Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulm and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulm: $2,139 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $23,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Ulm
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Ulm Living Index
196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Ulm

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,139

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,139 per month in Ulm vs $4,086 in London, rent included.

Ulm $2,139
London $4,086

A couple spends around $3,265 per month in Ulm vs $5,816 in London, rent included.

Ulm $3,265
London $5,816

A family of three spends $4,390 per month in Ulm vs $7,546 in London, rent included.

Ulm $4,390
London $7,546

Ulm is about 48% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Ulm and London sit above the global median – Ulm by 60%, London by 205%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.64 €14.85

$26.62 £20.11

-37.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.4 €59.3

$108 £81.3

-38.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.29 €11.86

$10.39 £7.85

27.91%

Cappuccino

$3.80 €3.39

$5.79 £4.38

-34.37%

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

$4.67 €4.16

$3.01 £2.27

55.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.73

$2.15 £1.63

-10.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.67 €4.17

$9.35 £7.06

-50.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 €3.95

$7.84 £5.93

-43.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 €1.30

$1.79 £1.35

-18.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.06 £1.56

-3.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.18 €3.73

$2.31 £1.74

80.95%

Eggs

$3.61 €3.22

$5.05 £3.82

-28.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.40 €12.85

$12.57 £9.50

14.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.23 €9.13

$10.66 £8.05

-4.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.47 €22.73

$17.13 £12.94

48.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.48 €3.11

$3.03 £2.29

14.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.41 £1.07

59.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$3.05 £2.31

-35.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 €3.47

$3.38 £2.56

15.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.67 £1.26

-37.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.73 £1.31

-34.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.41 £1.07

19.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.79 £1.35

-32.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.97 €8.89

$23.22 £17.55

-57.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.03

$12.99 £9.82

-56.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$3.18 £2.40

-63.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$4.41 £3.33

-66.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.19 €2.84

$3.87 £2.93

-17.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.6 €57.7

$250 £189

-74.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 £4.31

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 £2.51

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.9 £43.76

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.04 £1.54

3.43%

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

$32.7K €29.2K

$37.5K £28.4K

-12.89%

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

$38.6K €34.5K

$40.9K £30.9K

-5.56%

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

$384 €342

$376 £284

2.04%

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

$34.18 €30.50

$17.88 £13.51

91.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.8 €47.12

$40.01 £30.24

31.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.91 €30.26

$61.2 £46.22

-44.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.47 €20.05

$21.07 £15.93

6.64%

Cinema Ticket

$13.50 €12.05

$17.95 £13.57

-24.79%

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

$451 €402

$2,865 £2,165

-84.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.5K

$35.3K £26.7K

-63.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.9

$116 £87.7

-21.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 €49.37

$54.1 £40.87

2.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.4 €82.5

$127 £95.7

-27.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 €134

$159 £120

-5.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$958 €855

$2,853 £2,156

-66.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$2,301 £1,739

-67.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 €1,684

$5,201 £3,931

-63.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 €1,352

$3,723 £2,813

-59.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,993 €5,349

$19.0K £14.4K

-68.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,946 €3,522

$7,881 £5,955

-49.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,754 €3,350

$4,818 £3,641

-22.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.97

4.65

-14.62%

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

Last update for Ulm: October 4, 2026

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ulm

$756 35%

London

$2.3K 56.5% 205% $1.5K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulm

$471 21.8%

London

$434 10.7% 7.8% $37

Groceries & Markets

Ulm

$341 15.8%

London

$349 8.6% 2.4% $8.3

Eating Out

Ulm

$277 12.9%

London

$397 9.7% 43.1% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Ulm

$175 8.1%

London

$205 5% 17.4% $30

Getting Around

Ulm

$77 * 3.6%

London

$288 7.1% 272% $211

Sport & Entertainment

Ulm

$61 2.8%

London

$97 2.4% 59.3% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $958 in Ulm versus $2,853 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 28% 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 $66.0 in Ulm versus $108 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $341 vs $349 – making Ulm the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Ulm

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

09:31 9:31 AM

08:31 8:31 AM

1 h behind Ulm

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

121,648

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ulm London 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ulm
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

Ulm vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,139 in Ulm, $4,086 in London – roughly 91% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,208 per month in Ulm and $6,129 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Ulm and $108 in London. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Ulm, where all-in costs run around $2,139, than in London at $4,086. In Ulm it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,139 in Ulm to $4,086 in London. 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 Ulm. 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.