Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and the Netherlands

Name: Netherlands
Address: NL

For one person, living is cheaper in the United Kingdom: $2,478 a month against $2,694 in the Netherlands, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in the Netherlands
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Netherlands Living Index

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,478

/mo nomad

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,694

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United Kingdom and in the Netherlands

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

A single person spends $2,478 per month in the United Kingdom vs $2,694 in the Netherlands, rent included.

United Kingdom $2,478
Netherlands $2,694

A couple spends around $3,608 per month in the United Kingdom vs $3,888 in the Netherlands, rent included.

United Kingdom $3,608
Netherlands $3,888

A family of three spends $4,739 per month in the United Kingdom vs $5,081 in the Netherlands, rent included.

United Kingdom $4,739
Netherlands $5,081

Cost ranges are similar: the United Kingdom spans $1,143–$4,049, the Netherlands $1,207–$3,496. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in the United Kingdom is roughly 8% lower than in the Netherlands on average.

Both the United Kingdom and the Netherlands are pricier than the global median – the United Kingdom by 83%, the Netherlands by 99%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.61 £16.21

$22.27 €19.81

-2.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.7 £65.8

$89.0 €79.2

-1.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 £8.12

$13.79 €12.26

-21.54%

Cappuccino

$4.77 £3.58

$4.16 €3.70

14.66%

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

$2.64 £1.98

$3.60 €3.20

-26.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 £1.41

$3.05 €2.72

-38.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.59 £4.94

$6.61 €5.88

-0.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.56 £4.92

$5.72 €5.09

14.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.32 €1.17

24.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 £1.23

$2.25 €2.01

-26.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 £1.68

$2.69 €2.39

-17.10%

Eggs

$4.06 £3.05

$4.71 €4.19

-13.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.64 £7.23

$13.73 €12.21

-29.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.14 £6.86

$14.11 €12.55

-35.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.08

$17.27 €15.36

-14.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 £2.19

$2.66 €2.36

9.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 £1.24

$2.49 €2.21

-33.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 £2.10

$2.08 €1.85

34.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.32 £2.49

$4.08 €3.63

-18.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 £1.36

$1.80 €1.60

0.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 £1.17

$1.87 €1.67

-16.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.93

$1.28 €1.14

-3.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.25

$0.88 €0.78

88.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.79 £17.85

$14.16 €12.59

68.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.46 £7.85

$6.66 €5.92

57.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 £2.21

$1.50 €1.33

96.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 £2.54

$2.55 €2.27

32.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.51 £2.63

$3.75 €3.34

-6.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 £78.3

$95.2 €84.7

9.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.42 £4.06

$4.73 €4.21

14.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 £1.80

$3.00 €2.67

-20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.06 £20.30

$34.06 €30.30

-20.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 £1.47

$2.43 €2.16

-19.34%

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

$38.7K £29.0K

$41.6K €37.0K

-7.08%

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

$41.2K £30.9K

$38.8K €34.5K

6.30%

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

$323 £242

$259 €230

24.71%

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

$18.55 £13.92

$22.93 €20.39

-19.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.14 £31.61

$50.3 €44.74

-16.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 £35.08

$42.07 €37.42

11.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.95 £13.47

$26.22 €23.33

-31.54%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.39

$15.68 €13.94

-11.67%

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

$1,725 £1,294

$2,185 €1,944

-21.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £16.9K

$8,876 €7,896

154.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.8 £69.6

$94.7 €84.3

-2.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.58 £34.94

$42.95 €38.20

8.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.5

$102 €90.8

-0.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.6

$132 €117

-22.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,348 £1,011

$1,648 €1,465

-18.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 £824

$1,314 €1,169

-16.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,160 £1,620

$2,547 €2,266

-15.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,745 £1,309

$1,985 €1,766

-12.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,578 £4,184

$6,600 €5,871

-15.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 £3,315

$4,779 €4,251

-7.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,358 £2,519

$3,787 €3,369

-11.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

3.87

37.47%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 20, 2026

Last update for the Netherlands: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 44.3%

Netherlands

$1.3K 48.8% 19.7% $216

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$384 15.5%

Netherlands

$332 12.3% 13.4% $51

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$327 13.2%

Netherlands

$341 12.6% 4.2% $14

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$305 12.3%

Netherlands

$337 12.5% 10.3% $31

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$155 6.2%

Netherlands

$167 6.2% 8.2% $13

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$136 5.5%

Netherlands

$130 4.8% 4.3% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$74 3%

Netherlands

$73 2.7% 1.4% $1

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,265 in the United Kingdom vs $1,410 in the Netherlands. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,852 in London and $2,654 in Amsterdam.

Average salary: $3,250 in the United Kingdom vs $3,603 in the Netherlands. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 11% higher in the Netherlands.

Salaries are 11% higher in the Netherlands.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇳🇱 Netherlands

🕒 Local time

17:31 5:31 PM

18:31 6:31 PM

1 h ahead of the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

17,100,715

💱 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 24, 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 24, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

United Kingdom Netherlands 360 km

From you

United Kingdom
Netherlands

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

United Kingdom vs Netherlands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

The United Kingdom is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 9% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the Netherlands: a central one-bedroom averages $1,410 versus $1,265 in the United Kingdom.

$4,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in the United Kingdom, but in the Netherlands it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

The United Kingdom is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.