Lower than central London actually - though London does have better public transport so commuting from 50/70 miles away isn't that much of a drag
Fuel is indeed rather more expensive in Europe (certainly UK, plus single person's sample abroad). :/
Everybody I know who's gone to America has just ended up buying a larger car with a bigger engine to compensate for the prices. (By European standards, driving-related articles seem to be very cheap in America; obviously fuel is the most famous example, but new cars are inexpensive too.) So I'm sure their total car-related expenditure is about the same.