Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Ar-rass

For one person, living is cheaper in Ar-rass: $1,154 a month against $2,551 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Ar-rass
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Ar-rass Living Index

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Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,551

/mo nomad

Ar-rass

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,154

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berlin and in Ar-rass

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 Ar-rass actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,551 in Berlin versus $1,154 in Ar-rass.

Berlin $2,551
Ar-rass $1,154

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,845 in Berlin versus $1,690 in Ar-rass.

Berlin $3,845
Ar-rass $1,690

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,139 in Berlin versus $2,226 in Ar-rass.

Berlin $5,139
Ar-rass $2,226

Living in Berlin is roughly 121% more expensive than in Ar-rass, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Berlin is 89% above, Ar-rass is 15% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.81

$6.16 SAR 23.12

170.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.7 €68.2

$37.47 SAR 141

104.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.47 €11.98

$7.90 SAR 29.65

70.51%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 SAR 7.07

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 SAR 8.58

Cappuccino

$4.37 €3.89

$3.25 SAR 12.18

34.46%

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

$3.48 €3.09

$0.91 SAR 3.41

282.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.77

$0.26 SAR 0.98

1100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.34 €4.75

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 €3.91

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.81 SAR 6.81

-29.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 €2.08

$0.39 SAR 1.45

497.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.40 €3.02

$1.92 SAR 7.19

77.08%

Eggs

$4.50 €4.00

$3.60 SAR 13.52

25.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.78 €14.93

$7.00 SAR 26.28

139.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.91 €10.59

$8.05 SAR 30.20

47.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.90 €15.92

$12.79 SAR 47.99

39.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 €3.07

$2.24 SAR 8.41

54.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.76 SAR 6.60

10.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$1.57 SAR 5.91

107.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.71 €3.30

$1.57 SAR 5.89

136.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.16 SAR 4.37

81.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.36 SAR 5.11

53.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.28 SAR 4.79

10.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.84

$0.57 SAR 2.14

66.67%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.26 SAR 12.24

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 SAR 7.46

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 SAR 8.49

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.44 €9.29

$7.53 SAR 28.27

38.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.58 €5.85

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.13

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.85

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.34 €3.86

$0.98 SAR 3.69

342.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.6 €63.7

$34.39 SAR 129

108.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.26 €4.68

$2.59 SAR 9.72

103.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.09 €2.75

$1.87 SAR 7.02

65.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.34 €32.32

$11.84 SAR 44.42

206.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.05

$0.65 SAR 2.44

255.38%

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

$32.4K €28.8K

$43.1K SAR 161.7K

-24.76%

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

$38.6K €34.3K

$20.9K SAR 78.3K

85.16%

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

$382 €340

$110 SAR 414

246.12%

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

$18.83 €16.75

$23.87 SAR 89.6

-21.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.57 €43.20

$59.0 SAR 221

-17.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.21 €35.76

$44.88 SAR 168

-10.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.90 €31.04

Cinema Ticket

$15.73 €14.00

$13.43 SAR 50.4

17.13%

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

$142 €126

$425 SAR 1,595

-66.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.0K

$8,688 SAR 32.6K

81.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.4 €84.8

$42.84 SAR 161

122.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.32 €41.20

$62.4 SAR 234

-25.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.4

$96.1 SAR 360

8.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €128

$87.6 SAR 329

63.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,469 €1,306

$579 SAR 2,174

153.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,114 €991

$394 SAR 1,480

182.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,751 €2,447

$388 SAR 1,456

609.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 €1,875

$563 SAR 2,111

274.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,454 €7,520

$2,625 SAR 9,851

222.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,435 €4,834

$1,188 SAR 4,460

357.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,543 €3,151

$1,765 SAR 6,622

100.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

5.54

-31.41%

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

Last update for Berlin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ar-rass: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 43.7%

Ar-rass

$394 34.2% 64.6% $720

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$449 17.6%

Ar-rass

$193 16.7% 57% $256

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$343 13.4%

Ar-rass

$198 17.1% 42.3% $145

Eating Out

Berlin

$288 11.3%

Ar-rass

$117 10.1% 59.5% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$175 6.9%

Ar-rass

$130 11.3% 25.7% $45

Getting Around

Berlin

$110 4.3%

Ar-rass

$50 4.4% 54.2% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$72 2.8%

Ar-rass

$72 6.2% 0.1% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,469 in Berlin and $579 in Ar-rass. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Berlin pays 101% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $77.0 in Berlin vs $37.00 in Ar-rass for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $343 vs $198 per month, with Ar-rass cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇸🇦 Ar-rass

🕒 Local time

17:11 5:11 PM

18:11 6:11 PM

1 h ahead of Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

121,359

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Berlin Ar-rass 3,880 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Berlin
Ar-rass

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 Ar-rass: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Berlin and Ar-rass differ by about 121% in total monthly costs ($2,551 vs $1,154 including rent). Ar-rass is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 101% higher in Berlin, 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: $1,469 in Berlin versus $579 in Ar-rass. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $142 in Berlin versus $425 in Ar-rass. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 73% higher in Berlin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,154 in Ar-rass versus $2,551 in Berlin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ar-rass but tight or insufficient in Berlin. The gap between the two cities makes Ar-rass 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 Ar-rass 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 Ar-rass gentler on the wallet – expenses run 121% less than in Berlin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.