Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waterloo and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Waterloo: $2,259 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $20,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Waterloo
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Waterloo Living Index
194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Waterloo

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,259

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,259 per month in Waterloo vs $3,986 in London, rent included.

Waterloo $2,259
London $3,986

A couple spends around $3,111 per month in Waterloo vs $5,791 in London, rent included.

Waterloo $3,111
London $5,791

A family of three spends $3,962 per month in Waterloo vs $7,595 in London, rent included.

Waterloo $3,962
London $7,595

Waterloo is about 43% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Waterloo and London sit above the global median – Waterloo by 67%, London by 195%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.30 €19.83

$25.93 £19.45

-14.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 €89.6

$107 £79.9

-5.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.79 €13.16

$10.71 £8.03

38.10%

Cappuccino

$4.53 €4.03

$5.47 £4.11

-17.18%

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

$3.79 €3.37

$2.97 £2.23

27.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 €2.83

$2.20 £1.65

44.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.63 €5.00

$9.13 £6.85

-38.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.48 €4.87

$7.94 £5.96

-30.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.86 £1.40

-30.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.07 £1.55

28.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$2.42 £1.81

-7.85%

Eggs

$3.99 €3.55

$5.09 £3.82

-21.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.65 €15.70

$12.87 £9.66

37.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.25 €10.90

$10.43 £7.82

17.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.60 €17.43

$16.87 £12.66

16.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 €2.50

$3.11 £2.33

-9.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 €2.17

$1.40 £1.05

74.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 €2.54

$3.08 £2.31

-7.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$3.27 £2.45

-14.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.58 £1.19

37.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.74 £1.31

13.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.40 £1.05

-5.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.80 £1.35

-42.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.93 €11.50

$23.28 £17.46

-44.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.74 €7.77

$13.03 £9.77

-32.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 €1.75

$3.17 £2.38

-38.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.13

$4.42 £3.32

-45.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.65 €2.36

$4.07 £3.05

-34.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 €2.61

$5.58 £4.18

-47.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 €1.98

$3.36 £2.52

-33.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.93 €36.41

$56.8 £42.57

-27.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.86

$2.13 £1.60

-1.41%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$38.2K £28.6K

-7.68%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$40.9K £30.7K

-17.62%

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

$224 €199

$372 £279

-39.88%

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

$21.29 €18.94

$17.82 £13.37

19.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.59 €44.10

$40.37 £30.29

22.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.89 €28.36

$60.0 £44.99

-46.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.37 €18.11

$21.29 £15.97

-4.32%

Cinema Ticket

$15.93 €14.17

$17.74 £13.31

-10.20%

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

$788 €701

$2,864 £2,149

-72.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.5K €23.6K

$35.3K £26.5K

-25.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.0

$114 £85.5

-11.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.40 €40.38

$54.3 £40.71

-16.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.1

$124 £93.2

-11.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 €131

$163 £122

-9.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 €943

$2,869 £2,152

-63.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$998 €888

$2,233 £1,675

-55.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 €1,247

$5,266 £3,950

-73.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 €902

$3,778 £2,834

-73.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,096 €3,643

$18.3K £13.8K

-77.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,821 €2,509

$8,024 £6,019

-64.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,468 €2,195

$5,037 £3,778

-51.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.71

4.74

-21.73%

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

Last update for Waterloo: October 11, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Waterloo

$998 44.2%

London

$2.2K 56% 124% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Waterloo

$352 15.6%

London

$349 8.8% 0.7% $2.5

Eating Out

Waterloo

$344 15.2%

London

$388 9.7% 12.6% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waterloo

$295 13%

London

$430 10.8% 46.1% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Waterloo

$182 8.1%

London

$205 5.1% 12.7% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Waterloo

$64 2.8%

London

$95 2.4% 49.7% $32

Getting Around

Waterloo

$25 * 1.1%

London

$285 7.2% 1058% $261

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,061 in Waterloo 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 104% 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 $101 in Waterloo versus $107 in London. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Waterloo vs $349 in London – so London wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Waterloo

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

23:07 11:07 PM

22:07 10:07 PM

1 h behind Waterloo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,649

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Waterloo London 330 km

From you

Waterloo
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

Waterloo vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,259 in Waterloo, $3,986 in London – roughly 76% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,389 per month in Waterloo and $5,979 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,259 in Waterloo and $3,986 in London. That's a gap of about 76%.

Kindergarten costs $788 per month in Waterloo and $2,864 in London. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Waterloo, where all-in costs run around $2,259, than in London at $3,986. In Waterloo 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 $2,259 in Waterloo to $3,986 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 Waterloo. 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.