Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Solingen and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Solingen: $2,001 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $23,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Solingen
🇩🇪 Germany
$2,001
/mo nomad
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,986
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,001 per month in Solingen vs $3,986 in London, rent included.

  • Solingen $2,001
  • London $3,986

A couple spends around $3,003 per month in Solingen vs $5,791 in London, rent included.

  • Solingen $3,003
  • London $5,791

A family of three spends $4,006 per month in Solingen vs $7,595 in London, rent included.

  • Solingen $4,006
  • London $7,595

Solingen is about 50% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Solingen and London sit above the global median – Solingen by 48%, London by 195%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Solingen
London
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.24 €17.11
$25.93 £19.45
-25.80%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$73.5 €65.4
$107 £79.9
-31.01%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.48 €11.99
$10.71 £8.03
25.86%
Cappuccino
$3.88 €3.45
$5.47 £4.11
-29.07%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.13 €2.78
$2.97 £2.23
5.39%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.92 €2.59
$2.20 £1.65
32.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.11 €4.55
$9.13 £6.85
-44.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.50 €4.00
$7.94 £5.96
-43.32%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Solingen
London
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.26 €1.12
$1.86 £1.40
-32.26%
White Bread (500g)
$2.08 €1.85
$2.07 £1.55
0.48%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.96 €2.63
$2.42 £1.81
22.31%
Eggs
$3.91 €3.48
$5.09 £3.82
-23.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.36 €14.55
$12.87 £9.66
27.12%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.79 €11.38
$10.43 £7.82
22.63%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$22.56 €20.06
$16.87 £12.66
33.73%
Apples (1kg)
$3.12 €2.77
$3.11 £2.33
0.32%
Banana (1kg)
$2.12 €1.88
$1.40 £1.05
51.43%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.13 €1.89
$3.08 £2.31
-30.84%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.89 €3.46
$3.27 £2.45
18.96%
Potato (1kg)
$1.20 €1.06
$1.58 £1.19
-24.05%
Onion (1kg)
$1.30 €1.16
$1.74 £1.31
-25.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.58 €1.41
$1.40 £1.05
12.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.16 €1.04
$1.80 £1.35
-35.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.94 €8.84
$23.28 £17.46
-57.30%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.64 €5.01
$13.03 £9.77
-56.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.05 €0.94
$3.17 £2.38
-66.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.46 €1.30
$4.42 £3.32
-66.97%
🚌 Getting Around
Solingen
London
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.43 €3.05
$4.07 £3.05
-15.72%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$65.1 €57.9
$247 £185
-73.63%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.01 €4.46
$5.58 £4.18
-10.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.04 €2.71
$3.36 £2.52
-9.52%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$38.45 €34.20
$56.8 £42.57
-32.25%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.96
$2.13 £1.60
3.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.4K €29.7K
$38.2K £28.6K
-12.49%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.6K €33.5K
$40.9K £30.7K
-8.00%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Solingen
London
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$330 €294
$372 £279
-11.29%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.79 €17.61
$17.82 £13.37
11.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$41.22 €36.66
$40.37 £30.29
2.11%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Solingen
London
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.77 €35.37
$60.0 £44.99
-33.68%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.78 €21.15
$21.29 £15.97
11.70%
Cinema Ticket
$15.29 €13.60
$17.74 £13.31
-13.81%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Solingen
London
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$470 €418
$2,864 £2,149
-83.61%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,286 €8,260
$35.3K £26.5K
-73.71%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Solingen
London
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$94.6 €84.2
$114 £85.5
-17.01%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.74 €37.13
$54.3 £40.71
-23.09%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$112 €99.2
$124 £93.2
-10.20%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$166 €148
$163 £122
1.88%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Solingen
London
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$842 €749
$2,869 £2,152
-70.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$611 €543
$2,233 £1,675
-72.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,372 €1,220
$5,266 £3,950
-73.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,023 €910
$3,778 £2,834
-72.92%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,992 €4,441
$18.3K £13.8K
-72.77%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,334 €2,966
$8,024 £6,019
-58.44%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Solingen
London
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,206 €4,631
$5,037 £3,778
3.36%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.95
4.74
-16.67%

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

Last update for Solingen: October 12, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Solingen
$611
London
$2.2K 266% $1.6K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Solingen
$391
London
$430 10% $39
Groceries & Markets
Solingen
$344
London
$349 1.6% $5.6
Eating Out
Solingen
$300
London
$388 29.3% $88
Clothing & Footwear
Solingen
$186
London
$205 10% $19
Getting Around
Solingen
$99
London
$285 188% $186
Sport & Entertainment
Solingen
$70
London
$95 35.7% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $842 in Solingen 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 3% higher in Solingen, 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 $73.0 in Solingen versus $107 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $344 vs $349 – making Solingen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇩🇪 Solingen
🇬🇧 London
🕒 Local time
21:25 9:25 PM
20:25 8:25 PM
1 h behind Solingen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
164,205
8,908,083 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Solingen London 500 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Solingen
  • 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
Solingen vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Solingen and in London compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,001 in Solingen, $3,986 in London – roughly 99% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in Solingen compared to London?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,001 per month in Solingen 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 Solingen and London?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Solingen, 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 2% 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 $73.0 in Solingen 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 $2,500 per month?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Solingen, where all-in costs run around $2,001, than in London at $3,986. In Solingen it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Solingen and London?
It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,001 in Solingen to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Solingen 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 Solingen and London?
If budget matters most, go with Solingen. 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.

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