Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aachen and Berlin

For one person, living is cheaper in Aachen: $1,948 a month against $2,551 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Aachen
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Aachen Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin Living Index

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Aachen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,948

/mo nomad

Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,551

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aachen and in Berlin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Aachen and in Berlin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,948 per month in Aachen vs $2,551 in Berlin, rent included.

Aachen $1,948
Berlin $2,551

A couple spends around $2,888 per month in Aachen vs $3,845 in Berlin, rent included.

Aachen $2,888
Berlin $3,845

A family of three spends $3,828 per month in Aachen vs $5,139 in Berlin, rent included.

Aachen $3,828
Berlin $5,139

Aachen is about 24% cheaper than Berlin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Aachen and Berlin sit above the global median – Aachen by 44%, Berlin by 89%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.53 €13.82

$16.65 €14.81

-6.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 €54.0

$76.7 €68.2

-20.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 €9.90

$13.47 €11.98

-17.37%

Cappuccino

$3.61 €3.21

$4.37 €3.89

-17.39%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$3.48 €3.09

-21.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 €2.69

$3.12 €2.77

-2.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.01 €4.45

$5.34 €4.75

-6.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.42 €4.82

$4.39 €3.91

23.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.27 €1.13

-5.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 €1.72

$2.33 €2.08

-17.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.61 €3.21

$3.40 €3.02

6.18%

Eggs

$3.44 €3.06

$4.50 €4.00

-23.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.83 €13.19

$16.78 €14.93

-11.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 €10.00

$11.91 €10.59

-5.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.37 €18.12

$17.90 €15.92

13.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 €2.94

$3.46 €3.07

-4.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.95 €1.73

13.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$3.26 €2.90

-37.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.47 €3.09

$3.71 €3.30

-6.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.10 €1.87

-26.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 €1.27

$2.09 €1.86

-31.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.42 €1.27

2.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.12

$0.95 €0.84

31.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.26 €9.13

$10.44 €9.29

-1.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.58 €5.85

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.27 €1.13

-11.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$2.08 €1.85

-21.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.82 €3.40

$4.34 €3.86

-11.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.3 €61.7

$71.6 €63.7

-3.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.56 €4.95

$5.26 €4.68

5.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.50 €2.22

$3.09 €2.75

-19.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.79 €32.73

$36.34 €32.32

1.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 €1.99

$2.31 €2.05

-3.46%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$32.6K €29.0K

$32.4K €28.8K

0.48%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$38.0K €33.8K

$38.6K €34.3K

-1.49%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$378 €337

$382 €340

-0.88%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$17.10 €15.21

$18.83 €16.75

-9.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.02 €42.72

$48.57 €43.20

-1.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.74 €32.68

$40.21 €35.76

-8.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.06 €24.96

$34.90 €31.04

-19.60%

Cinema Ticket

$15.90 €14.14

$15.73 €14.00

1.08%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$724 €644

$142 €126

411.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.0K €16.9K

$15.8K €14.0K

20.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.8 €83.4

$95.4 €84.8

-1.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.55 €36.96

$46.32 €41.20

-10.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 €73.6

$104 €92.4

-20.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €119

$143 €128

-6.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$823 €732

$1,469 €1,306

-43.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$588 €523

$1,114 €991

-47.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 €1,343

$2,751 €2,447

-45.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,043 €928

$2,107 €1,875

-50.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,530 €4,029

$8,454 €7,520

-46.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,431 €3,052

$5,435 €4,834

-36.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,524 €3,134

$3,543 €3,151

-0.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

3.8

4.21%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Aachen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Berlin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Aachen

$588 30.2%

Berlin

$1.1K 43.7% 89.4% $526

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aachen

$443 22.8%

Berlin

$449 17.6% 1.3% $5.6

Groceries & Markets

Aachen

$327 16.8%

Berlin

$343 13.4% 4.8% $16

Eating Out

Aachen

$260 13.3%

Berlin

$288 11.3% 10.8% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Aachen

$158 8.1%

Berlin

$175 6.9% 10.6% $17

Getting Around

Aachen

$103 5.3%

Berlin

$110 4.3% 6.8% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Aachen

$69 3.5%

Berlin

$72 2.8% 4.6% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $823 in Aachen versus $1,469 in Berlin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1% higher in Berlin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Aachen versus $77.0 in Berlin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $327 vs $343 – making Aachen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Aachen

🇩🇪 Berlin

🕒 Local time

11:00 11:00 AM

Same time as Aachen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

241,683

3,769,962 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Aachen Berlin 540 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Aachen
Berlin

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Aachen vs Berlin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,948 in Aachen, $2,551 in Berlin – roughly 31% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,922 per month in Aachen and $3,826 in Berlin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aachen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Aachen and $77.0 in Berlin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,948 in Aachen and $2,551 in Berlin. That's a gap of about 31%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Aachen, where all-in costs run around $1,948, than in Berlin at $2,551. In Aachen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Berlin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,948 in Aachen to $2,551 in Berlin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Aachen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Berlin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.