Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Utrecht and Southampton

For one person, living is cheaper in Southampton: $2,655 a month against $2,987 in Utrecht, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

142

Cost of Living Index in Utrecht
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Utrecht Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Southampton
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Southampton Living Index

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Utrecht

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,987

/mo nomad

Southampton

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,655

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Utrecht and in Southampton

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

A single person spends $2,987 per month in Utrecht vs $2,655 in Southampton, rent included.

Utrecht $2,987
Southampton $2,655

A couple spends around $4,205 per month in Utrecht vs $3,818 in Southampton, rent included.

Utrecht $4,205
Southampton $3,818

A family of three spends $5,423 per month in Utrecht vs $4,981 in Southampton, rent included.

Utrecht $5,423
Southampton $4,981

Utrecht costs about 13% more than Southampton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Utrecht and Southampton sit above the global median – Utrecht by 120%, Southampton by 95%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.74 €20.43

$26.76 £20.11

-15.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.0 €75.5

$89.6 £67.3

-6.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.55 €12.18

$11.12 £8.35

21.85%

Cappuccino

$4.78 €4.30

$5.43 £4.08

-11.97%

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

$3.84 €3.45

$2.98 £2.24

28.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 €3.04

$2.24 £1.69

51.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.59 €5.92

$7.46 £5.61

-11.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.15 €6.43

$6.75 £5.07

5.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.99 £1.50

-24.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.98 €2.68

$1.72 £1.29

73.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.54 €2.28

$3.04 £2.28

-16.45%

Eggs

$4.68 €4.20

$4.42 £3.32

5.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.36 €12.00

$9.84 £7.39

35.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.92 €12.51

$9.68 £7.27

43.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.68 €16.78

$14.44 £10.85

29.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 €2.46

$2.86 £2.15

-4.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.15

$1.75 £1.32

37.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 €1.87

$2.84 £2.13

-26.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.78 €3.40

$3.39 £2.55

11.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.84 £1.38

-5.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 €1.69

$1.58 £1.19

18.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 €1.43

$1.21 £0.91

31.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.24

$1.82 £1.37

-24.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.42 €12.96

$21.33 £16.03

-32.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.82 €6.13

$11.13 £8.36

-38.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.22

$2.96 £2.22

-54.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 €2.40

$3.40 £2.56

-21.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.55 €3.19

$3.32 £2.49

6.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$132 €119

$78.1 £58.7

69.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 €3.35

$4.31 £3.24

-13.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.73 €2.45

$1.95 £1.47

40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.56 €40.93

$32.03 £24.07

42.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.16 £1.63

19.91%

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

$41.0K €36.9K

$38.2K £28.7K

7.40%

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

$40.1K €36.0K

$40.9K £30.7K

-1.97%

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

$245 €220

$327 £246

-25.06%

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

$21.75 €19.54

$29.33 £22.04

-25.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.16 €43.27

$53.3 £40.03

-9.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.24 €39.75

$37.74 £28.37

17.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.25 €28.08

$16.78 £12.61

86.23%

Cinema Ticket

$15.06 €13.53

$15.96 £11.99

-5.64%

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

$3,274 €2,941

$1,886 £1,417

73.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,994 €7,183

$18.3K £13.8K

-56.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.1 €83.7

$106 £79.6

-12.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.5 €46.26

$51.4 £38.59

0.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.2

$102 £76.9

0.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 €113

$131 £98.3

-3.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,945 €1,747

$1,520 £1,142

27.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,558 €1,400

$1,190 £894

30.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,128 €2,811

$2,360 £1,774

32.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,229 €2,003

$1,812 £1,361

23.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,109 €6,388

$5,632 £4,233

26.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,877 €4,382

$4,849 £3,645

0.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,245 €3,814

$3,372 £2,534

25.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.23

4.96

-34.88%

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

Last update for Utrecht: October 26, 2026

Last update for Southampton: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Utrecht

$1.6K 52.2%

Southampton

$1.2K 44.8% 23.6% $368

Eating Out

Utrecht

$356 11.9%

Southampton

$384 14.5% 7.9% $28

Groceries & Markets

Utrecht

$352 11.8%

Southampton

$320 12.1% 9.1% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Utrecht

$315 10.5%

Southampton

$410 15.4% 30% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Utrecht

$168 5.6%

Southampton

$176 6.6% 4.7% $7.9

Getting Around

Utrecht

$164 5.5%

Southampton

$105 4% 35.6% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Utrecht

$74 2.5%

Southampton

$70 2.6% 6.3% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,945 in Utrecht versus $1,520 in Southampton. 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 26% higher in Utrecht. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84 in Utrecht versus $90 in Southampton. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Utrecht vs $320 in Southampton – so Southampton wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Utrecht

🇬🇧 Southampton

🕒 Local time

17:51 5:51 PM

16:51 4:51 PM

1 h behind Utrecht

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

367,947

228,600

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Utrecht Southampton 470 km

From you

Utrecht
Southampton

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

Utrecht vs Southampton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,987 in Utrecht, $2,655 in Southampton – roughly 13% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,481 per month in Utrecht and $3,982 in Southampton. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,520 there versus $1,945 in Utrecht.

Kindergarten costs $3,274 per month in Utrecht and $1,886 in Southampton. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Utrecht, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Southampton costs $2,655 versus $2,987 in Utrecht. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.