Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Aberdeen

For one person, living is cheaper in Aberdeen: $2,287 a month against $2,545 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Berlin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
Learn more

Berlin Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Aberdeen
Learn more

Aberdeen Living Index

Jump to prices

Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,545

/mo nomad

Aberdeen

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,287

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berlin and in Aberdeen

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

A single person spends $2,545 per month in Berlin vs $2,287 in Aberdeen, rent included.

Berlin $2,545
Aberdeen $2,287

A couple spends around $3,901 per month in Berlin vs $3,604 in Aberdeen, rent included.

Berlin $3,901
Aberdeen $3,604

A family of three spends $5,257 per month in Berlin vs $4,921 in Aberdeen, rent included.

Berlin $5,257
Aberdeen $4,921

Berlin costs about 11% more than Aberdeen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Berlin and Aberdeen sit above the global median – Berlin by 90%, Aberdeen by 71%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.81 €15.00

$19.91 £15.05

-15.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.6 €71.0

$96.7 £73.1

-17.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 €11.94

$10.74 £8.12

24.58%

Cappuccino

$4.27 €3.81

$4.62 £3.49

-7.58%

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

$3.40 €3.03

$2.78 £2.10

22.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.79

$2.11 £1.59

47.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 €4.89

$7.08 £5.35

-22.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 €4.07

$7.48 £5.65

-39.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.56 £1.18

-18.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.45 €2.19

$1.73 £1.31

41.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.30 €2.94

$1.92 £1.45

71.88%

Eggs

$4.45 €3.97

$4.41 £3.33

0.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.10 €15.26

$8.45 £6.38

102.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.19 €10.88

$11.82 £8.93

3.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.30 €16.33

$16.02 £12.10

14.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 €3.19

$2.90 £2.19

23.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.38 £1.05

43.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 €2.92

$2.81 £2.12

16.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.81 €3.40

$3.72 £2.81

2.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.76 £1.33

21.02%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.45 £1.10

52.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.21 £0.91

23.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 €0.90

$1.61 £1.21

-37.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.49 €9.37

$21.79 £16.47

-51.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.76 €6.03

$11.22 £8.48

-39.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.20

$2.70 £2.04

-50.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.92 £2.21

-28.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.37 €3.90

$2.76 £2.08

58.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.0 €63.3

$121 £91.7

-41.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 €4.72

$3.89 £2.94

35.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.05 €2.73

$2.31 £1.75

32.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.30 €32.39

$23.43 £17.71

54.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.09 £1.58

9.09%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$38.6K £29.2K

-13.86%

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

$39.1K €34.9K

$40.7K £30.7K

-3.94%

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

$379 €339

$410 £310

-7.53%

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

$19.31 €17.23

$28.17 £21.29

-31.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.41 €43.20

$41.97 £31.71

15.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.31 €35.97

$53.9 £40.71

-25.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.51 €31.69

$22.01 £16.64

61.34%

Cinema Ticket

$15.53 €13.86

$11.46 £8.66

35.51%

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

$144 €128

$1,785 £1,349

-91.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.1K

$23.3K £17.6K

-32.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.6 €84.5

$96.5 £72.9

-1.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.33 €41.34

$47.34 £35.77

-2.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.2

$103 £78.0

0.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 €126

$116 £87.3

22.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,488 €1,328

$814 £615

82.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 €980

$777 £588

41.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,665 €2,378

$1,557 £1,177

71.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 €1,856

$1,658 £1,253

25.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,578 €7,655

$2,260 £1,708

279.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,438 €4,853

$3,444 £2,603

57.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,487 €3,112

$3,606 £2,725

-3.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

5.11

-25.64%

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

Last update for Berlin: October 3, 2026

Last update for Aberdeen: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 43.3%

Aberdeen

$777 34.1% 29.2% $321

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$447 17.6%

Aberdeen

$480 21.1% 7.4% $33

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$351 13.8%

Aberdeen

$317 13.9% 9.4% $33

Eating Out

Berlin

$289 11.4%

Aberdeen

$317 13.9% 9.8% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$174 6.8%

Aberdeen

$163 7.2% 6% $10

Getting Around

Berlin

$109 4.3%

Aberdeen

$148 6.5% 35.6% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$71 2.8%

Aberdeen

$77 3.4% 7.6% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,488 in Berlin versus $814 in Aberdeen. 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 3% higher in Aberdeen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80.0 in Berlin versus $97.0 in Aberdeen. Groceries tell a different story – $351 in Berlin vs $317 in Aberdeen – so Aberdeen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇬🇧 Aberdeen

🕒 Local time

05:49 5:49 AM

04:49 4:49 AM

1 h behind Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

229,060

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Berlin Aberdeen 1,110 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Berlin
Aberdeen

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

Berlin vs Aberdeen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Berlin costs about 11% more than Aberdeen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,818 per month in Berlin and $3,430 in Aberdeen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,545 in Berlin and $2,287 in Aberdeen. That's a gap of about 11%.

Public transport costs about 71% less in Aberdeen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Aberdeen, where all-in costs run around $2,287, than in Berlin at $2,545. In Aberdeen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Aberdeen costs $2,287 versus $2,545 in Berlin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Aberdeen. 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.