Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oxford and Utrecht

For one person, living is cheaper in Utrecht: $2,876 a month against $3,164 in Oxford, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Oxford outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

154

Cost of Living Index in Oxford
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Oxford Living Index
141

Cost of Living Index in Utrecht
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Utrecht Living Index

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Oxford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,164

/mo nomad

Utrecht

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,876

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Oxford and in Utrecht

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

A single person spends $3,164 per month in Oxford vs $2,876 in Utrecht, rent included.

Oxford $3,164
Utrecht $2,876

A couple spends around $4,491 per month in Oxford vs $4,129 in Utrecht, rent included.

Oxford $4,491
Utrecht $4,129

A family of three spends $5,819 per month in Oxford vs $5,382 in Utrecht, rent included.

Oxford $5,819
Utrecht $5,382

Oxford costs about 10% more than Utrecht, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Oxford and Utrecht sit above the global median – Oxford by 134%, Utrecht by 113%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.62 £18.47

$22.38 €19.90

10.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 £78.1

$85.1 €75.7

22.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 £7.80

$13.54 €12.04

-23.26%

Cappuccino

$4.88 £3.66

$4.58 €4.08

6.55%

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

$4.52 £3.39

$3.87 €3.44

16.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 £1.70

$3.28 €2.92

-30.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.79 £6.60

$6.76 €6.01

30.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.28 £6.21

$7.23 €6.43

14.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 £1.32

$1.54 €1.37

13.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 £1.24

$2.89 €2.57

-42.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.91 £1.43

$2.51 €2.23

-23.90%

Eggs

$4.17 £3.13

$4.73 €4.21

-11.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.83 £11.13

$13.21 €11.75

12.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.52 £6.39

$13.86 €12.33

-38.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.66 £10.99

$19.03 €16.93

-22.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.50 £2.62

$2.69 €2.39

30.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 £1.26

$2.37 €2.10

-29.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 £2.26

$2.16 €1.92

39.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.51 £2.63

$3.82 €3.40

-8.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.67 €1.48

4.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.30

$1.89 €1.68

-8.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 £0.92

$1.58 €1.41

-22.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 £1.28

$1.36 €1.21

25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.32 £17.49

$14.60 €12.99

59.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.16

$6.71 €5.97

62.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.44 £2.58

$1.33 €1.18

158.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 £2.58

$2.71 €2.41

26.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.02 £3.02

$3.67 €3.27

9.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.4

$134 €119

-19.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.94 £3.70

$3.77 €3.35

31.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.10 £2.33

$2.70 €2.40

14.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.02 £31.52

$44.46 €39.54

-5.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 £1.63

$2.56 €2.27

-14.84%

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

$38.3K £28.7K

$41.0K €36.4K

-6.62%

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

$40.0K £30.0K

$39.4K €35.1K

1.47%

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

$361 £271

$240 €214

50.26%

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

$17.54 £13.16

$21.52 €19.14

-18.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.03 £33.03

$48.22 €42.89

-8.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.05 £33.05

$44.50 €39.58

-1.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.58 £8.69

$31.38 €27.91

-63.10%

Cinema Ticket

$14.46 £10.85

$15.87 €14.11

-8.88%

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

$2,345 £1,759

$3,059 €2,721

-23.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K £11.7K

$8,154 €7,252

90.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.4 £73.1

$93.4 €83.1

4.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.33 £35.50

$51.3 €45.63

-7.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.5 £74.6

$103 €92.0

-3.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 £79.1

$122 €108

-13.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,295 £1,721

$1,841 €1,637

24.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,666 £1,250

$1,455 €1,294

14.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,206 £2,405

$3,208 €2,853

-0.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,550 £1,913

$2,194 €1,951

16.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,971 £5,980

$6,832 €6,077

16.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,848 £5,138

$4,670 €4,153

46.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,981 £2,986

$4,240 €3,771

-6.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

3.23

48.30%

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

Last update for Oxford: October 11, 2026

Last update for Utrecht: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oxford

$1.7K 52.7%

Utrecht

$1.5K 50.6% 12.7% $212

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oxford

$422 13.4%

Utrecht

$310 10.8% 26.6% $113

Eating Out

Oxford

$374 11.8%

Utrecht

$352 12.2% 6.1% $23

Groceries & Markets

Oxford

$326 10.3%

Utrecht

$352 12.2% 7.7% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Oxford

$157 5%

Utrecht

$166 5.8% 5.8% $9.1

Getting Around

Oxford

$144 4.5%

Utrecht

$166 5.8% 15.3% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Oxford

$73 2.3%

Utrecht

$76 2.7% 4.5% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,295 in Oxford versus $1,841 in Utrecht. 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 7% higher in Utrecht, 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 $104 in Oxford versus $85.0 in Utrecht. Groceries tell a different story – $326 in Oxford vs $352 in Utrecht – so Oxford wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Oxford

🇳🇱 Utrecht

🕒 Local time

18:17 6:17 PM

19:17 7:17 PM

1 h ahead of Oxford

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,000

367,947

💱 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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Oxford Utrecht 440 km

From you

Oxford
Utrecht

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

Oxford vs Utrecht: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oxford costs about 10% more than Utrecht, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,745 per month in Oxford and $4,314 in Utrecht. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $104 in Oxford and $85.0 in Utrecht. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,164 in Oxford and $2,876 in Utrecht. That's a gap of about 10%.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,164 in Oxford and $2,876 in Utrecht. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Utrecht costs $2,876 versus $3,164 in Oxford. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Utrecht. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Oxford makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.