Cost of living in Germany

Summary of cost of living in Germany

  • Family of four estimated monthly costs: €4,368
  • Single person estimated monthly costs: €2,340
  • Cost of living in Germany is cheaper than in 56% of countries in Western Europe (9 out of 16)
  • Cost of living in Germany is more expensive than in 76% of countries in the World (16 out of 62)
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Food
Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district €16
Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) €10
500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast €5.65
1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk €1.26
12 eggs, large €4.01
1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes €2.95
500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese €7
1 kg (2 lb.) of apples €2.78
1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes €1.87
0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket €1.15
1 bottle of red table wine, good quality €7
2 liters of coca-cola €1.95
Bread for 2 people for 1 day €1.79
Housing
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in expensive area €1,841
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in normal area €1,429
Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat €245
Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in expensive area €1,194
Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in normal area €890
Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 sqft) studio €157
Internet 8 mbps (1 month) €33
40” flat screen tv €395
Microwave 800/900 watt (bosch, panasonic, lg, sharp, or equivalent brands) €106
Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) €8
Hourly rate for cleaning help €17
Clothes
1 pair of jeans (levis 501 or similar) €88
1 summer dress in a high street store (zara, h&m or similar retailers) €40
1 pair of sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) €93
1 pair of men’s leather business shoes €133
Transportation
Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new €30,303
1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas €1.77
Monthly ticket public transport €50
Personal Care
Cold medicine for 6 days (tylenol, frenadol, coldrex, or equivalent brands) €9
1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) €12
Short visit to private doctor (15 minutes) €73
1 box of 32 tampons (tampax, ob, ...) €4.18
Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) €2.85
Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) €3.08
4 rolls of toilet paper €1.96
Tube of toothpaste €1.78
Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city €23
Entertainment
Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub €45
2 tickets to the movies €25
2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) €125
Dinner for two at an italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert €66
1 cocktail drink in downtown club €11
Cappuccino in expat area of the city €4.05
1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) €4.41
Ipad wi-fi 128gb €613
1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) €0.30
1 month of gym membership in business district €42
1 package of marlboro cigarettes €9

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 Munich 144
2nd Frankfurt am Main 135
3rd Berlin 135
4th Cologne 128
5th Düsseldorf 123
6th Karlsruhe 118
7th Bonn 118
8th Freiburg 111
9th Regensburg 110
10th Darmstadt 109
11th Dortmund 107
12th Leipzig 105
13th Essen 105
14th Dresden 100

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

  • Nice dinner at an italian restaurant, dinner for two in Karlsruhe costs €150 (2 days ago)
  • 75 ml tube of toothpaste in Karlsruhe costs €5.00 (2 days ago)
  • Public transport in Karlsruhe costs €49 (2 days ago)
  • Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new in Karlsruhe costs €17,000 (2 days ago)
  • Bread for 2 people for 1 day (250 g) in Karlsruhe costs €2.00 (2 days ago)
  • 1 bottle of red table wine, good quality in Karlsruhe costs €8 (2 days ago)
  • 500 ml domestic beer in the supermarket in Karlsruhe costs €0.55 (2 days ago)
  • 1 kg of potatoes in Karlsruhe costs €2.50 (2 days ago)
  • 6 eggs, large in Karlsruhe costs €6 (2 days ago)
  • 1 liter of whole fat milk in Karlsruhe costs €1.60 (2 days ago)

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