Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Southampton and Utrecht

For one person, living is cheaper in Southampton: $2,661 a month against $2,876 in Utrecht, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Southampton
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Southampton Living Index
141

Cost of Living Index in Utrecht
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Utrecht Living Index

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Southampton

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,661

/mo nomad

Utrecht

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,876

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,661 per month in Southampton vs $2,876 in Utrecht, rent included.

Southampton $2,661
Utrecht $2,876

A couple spends around $3,866 per month in Southampton vs $4,129 in Utrecht, rent included.

Southampton $3,866
Utrecht $4,129

A family of three spends $5,072 per month in Southampton vs $5,382 in Utrecht, rent included.

Southampton $5,072
Utrecht $5,382

Southampton is about 7% cheaper than Utrecht, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Southampton and Utrecht sit above the global median – Southampton by 97%, Utrecht by 113%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.39 £19.80

$22.38 €19.90

17.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.6 £67.2

$85.1 €75.7

5.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.04 £8.28

$13.54 €12.04

-18.46%

Cappuccino

$5.19 £3.90

$4.58 €4.08

13.32%

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

$2.98 £2.24

$3.87 €3.44

-23.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 £1.61

$3.28 €2.92

-34.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.70 £5.78

$6.76 €6.01

13.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.80 £5.10

$7.23 €6.43

-5.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 £1.48

$1.54 €1.37

28.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 £1.27

$2.89 €2.57

-41.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.85 £2.14

$2.51 €2.23

13.55%

Eggs

$4.30 £3.22

$4.73 €4.21

-9.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.41 £7.06

$13.21 €11.75

-28.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.60 £7.20

$13.86 €12.33

-30.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 £10.47

$19.03 €16.93

-26.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 £2.19

$2.69 €2.39

8.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 £1.32

$2.37 €2.10

-25.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 £2.14

$2.16 €1.92

32.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.49 £2.62

$3.82 €3.40

-8.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 £1.36

$1.67 €1.48

8.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.89 €1.68

-17.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 £0.91

$1.58 €1.41

-22.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 £1.28

$1.36 €1.21

25.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.17 £15.88

$14.60 €12.99

45.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.82 £8.12

$6.71 €5.97

61.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.93 £2.19

$1.33 €1.18

120.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 £2.59

$2.71 €2.41

27.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 £2.29

$3.67 €3.27

-16.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.0 £64.5

$134 €119

-35.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.26 £3.19

$3.77 €3.35

13.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 £1.46

$2.70 €2.40

-28.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.83 £23.88

$44.46 €39.54

-28.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.60

$2.56 €2.27

-16.41%

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

$38.7K £29.0K

$41.0K €36.4K

-5.66%

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

$41.0K £30.8K

$39.4K €35.1K

4.08%

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

$322 £241

$240 €214

33.96%

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

$29.00 £21.76

$21.52 €19.14

34.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.6 £39.46

$48.22 €42.90

9.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.24 £31.69

$44.50 €39.58

-5.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 £12.29

$31.38 €27.91

-47.80%

Cinema Ticket

$15.65 £11.74

$15.87 €14.12

-1.39%

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

$1,565 £1,174

$3,059 €2,721

-48.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K £13.5K

$8,154 €7,253

120.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 £77.7

$93.4 €83.1

10.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 £38.18

$51.3 €45.64

-0.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.6

$103 €92.0

-1.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 £96.5

$122 €108

5.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,512 £1,135

$1,841 €1,638

-17.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 £904

$1,455 €1,294

-17.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,404 £1,803

$3,208 €2,853

-25.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,917 £1,438

$2,194 €1,951

-12.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,790 £4,343

$6,832 €6,077

-15.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,444 £4,084

$4,670 €4,154

16.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,299 £2,475

$4,240 €3,771

-22.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.96

3.23

53.56%

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

Last update for Southampton: October 12, 2026

Last update for Utrecht: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Southampton

$1.2K 45.3%

Utrecht

$1.5K 50.6% 20.7% $250

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Southampton

$403 15.2%

Utrecht

$310 10.8% 23.2% $93

Eating Out

Southampton

$379 14.3%

Utrecht

$352 12.2% 7.3% $28

Groceries & Markets

Southampton

$315 11.8%

Utrecht

$352 12.2% 11.8% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Southampton

$173 6.5%

Utrecht

$166 5.8% 4% $6.9

Getting Around

Southampton

$112 4.2%

Utrecht

$166 5.8% 47.6% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Southampton

$74 2.8%

Utrecht

$76 2.7% 3.7% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,512 in Southampton 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 29% higher in Utrecht, 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 $90.0 in Southampton versus $85.0 in Utrecht. Groceries tell a different story – $315 in Southampton vs $352 in Utrecht – so Southampton wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Southampton

🇳🇱 Utrecht

🕒 Local time

20:59 8:59 PM

21:59 9:59 PM

1 h ahead of Southampton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

228,600

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Southampton Utrecht 470 km

From you

Southampton
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

Southampton vs Utrecht: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,661 in Southampton, $2,876 in Utrecht – roughly 8% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,991 per month in Southampton 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 Southampton, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,565 per month in Southampton and $3,059 in Utrecht. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Utrecht, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,661 in Southampton and $2,876 in Utrecht. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Southampton has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,661 in Southampton to $2,876 in Utrecht. 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 Southampton. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Utrecht makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.