Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Ankeny, IA

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.

124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin Living Index
113

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

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Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,545

/mo nomad

Ankeny, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,326

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berlin and in Ankeny, IA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.81 €15.00

$19.62 $19.62

-14.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.6 €71.0

$79.1 $79.1

0.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 €11.94

$11.80 $11.80

13.39%

Cappuccino

$4.27 €3.81

$5.46 $5.46

-21.79%

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

$3.40 €3.03

$2.97 $2.97

14.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.79

$1.74 $1.74

79.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 €4.89

$5.06 $5.06

8.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 €4.07

$5.79 $5.79

-21.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$0.91 $0.91

39.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.45 €2.19

$2.91 $2.91

-15.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.30 €2.94

$3.27 $3.27

0.92%

Eggs

$4.45 €3.97

$3.96 $3.96

12.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.10 €15.26

$9.65 $9.65

77.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.19 €10.88

$8.65 $8.65

40.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.30 €16.33

$14.96 $14.96

22.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 €3.19

$5.24 $5.24

-31.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.52 $1.52

30.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 €2.92

$4.89 $4.89

-33.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.81 €3.40

$3.67 $3.67

3.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$2.22 $2.22

-4.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$3.33 $3.33

-33.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.88 $1.88

-20.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 €0.90

$2.65 $2.65

-61.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.49 €9.37

$8.80 $8.80

19.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.76 €6.03

$14.79 $14.79

-54.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.69 $1.69

-20.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.47 $2.47

-14.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.37 €3.90

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.0 €63.3

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 €4.72

$2.05 $2.05

158.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.05 €2.73

$1.27 $1.27

140.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.30 €32.39

$19.71 $19.71

84.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.99 $0.99

130.30%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$35.7K $35.7K

-6.83%

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

$39.1K €34.9K

$25.4K $25.4K

53.84%

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

$379 €339

$159 $159

138.02%

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

$19.31 €17.23

$53.2 $53.2

-63.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.41 €43.20

$64.2 $64.2

-24.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.31 €35.97

$74.0 $74.0

-45.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.51 €31.69

Cinema Ticket

$15.53 €13.86

$14.95 $14.95

3.88%

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

$144 €128

$1,101 $1,101

-86.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.1K

$11.9K $11.9K

32.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.6 €84.5

$48.27 $48.27

96.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.33 €41.34

$34.89 $34.89

32.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.2

$90.1 $90.1

14.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 €126

$117 $117

21.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,488 €1,328

$1,109 $1,109

34.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 €980

$1,141 $1,141

-3.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,665 €2,378

$1,971 $1,971

35.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 €1,856

$1,599 $1,599

30.11%

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)

$3,487 €3,112

$5,289 $5,289

-34.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

6.37

-40.35%

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

Last update for Berlin: October 3, 2026

Last update for Ankeny, IA: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 43.3%

Ankeny, IA

$1.1K 49% 3.9% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$447 17.6%

Ankeny, IA

$277 11.9% 38.1% $170

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$351 13.8%

Ankeny, IA

$353 15.2% 0.7% $2.5

Eating Out

Berlin

$289 11.4%

Ankeny, IA

$314 13.5% 8.7% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$174 6.8%

Ankeny, IA

$130 5.6% 24.8% $43

Getting Around

Berlin

$109 4.3%

Ankeny, IA

$8.4 * 0.4% 92.3% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$71 2.8%

Ankeny, IA

$104 4.5% 45.6% $33

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 $1,488 in Berlin and $1,109 in Ankeny, IA. 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: $80.0 in Berlin vs $79.0 in Ankeny, IA. Groceries flip the comparison at $351 vs $353, with Berlin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇺🇸 Ankeny, IA

🕒 Local time

12:07 12:07 PM

05:07 5:07 AM

7 h behind Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

67,887

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

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

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

On paper, salaries run 52% lower in Ankeny, IA. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,488 in Berlin versus $1,109 in Ankeny, IA. 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 $2,545 per month in Berlin versus $2,326 in Ankeny, IA – 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, Berlin and Ankeny, IA 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.