Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Aktau

For one person, living is cheaper in Aktau: $793 a month against $2,551 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $21,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Aktau
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Aktau Living Index

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Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,551

/mo nomad

Aktau

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$793

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berlin and in Aktau

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 Aktau actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,551 per month in Berlin vs $793 in Aktau, rent included.

Berlin $2,551
Aktau $793

A couple spends around $3,845 per month in Berlin vs $1,317 in Aktau, rent included.

Berlin $3,845
Aktau $1,317

A family of three spends $5,139 per month in Berlin vs $1,842 in Aktau, rent included.

Berlin $5,139
Aktau $1,842

Berlin costs about 222% more than Aktau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Berlin sits 89% above the global median, while Aktau is 41% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.81

$11.07 ₸5,005

50.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.7 €68.2

$43.55 ₸19.7K

76.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.47 €11.98

$10.17 ₸4,596

32.45%

Cappuccino

$4.37 €3.89

$2.49 ₸1,128

75.50%

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

$3.48 €3.09

$0.74 ₸333

370.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.77

$0.48 ₸219

550.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.34 €4.75

$1.30 ₸586

310.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 €3.91

$1.53 ₸690

186.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.41 ₸638

-9.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 €2.08

$0.47 ₸211

395.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.40 €3.02

$1.91 ₸864

78.01%

Eggs

$4.50 €4.00

$1.73 ₸783

160.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.78 €14.93

$9.87 ₸4,463

70.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.91 €10.59

$4.24 ₸1,915

180.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.90 €15.92

$8.95 ₸4,044

100.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 €3.07

$1.53 ₸689

126.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 €1.73

$2.24 ₸1,013

-12.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$2.35 ₸1,064

38.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.71 €3.30

$2.80 ₸1,264

32.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.65 ₸295

223.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$0.56 ₸254

273.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.55 ₸700

-8.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.84

$0.94 ₸424

1.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.44 €9.29

$2.59 ₸1,172

303.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.58 €5.85

$9.54 ₸4,313

-31.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.13

$0.72 ₸326

76.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.85

$0.87 ₸393

139.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.34 €3.86

$0.18 ₸82.6

2311.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.6 €63.7

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.26 €4.68

$1.13 ₸512

365.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.09 €2.75

$0.64 ₸290

382.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.34 €32.32

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.05

$0.63 ₸283

266.67%

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

$32.4K €28.8K

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

$38.6K €34.3K

$31.4K ₸14.2M

22.87%

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

$382 €340

$45.69 ₸20.7K

735.35%

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

$18.83 €16.75

$7.94 ₸3,587

137.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.57 €43.20

$11.01 ₸4,979

341.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.21 €35.76

$35.98 ₸16.3K

11.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.90 €31.04

Cinema Ticket

$15.73 €14.00

$3.18 ₸1,437

394.65%

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

$142 €126

$143 ₸64.8K

-1.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.0K

$2,621 ₸1.2M

502.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.4 €84.8

$66.8 ₸30.2K

42.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.32 €41.20

$40.67 ₸18.4K

13.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.4

$71.7 ₸32.4K

44.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €128

$89.6 ₸40.5K

59.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,469 €1,306

$330 ₸149.2K

344.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,114 €991

$196 ₸88.6K

468.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,751 €2,447

$551 ₸249.0K

399.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 €1,875

$393 ₸177.8K

435.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,454 €7,520

$813 ₸367.6K

939.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,435 €4,834

$659 ₸297.7K

725.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,543 €3,151

$564 ₸254.8K

528.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

-72.86%

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

Last update for Berlin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Aktau: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 43.7%

Aktau

$196 24.7% 82.4% $918

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$449 17.6%

Aktau

$65 8.2% 85.6% $384

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$343 13.4%

Aktau

$200 25.3% 41.5% $142

Eating Out

Berlin

$288 11.3%

Aktau

$163 20.6% 43.3% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$175 6.9%

Aktau

$121 15.3% 30.9% $54

Getting Around

Berlin

$110 4.3%

Aktau

$5.1 * 0.6% 95.4% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$72 2.8%

Aktau

$42 5.3% 40.9% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,469 in Berlin versus $330 in Aktau. 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 528% 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 $77.0 in Berlin versus $44.00 in Aktau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $343 vs $200 – making Aktau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇰🇿 Aktau

🕒 Local time

13:44 1:44 PM

16:44 4:44 PM

3 h ahead of Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

273,830

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Berlin Aktau 2,940 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Berlin
Aktau

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 Aktau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Berlin costs about 222% more than Aktau, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,826 per month in Berlin and $1,189 in Aktau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aktau, 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 $77.0 in Berlin and $44.00 in Aktau. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 71% more in Berlin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Aktau, where all-in costs run around $793, than in Berlin at $2,551. In Aktau it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Aktau costs $793 versus $2,551 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 Aktau. 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.