Cost of living in Germany
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:
| Food | ||
|---|---|---|
| Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district | €11 | |
| Combo meal in fast food restaurant (Big Mac Meal or similar) | €7 | |
| 500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast | €3.78 | |
| 1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk | €0.96 | |
| 12 eggs, large | €3.01 | |
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes | €2.61 | |
| 500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese | €5.10 | |
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of apples | €2.35 | |
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes | €1.55 | |
| 0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket | €0.97 | |
| 1 bottle of red table wine, good quality | €7 | |
| 2 liters of Coca-Cola | €1.73 | |
| Bread for 2 people for 1 day | €1.31 | |
| Housing | ||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 Sqft) furnished accommodation in EXPENSIVE area | €1,406 | |
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 Sqft) furnished accommodation in NORMAL area | €1,082 | |
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat | €191 | |
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 Sqft) furnished studio in EXPENSIVE area | €857 | |
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 Sqft) furnished studio in NORMAL area | €639 | |
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 Sqft) studio | €119 | |
| Internet 8 Mbps (1 month) | €24 | |
| 40” flat screen TV | €399 | |
| Microwave 800/900 Watt (Bosch, Panasonic, LG, Sharp, or equivalent brands) | €81 | |
| Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) | €5.18 | |
| Hourly rate for cleaning help | €13 | |
| Clothes | ||
| 1 pair of jeans (Levis 501 or similar) | €81 | |
| 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) | €88 | |
| 1 pair of men’s leather business shoes | €117 | |
| Transportation | ||
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI 150 CV (or equivalent), with no extras, new | €19,809 | |
| 1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas | €1.32 | |
| Monthly ticket public transport | €73 | |
| Personal Care | ||
| Cold medicine for 6 days (Tylenol, Frenadol, Coldrex, or equivalent brands) | €8 | |
| 1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) | €9 | |
| Short visit to private Doctor (15 minutes) | €59 | |
| 1 box of 32 tampons (Tampax, OB, ...) | €3.41 | |
| Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) | €2.13 | |
| Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) | €1.99 | |
| 4 rolls of toilet paper | €1.26 | |
| Tube of toothpaste | €1.41 | |
| Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city | €19 | |
| Entertainment | ||
| Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub | €32 | |
| 2 tickets to the movies | €21 | |
| 2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) | €107 | |
| Dinner for two at an Italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert | €50 | |
| 1 cocktail drink in downtown club | €9 | |
| Cappuccino in expat area of the city | €3.12 | |
| 1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) | €3.46 | |
| iPad Wi-Fi 128GB | €460 | |
| 1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) | €0.22 | |
| 1 month of gym membership in business district | €44 | |
| 1 package of Marlboro cigarettes | €6 | |
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.
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 | Munich | 167 |
| 2nd | Frankfurt am Main | 157 |
| 3rd | Hamburg | 154 |
| 4th | Cologne | 153 |
| 5th | Düsseldorf | 149 |
| 6th | Berlin | 146 |
| 7th | Stuttgart | 145 |
| 8th | Bonn | 143 |
| 9th | Nuremberg | 139 |
| 10th | Essen | 137 |
| 11th | Hanover | 135 |
| 12th | Darmstadt | 134 |
| 13th | Mannheim | 133 |
| 14th | Bremen | 132 |
| 15th | Dortmund | 129 |
| 16th | Karlsruhe | 126 |
| 17th | Dresden | 126 |
| 18th | Leipzig | 121 |
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 Frankfurt am Main is 31% cheaper than in London
- Cost of living in Berlin is 59% more expensive than in Santo Domingo
- Cost of living in Berlin is 36% cheaper than in London
- Cost of living in Berlin is 13% cheaper than in Munich
- Cost of living in Leipzig is about the same as in Athens
- Cost of living in Berlin is 73% more expensive than in Istanbul
- Cost of living in Berlin is 21% cheaper than in Amsterdam
- Cost of living in Munich is 28% more expensive than in Montreal
- Cost of living in Berlin is 61% more expensive than in Bogotá
- Cost of living in Munich is 26% cheaper than in London
- Cost of living in Berlin is 28% cheaper than in Paris
- Cost of living in Hamburg is 92% more expensive than in Mumbai
- Cost of living in Stuttgart is 21% cheaper than in Seattle, Washington
- Cost of living in Munich is 17% more expensive than in Jeju
- Cost of living in Munich is 27% cheaper than in New York City
- Cost of living in Düsseldorf is 17% cheaper than in Chicago, Illinois
- Cost of living in Munich is 77% more expensive than in Budapest
- Cost of living in Berlin is 7% more expensive than in Madrid
- Cost of living in Kiel is 4% cheaper than in Scottsdale, Arizona
- Cost of living in Berlin is 54% more expensive than in Budapest
Compare other countries
Recent Prices Added
- 12 doses box of antibiotics in Nuremberg costs €15 (1 day ago)
- Monthly rent - 85 m2 furnished accommodation in expensive area in Hamburg costs €1,800 (2 days ago)
- 1 liter of gasoline in Munich costs €1.49 (2 days ago)
- Sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) in Munich costs €100 (2 days ago)
- Monthly rent - 45 m2 furnished studio in expensive area in Augsburg costs €520 (3 days ago)
- 1 pack of marlboro cigarettes in Münster costs €6.00 (3 days ago)
- 1 month of gym membership in business district in Münster costs €20 (3 days ago)
- One-way ticket in public transport in Münster costs €2.40 (3 days ago)
- Public transport in Münster costs €90 (3 days ago)
- 1 liter of gasoline in Münster costs €1.35 (3 days ago)