Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Arzamas

For one person, living is cheaper in Arzamas: $1,046 a month against $2,551 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $18,100 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Arzamas
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Arzamas Living Index

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Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,551

/mo nomad

Arzamas

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,046

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berlin and in Arzamas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,551 in Berlin versus $1,046 in Arzamas.

Berlin $2,551
Arzamas $1,046

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,845 in Berlin versus $1,613 in Arzamas.

Berlin $3,845
Arzamas $1,613

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,139 in Berlin versus $2,180 in Arzamas.

Berlin $5,139
Arzamas $2,180

Living in Berlin is roughly 144% more expensive than in Arzamas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Berlin is 89% above, Arzamas is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.81

$10.13 ₽846

64.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.7 €68.2

$34.19 ₽2,853

124.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.47 €11.98

$6.83 ₽570

97.22%

Cappuccino

$4.37 €3.89

$2.74 ₽229

59.49%

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

$3.48 €3.09

$1.06 ₽88.3

228.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.77

$0.52 ₽43.61

500.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.34 €4.75

$1.85 ₽154

188.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 €3.91

$2.82 ₽235

55.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.10 ₽91.8

15.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 €2.08

$0.65 ₽54.1

258.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.40 €3.02

$1.33 ₽111

155.64%

Eggs

$4.50 €4.00

$1.77 ₽147

154.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.78 €14.93

$9.77 ₽815

71.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.91 €10.59

$5.87 ₽490

102.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.90 €15.92

$12.33 ₽1,029

45.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 €3.07

$1.71 ₽143

102.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.66 ₽139

17.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$1.79 ₽149

82.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.71 €3.30

$2.94 ₽246

26.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.67 ₽56.2

213.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$0.52 ₽43.63

301.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.46 ₽122

-2.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.84

$0.70 ₽58.6

35.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.44 €9.29

$3.38 ₽282

208.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.58 €5.85

$6.60 ₽551

-0.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.09 ₽90.8

16.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.85

$2.03 ₽170

2.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.34 €3.86

$0.55 ₽46.05

689.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.6 €63.7

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.26 €4.68

$2.21 ₽184

138.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.09 €2.75

$0.34 ₽28.04

808.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.34 €32.32

$6.49 ₽542

459.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.05

$0.84 ₽70.4

175.00%

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

$32.4K €28.8K

$35.8K ₽3.0M

-9.33%

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

$38.6K €34.3K

$27.7K ₽2.3M

39.21%

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

$382 €340

$134 ₽11.2K

185.08%

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

$18.83 €16.75

$6.62 ₽553

184.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.57 €43.20

$8.25 ₽689

488.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.21 €35.76

$32.02 ₽2,672

25.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.90 €31.04

$20.36 ₽1,699

71.41%

Cinema Ticket

$15.73 €14.00

$6.66 ₽556

136.19%

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

$142 €126

$381 ₽31.8K

-62.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.0K

$6,116 ₽510.4K

158.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.4 €84.8

$85.8 ₽7,161

11.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.32 €41.20

$51.7 ₽4,318

-10.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.4

$123 ₽10.3K

-15.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €128

$108 ₽9,050

32.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,469 €1,306

$302 ₽25.2K

386.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,114 €991

$318 ₽26.6K

250.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,751 €2,447

$474 ₽39.5K

480.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 €1,875

$562 ₽46.9K

274.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,454 €7,520

$2,064 ₽172.3K

309.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,435 €4,834

$1,375 ₽114.8K

295.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,543 €3,151

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

21.45

-82.28%

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

Last update for Berlin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Arzamas: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 43.7%

Arzamas

$318 30.4% 71.4% $796

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$449 17.6%

Arzamas

$149 14.2% 66.9% $300

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$343 13.4%

Arzamas

$206 19.7% 39.9% $137

Eating Out

Berlin

$288 11.3%

Arzamas

$156 14.9% 45.9% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$175 6.9%

Arzamas

$166 15.9% 5.1% $9

Getting Around

Berlin

$110 4.3%

Arzamas

$6.1 * 0.6% 94.4% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$72 2.8%

Arzamas

$45 4.3% 36.8% $26

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 $1,469 in Berlin and $302 in Arzamas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $77.0 in Berlin vs $34.00 in Arzamas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $343 vs $206 per month, with Arzamas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇷🇺 Arzamas

🕒 Local time

06:22 6:22 AM

07:22 7:22 AM

1 h ahead of Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

103,396

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, 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).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Berlin Arzamas 2,000 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Berlin
Arzamas

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 Arzamas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Berlin and Arzamas differ by about 144% in total monthly costs ($2,551 vs $1,046 including rent). Arzamas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,826 in Berlin and $1,569 in Arzamas to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,469 in Berlin versus $302 in Arzamas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 66% higher in Berlin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,551 per month in Berlin versus $1,046 in Arzamas – a 144% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,046 in Arzamas versus $2,551 in Berlin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Arzamas but tight or insufficient in Berlin. The gap between the two cities makes Arzamas 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 Arzamas 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 Arzamas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 144% less than in Berlin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.