53
$1.74 £1.31
-1.72%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.22 €1.09
$1.40 £1.06
-12.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.92 €0.82
$1.80 £1.35
-48.89%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.12 €9.04
$23.28 £17.55
-56.53%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.86 €6.13
$13.03 £9.82
-47.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.10 €1.87
$3.17 £2.39
-33.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.84 €1.64
$4.42 £3.33
-58.37%
🚌 Getting Around
Ostend
London
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.39 €3.03
$4.07 £3.07
-16.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$38.31 €34.22
$247 £186
-84.47%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.38 €3.02
$5.58 £4.20
-39.43%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.29 €2.05
$3.36 £2.53
-31.85%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$25.03 €22.36
$56.8 £42.78
-55.89%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.95 €1.74
$2.13 £1.61
-8.45%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.6K €30.9K
$38.2K £28.8K
-9.52%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.6K €27.3K
$40.9K £30.8K
-25.25%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ostend
London
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$176 €157
$372 £281
-52.82%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.08 €16.15
$17.82 £13.43
1.46%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.1 €47.43
$40.37 £30.43
31.53%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ostend
London
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.39 €32.50
$60.0 £45.21
-39.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.02 €9.84
$21.29 £16.05
-48.24%
Cinema Ticket
$14.36 €12.82
$17.74 £13.37
-19.05%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ostend
London
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$391 €350
$2,864 £2,159
-86.34%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.0K €14.3K
$35.3K £26.6K
-54.66%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ostend
London
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$99.4 €88.7
$114 £86.0
-12.87%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.26 €23.46
$54.3 £40.91
-51.61%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$87.8 €78.4
$124 £93.7
-29.37%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$120 €107
$163 £123
-26.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ostend
London
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$792 €707
$2,869 £2,163
-72.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$673 €601
$2,233 £1,683
-69.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,245 €1,112
$5,266 £3,969
-76.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$987 €882
$3,778 £2,848
-73.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,674 €3,282
$18.3K £13.8K
-79.96%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,918 €1,713
$8,024 £6,048
-76.09%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ostend
London
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,097 €2,767
$5,037 £3,797
-38.50%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.33
4.74
-29.75%

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

Last update for Ostend: October 10, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ostend
$673
London
$2.2K 232% $1.6K
Eating Out
Ostend
$312
London
$388 24% $75
Groceries & Markets
Ostend
$297
London
$349 17.8% $53
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ostend
$247
London
$430 74.4% $184
Clothing & Footwear
Ostend
$150
London
$205 36.5% $55
Getting Around
Ostend
$67
London
$285 328% $219
Sport & Entertainment
Ostend
$65
London
$95 46.6% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $792 in Ostend versus $2,869 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 63% 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 $79.0 in Ostend versus $107 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $349 – making Ostend the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇧🇪 Ostend
🇬🇧 London
🕒 Local time
06:42 6:42 AM
05:42 5:42 AM
1 h behind Ostend
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
70,600
8,908,083 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 0.754 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.844 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ostend London 210 km
From you
  • Ostend
  • 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
Ostend vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Ostend and in London compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,810 in Ostend, $3,986 in London – roughly 120% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in Ostend compared to London?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,715 per month in Ostend and $5,979 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Ostend and London?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Ostend, 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?
Groceries cost about 18% more in London, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $79.0 in Ostend and $107 in London. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Ostend, where all-in costs run around $1,810, than in London at $3,986. In Ostend it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Ostend and London?
It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,810 in Ostend to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Ostend or London 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 Ostend and London?
If budget matters most, go with Ostend. 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.

Ostend vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?