Cost of living in Germany
Summary of cost of living in Germany
- Family of four estimated monthly costs: €3,532
- Single person estimated monthly costs: €1,865
- Cost of living in Germany is cheaper than in 63% of countries in Western Europe (12 out of 19)
- Cost of living in Germany is more expensive than in 74% of countries in the World (26 out of 95)
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| Food | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district | €12 | ||
| Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) | €7 | ||
| 500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast | €3.86 | ||
| 1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk | €0.95 | ||
| 12 eggs, large | €2.88 | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes | €2.48 | ||
| 500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese | €5.24 | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of apples | €2.35 | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes | €1.64 | ||
| 0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket | €0.93 | ||
| 1 bottle of red table wine, good quality | €6 | ||
| 2 liters of coca-cola | €1.79 | ||
| Bread for 2 people for 1 day | €1.25 | ||
| Housing | |||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in expensive area | €1,475 | ||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in normal area | €1,105 | ||
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat | €201 | ||
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in expensive area | €910 | ||
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in normal area | €702 | ||
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 sqft) studio | €132 | ||
| Internet 8 mbps (1 month) | €23 | ||
| 40” flat screen tv | €401 | ||
| Microwave 800/900 watt (bosch, panasonic, lg, sharp, or equivalent brands) | €87 | ||
| Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) | €5.98 | ||
| Hourly rate for cleaning help | €13 | ||
| Clothes | |||
| 1 pair of jeans (levis 501 or similar) | €80 | ||
| 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) | €91 | ||
| 1 pair of men’s leather business shoes | €112 | ||
| Transportation | |||
| Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new | €21,012 | ||
| 1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas | €1.42 | ||
| Monthly ticket public transport | €76 | ||
| Personal Care | |||
| Cold medicine for 6 days (tylenol, frenadol, coldrex, or equivalent brands) | €6 | ||
| 1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) | €11 | ||
| Short visit to private doctor (15 minutes) | €54 | ||
| 1 box of 32 tampons (tampax, ob, ...) | €3.83 | ||
| Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) | €2.04 | ||
| Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) | €2.33 | ||
| 4 rolls of toilet paper | €1.31 | ||
| Tube of toothpaste | €1.54 | ||
| Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city | €19 | ||
| Entertainment | |||
| Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub | €34 | ||
| 2 tickets to the movies | €21 | ||
| 2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) | €85 | ||
| Dinner for two at an italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert | €57 | ||
| 1 cocktail drink in downtown club | €9 | ||
| Cappuccino in expat area of the city | €3.17 | ||
| 1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) | €3.69 | ||
| Ipad wi-fi 128gb | €454 | ||
| 1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) | €0.10 | ||
| 1 month of gym membership in business district | €40 | ||
| 1 package of marlboro cigarettes | €7 | ||
Map of Cost of Living in Germany
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 | Frankfurt am Main | 162 |
| 2nd | Munich | 158 |
| 3rd | Cologne | 152 |
| 4th | Hamburg | 150 |
| 5th | Düsseldorf | 144 |
| 6th | Stuttgart | 143 |
| 7th | Berlin | 140 |
| 8th | Bonn | 138 |
| 9th | Nuremberg | 137 |
| 10th | Essen | 131 |
| 11th | Freiburg | 131 |
| 12th | Bremen | 131 |
| 13th | Karlsruhe | 131 |
| 14th | Mannheim | 130 |
| 15th | Hanover | 130 |
| 16th | Dortmund | 127 |
| 17th | Darmstadt | 127 |
| 18th | Leipzig | 121 |
| 19th | Saarbrücken | 121 |
| 20th | Dresden | 119 |
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.
Get a salary calculation for:
List of all cities available in Germany
Recent Comparisons
- Cost of living in Berlin is 68% more expensive than in Belgrade
- Cost of living in Berlin is 75% more expensive than in Bucharest
- Cost of living in Berlin is 33% cheaper than in London
- Cost of living in Berlin is 29% cheaper than in Dublin
- Cost of living in Berlin is 7% more expensive than in Madrid
- Cost of living in Berlin is 43% cheaper than in New York City
- Cost of living in Düsseldorf is 34% more expensive than in Seville
- Cost of living in Düsseldorf is 76% more expensive than in Bogotá
- Cost of living in Berlin is about the same as in Barcelona
- Cost of living in Berlin is 43% more expensive than in Santiago
- Cost of living in Frankfurt am Main is 83% more expensive than in Manila
- Cost of living in Berlin is 23% more expensive than in Athens
- Cost of living in Ulm is 22% cheaper than in Dallas, Texas
- Cost of living in Berlin is 23% cheaper than in Amsterdam
- Cost of living in Munich is 23% more expensive than in Madrid
- Cost of living in Berlin is 118% more expensive than in Buenos Aires
- Cost of living in Berlin is 45% more expensive than in Brasília
- Cost of living in Berlin is about the same as in Rome
- Cost of living in Berlin is 42% cheaper than in San Francisco, California
- Cost of living in Stuttgart is 17% more expensive than in Bilbao
Compare other countries
Prices recently added
- Internet connection 300 mbps, 1 month in Berlin costs €45 (about 4 hours ago)
- 400 ml hair shampoo 2-in-1 in Berlin costs €5.00 (about 22 hours ago)
- Public transport in Wiesbaden costs €66 (1 day ago)
- One-way ticket in public transport in Kassel costs €1.80 (1 day ago)
- Monthly rent - 45 m2 furnished studio in expensive area in Düsseldorf costs €600 (2 days ago)
- 1 pack of marlboro cigarettes in Cologne costs €6.00 (2 days ago)
- 1 month of gym membership in business district in Cologne costs €40 (2 days ago)
- Ipad wi-fi 128gb in Cologne costs €400 (2 days ago)
- 500 ml beer in neighbourhood pub in Cologne costs €4.00 (2 days ago)
- Cappuccino in expat area of the city in Cologne costs €4.00 (2 days ago)