Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ankeny, IA and Berlin

For one person, living is cheaper in Ankeny, IA: $2,326 a month against $2,545 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Berlin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

113

Cost of Living Index in Ankeny, IA
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Ankeny, IA Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin Living Index

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Ankeny, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,326

/mo nomad

Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,545

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ankeny, IA 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 Ankeny, IA and in Berlin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,326 in Ankeny, IA versus $2,545 in Berlin.

Ankeny, IA $2,326
Berlin $2,545

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,298 in Ankeny, IA versus $3,901 in Berlin.

Ankeny, IA $3,298
Berlin $3,901

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,270 in Ankeny, IA versus $5,257 in Berlin.

Ankeny, IA $4,270
Berlin $5,257

Living in Ankeny, IA costs roughly 9% less than in Berlin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ankeny, IA 74% above, Berlin 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.62 $19.62

$16.81 €15.00

16.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.1 $79.1

$79.6 €71.0

-0.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 $11.80

$13.38 €11.94

-11.81%

Cappuccino

$5.46 $5.46

$4.27 €3.81

27.87%

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

$2.97 $2.97

$3.40 €3.03

-12.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$3.12 €2.79

-44.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.06 $5.06

$5.48 €4.89

-7.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.79 $5.79

$4.56 €4.07

26.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.27 €1.13

-28.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.45 €2.19

18.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$3.30 €2.94

-0.91%

Eggs

$3.96 $3.96

$4.45 €3.97

-11.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.65 $9.65

$17.10 €15.26

-43.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 $8.65

$12.19 €10.88

-29.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.96 $14.96

$18.30 €16.33

-18.25%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 $5.24

$3.58 €3.19

46.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.98 €1.77

-23.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$3.27 €2.92

49.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 $3.67

$3.81 €3.40

-3.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.13 €1.90

4.23%

Onion (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.21 €1.97

50.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.49 €1.33

26.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.01 €0.90

162.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.80 $8.80

$10.49 €9.37

-16.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.79 $14.79

$6.76 €6.03

118.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.34 €1.20

26.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.10 €1.87

17.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.37 €3.90

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.0 €63.3

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 $2.05

$5.29 €4.72

-61.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 $1.27

$3.05 €2.73

-58.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.71 $19.71

$36.30 €32.39

-45.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.28 €2.03

-56.58%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$33.2K €29.7K

7.33%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$39.1K €34.9K

-35.00%

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

$159 $159

$379 €339

-57.99%

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

$53.2 $53.2

$19.31 €17.23

175.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.2 $64.2

$48.41 €43.20

32.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.0 $74.0

$40.31 €35.97

83.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.51 €31.69

Cinema Ticket

$14.95 $14.95

$15.53 €13.86

-3.73%

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

$1,101 $1,101

$144 €128

666.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K $11.9K

$15.8K €14.1K

-24.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.27 $48.27

$94.6 €84.5

-49.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 $34.89

$46.33 €41.34

-24.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.1 $90.1

$103 €92.2

-12.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$141 €126

-17.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,109 $1,109

$1,488 €1,328

-25.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,141 $1,141

$1,098 €980

3.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,971 $1,971

$2,665 €2,378

-26.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,599 $1,599

$2,080 €1,856

-23.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,578 €7,655

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,438 €4,853

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,289 $5,289

$3,487 €3,112

51.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.37

3.8

67.63%

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

Last update for Ankeny, IA: October 5, 2026

Last update for Berlin: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ankeny, IA

$1.1K 49%

Berlin

$1.1K 43.3% 3.7% $43

Groceries & Markets

Ankeny, IA

$353 15.2%

Berlin

$351 13.8% 0.7% $2.5

Eating Out

Ankeny, IA

$314 13.5%

Berlin

$289 11.4% 8% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ankeny, IA

$277 11.9%

Berlin

$447 17.6% 61.6% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Ankeny, IA

$130 5.6%

Berlin

$174 6.8% 33% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Ankeny, IA

$104 4.5%

Berlin

$71 2.8% 31.3% $33

Getting Around

Ankeny, IA

$8.4 * 0.4%

Berlin

$109 4.3% 1196% $101

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,109 in Ankeny, IA and $1,488 in Berlin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ankeny, IA pays 52% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $79.0 in Ankeny, IA vs $80.0 in Berlin. Groceries flip the comparison at $353 vs $351, with Berlin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ankeny, IA

🇩🇪 Berlin

🕒 Local time

02:11 2:11 AM

09:11 9:11 AM

7 h ahead of Ankeny, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,887

3,769,962 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Ankeny, IA Berlin 7,420 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Ankeny, IA
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

Ankeny, IA vs Berlin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ankeny, IA and Berlin differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($2,326 vs $2,545 including rent). Ankeny, IA is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 52% higher in Ankeny, IA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,109 in Ankeny, IA versus $1,488 in Berlin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Berlin pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,326 per month in Ankeny, IA versus $2,545 in Berlin – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,326 in Ankeny, IA versus $2,545 in Berlin, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Ankeny, IA but tight or insufficient in Berlin. The gap between the two cities makes Ankeny, IA the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ankeny, IA and Berlin are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ankeny, IA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Berlin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.