Amsterdam vs London
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Amsterdam edges it, 70 to 68, winning 6 of the 9 factors. Amsterdam is stronger on nothing outright; London on visa ease. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Bike-first canals and an international job market
Full Amsterdam profile →Where to stay in Amsterdam →Global hub with the deepest job market in Europe
Full London profile →Where to stay in London →Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Amsterdam | London |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 10 ✓ | 1 |
| Safety | 81 ✓ | 76 |
| Healthcare | 86 | 86 ✓ |
| Internet | 79 ✓ | 72 |
| Visa ease | 61 | 77 ✓ |
| Getting there & around | 96 ✓ | 95 |
| Climate | 33 ✓ | 25 |
| Air quality | 91 ✓ | 86 |
| Quality of life | 96 | 96 ✓ |
Cost
| Metric | Amsterdam | London |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one person | $3,591 ✓ | $4,559 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | $2,327 ✓ | $3,134 |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Amsterdam | London |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 0.66 ✓ | 0.93 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 75 ✓ | 70.7 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 85 | 88 ✓ |
| Life expectancy | 81.1 yrs ✓ | 80.1 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Amsterdam | London |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 63.4 Mbps ✓ | 50.9 Mbps |
| Upload | 19.3 Mbps ✓ | 8.9 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Amsterdam | London |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days ✓ | eTA required (online, before travel) |
| Entry, EU passport | unlimited | 180 days |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | home country ✓ |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Amsterdam | London |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 289 | 423 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 5 ✓ | 4 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 5 | 5 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Amsterdam | London |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 4 ✓ | 3 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 8.9 µg/m³ ✓ | 11.2 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Amsterdam or London?
- Amsterdam is cheaper: about $3,591 per month versus $4,559 for one person.
- Is Amsterdam or London safer?
- Amsterdam scores higher on safety (81 vs 76), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Amsterdam or London?
- Amsterdam: a measured median of 63.4 Mbps versus 50.9 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.