Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Bedford

For one person, living is cheaper in Bedford: $2,097 a month against $2,551 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin Living Index
102

Cost of Living Index in Bedford
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Bedford Living Index

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Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,551

/mo nomad

Bedford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,097

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berlin and in Bedford

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

A single person spends $2,551 per month in Berlin vs $2,097 in Bedford, rent included.

Berlin $2,551
Bedford $2,097

A couple spends around $3,845 per month in Berlin vs $3,291 in Bedford, rent included.

Berlin $3,845
Bedford $3,291

A family of three spends $5,139 per month in Berlin vs $4,486 in Bedford, rent included.

Berlin $5,139
Bedford $4,486

Berlin costs about 22% more than Bedford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Berlin and Bedford sit above the global median – Berlin by 89%, Bedford by 55%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.81

$20.10 £15.08

-17.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.7 €68.2

$86.6 £65.0

-11.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.47 €11.98

$10.65 £7.99

26.48%

Cappuccino

$4.37 €3.89

$4.59 £3.44

-4.79%

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

$3.48 €3.09

$2.03 £1.52

71.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.77

$1.21 £0.91

157.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.34 €4.75

$6.45 £4.84

-17.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 €3.91

$5.84 £4.38

-24.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.70 £1.28

-25.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 €2.08

$1.46 £1.10

59.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.40 €3.02

$1.68 £1.26

102.38%

Eggs

$4.50 €4.00

$3.80 £2.85

18.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.78 €14.93

$9.09 £6.82

84.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.91 €10.59

$8.96 £6.72

32.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.90 €15.92

$12.62 £9.47

41.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 €3.07

$3.26 £2.44

6.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.30 £0.98

50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$2.47 £1.85

31.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.71 €3.30

$3.20 £2.40

15.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.32 £0.99

59.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.32 £0.99

58.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.03 £0.77

37.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.84

$1.30 £0.97

-26.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.44 €9.29

$23.05 £17.29

-54.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.58 €5.85

$10.65 £7.99

-38.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.13

$2.58 £1.94

-50.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.85

$2.36 £1.77

-11.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.34 €3.86

$2.56 £1.92

69.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.6 €63.7

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.26 €4.68

$4.99 £3.74

5.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.09 €2.75

$1.43 £1.07

116.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.34 €32.32

$23.92 £17.95

51.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.05

$1.92 £1.44

20.31%

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

$32.4K €28.8K

$37.5K £28.1K

-13.44%

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

$38.6K €34.3K

$40.5K £30.4K

-4.71%

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

$382 €340

$316 £237

20.75%

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

$18.83 €16.75

$17.63 £13.22

6.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.57 €43.20

$39.85 £29.90

21.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.21 €35.76

$36.86 £27.66

9.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.90 €31.04

Cinema Ticket

$15.73 €14.00

$15.90 £11.93

-1.07%

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

$142 €126

$937 £703

-84.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.0K

$21.6K £16.2K

-26.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.4 €84.8

$23.92 £17.95

298.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.32 €41.20

$25.54 £19.16

81.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.4

$79.6 £59.7

30.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €128

$86.7 £65.1

65.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,469 €1,306

$1,115 £837

31.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,114 €991

$952 £714

17.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,751 €2,447

$2,353 £1,766

16.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 €1,875

$1,998 £1,499

5.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,454 €7,520

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,435 €4,834

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,543 €3,151

$3,170 £2,378

11.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

4.67

-18.63%

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

Last update for Berlin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bedford: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 43.7%

Bedford

$952 45.4% 14.6% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$449 17.6%

Bedford

$374 17.8% 16.8% $76

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$343 13.4%

Bedford

$279 13.3% 18.7% $64

Eating Out

Berlin

$288 11.3%

Bedford

$305 14.5% 5.8% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$175 6.9%

Bedford

$97 4.6% 44.5% $78

Getting Around

Berlin

$110 4.3%

Bedford

$22 * 1.1% 79.6% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$72 2.8%

Bedford

$69 3.3% 4.2% $3

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 $1,115 in Bedford. 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 12% 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 $87.0 in Bedford. Groceries tell a different story – $343 in Berlin vs $279 in Bedford – so Bedford wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇬🇧 Bedford

🕒 Local time

10:28 10:28 AM

09:28 9:28 AM

1 h behind Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

80,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Berlin Bedford 940 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Berlin
Bedford

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 Bedford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Berlin costs about 22% more than Bedford, 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 $3,826 per month in Berlin and $3,146 in Bedford. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bedford, 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 $2,551 in Berlin and $2,097 in Bedford. That's a gap of about 22%.

Kindergarten costs $142 per month in Berlin and $937 in Bedford. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bedford, where all-in costs run around $2,097, than in Berlin at $2,551. In Bedford it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bedford costs $2,097 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 Bedford. 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.