Cost of living in Germany

Summary of cost of living in Germany

  • Family of four estimated monthly costs: €4,461
  • Single person estimated monthly costs: €2,485
  • Cost of living in Germany is cheaper than in 67% of countries in Western Europe (12 out of 18)
  • Cost of living in Germany is more expensive than in 67% of countries in the World (23 out of 66)
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Food
Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district €14
Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) €10
500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast €6.00
1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk €1.22
12 eggs, large €4.28
1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes €3.00
500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese €6
1 kg (2 lb.) of apples €2.59
1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes €1.87
0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket €1.09
1 bottle of red table wine, good quality €7
2 liters of coca-cola €1.92
Bread for 2 people for 1 day €1.88
Housing
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in expensive area €2,001
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in normal area €1,574
Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat €227
Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in expensive area €1,239
Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in normal area €904
Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 sqft) studio €163
Internet 8 mbps (1 month) €37
40” flat screen tv €367
Microwave 800/900 watt (bosch, panasonic, lg, sharp, or equivalent brands) €111
Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) €6
Hourly rate for cleaning help €18
Clothes
1 pair of jeans (levis 501 or similar) €86
1 summer dress in a high street store (zara, h&m or similar retailers) €38
1 pair of sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) €89
1 pair of men’s leather business shoes €120
Transportation
Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new €33,039
1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas €1.82
Monthly ticket public transport €51
Personal Care
Cold medicine for 6 days (tylenol, frenadol, coldrex, or equivalent brands) €9
1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) €16
Short visit to private doctor (15 minutes) €72
1 box of 32 tampons (tampax, ob, ...) €3.99
Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) €2.99
Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) €3.20
4 rolls of toilet paper €1.98
Tube of toothpaste €1.68
Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city €21
Entertainment
Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub €46
2 tickets to the movies €25
2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) €84
Dinner for two at an italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert €67
1 cocktail drink in downtown club €10
Cappuccino in expat area of the city €3.73
1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) €4.43
Ipad wi-fi 128gb €578
1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) €0.13
1 month of gym membership in business district €40
1 package of marlboro cigarettes €8

Moving to Germany with your children?

International Schools in Germany

Map of Cost of Living in Germany

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This map shows only the top cities in Germany. We also have on this page a list of all the cities available in Expatistan:
List of all the cities available in Expatistan

The color of each marker corresponds with the cost of living in the city red markers show more expensive cities green ones show cheaper cities
Moving the mouse on top of a city will show its name and the Cost of Living Index of that city.

What is the Cost of Living Index? To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a central reference city (that happens to be Prague). Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.
Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.

Cost of Living Ranking in Germany

(top cities by data quality)

Ranking City Price Index *
1st Berlin 132
2nd Munich 132
3rd Frankfurt am Main 132
4th Cologne 128
5th Hamburg 123
6th Düsseldorf 119
7th Bonn 118
8th Stuttgart 118
9th Karlsruhe 113
10th Freiburg 108
11th Regensburg 106
12th Darmstadt 105
13th Dortmund 105
14th Essen 104
15th Leipzig 102
16th Dresden 97

Price Index:

To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a central reference city (that happens to be Prague). Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.
Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.

Are you moving to Germany? Do you know how much money you will need there to maintain your current standard of living?

Find out what is the real equivalent in Germany of your current salary and improve your chances of a happy relocation.

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Prices recently added

  • Monthly rent - 85 m2 furnished accommodation in expensive area in Darmstadt costs €800 (1 day ago)
  • Monthly rent - 45 m2 furnished studio in expensive area in Munich costs €2,000 (2 days ago)
  • Public transport in Leipzig costs €49 (4 days ago)
  • Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new in Leipzig costs €27,180 (4 days ago)
  • Monthly rent - 45 m2 furnished studio in expensive area in Munich costs €1,500 (5 days ago)
  • 1 month of gym membership in business district in Düsseldorf costs €90 (5 days ago)
  • Cappuccino in expat area of the city in Düsseldorf costs €5.00 (5 days ago)
  • Basic dinner out in neighborhood pub, dinner for two in Düsseldorf costs €20 (5 days ago)
  • Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city in Düsseldorf costs €15 (5 days ago)
  • 400 ml hair shampoo 2-in-1 in Düsseldorf costs €4.00 (5 days ago)

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