Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Blackburn

For one person, living is cheaper in Blackburn: $2,048 a month against $2,551 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
Learn more

Berlin Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Blackburn
Learn more

Blackburn Living Index

Jump to prices

Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,551

/mo nomad

Blackburn

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,048

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berlin and in Blackburn

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

A single person spends $2,551 per month in Berlin vs $2,048 in Blackburn, rent included.

Berlin $2,551
Blackburn $2,048

A couple spends around $3,845 per month in Berlin vs $3,031 in Blackburn, rent included.

Berlin $3,845
Blackburn $3,031

A family of three spends $5,139 per month in Berlin vs $4,015 in Blackburn, rent included.

Berlin $5,139
Blackburn $4,015

Berlin costs about 25% more than Blackburn, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Berlin and Blackburn sit above the global median – Berlin by 89%, Blackburn by 52%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.81

$14.48 £10.86

14.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.7 €68.2

$55.6 £41.73

37.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.47 €11.98

$8.15 £6.11

65.28%

Cappuccino

$4.37 €3.89

$4.06 £3.04

7.64%

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

$3.48 €3.09

$2.71 £2.03

28.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.77

$1.45 £1.09

115.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.34 €4.75

$4.40 £3.30

21.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 €3.91

$5.32 £3.99

-17.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.61 £1.21

-21.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 €2.08

$1.49 £1.12

56.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.40 €3.02

$2.37 £1.78

43.46%

Eggs

$4.50 €4.00

$3.43 £2.57

31.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.78 €14.93

$11.02 £8.27

52.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.91 €10.59

$8.71 £6.54

36.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.90 €15.92

$15.51 £11.64

15.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 €3.07

$1.56 £1.17

121.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.63 £1.22

19.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$2.35 £1.76

38.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.71 €3.30

$3.06 £2.30

21.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.48 £1.11

41.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.52 £1.14

37.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 €1.27

$0.45 £0.33

215.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.84

$0.73 £0.55

30.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.44 €9.29

$20.27 £15.21

-48.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.58 €5.85

$9.43 £7.07

-30.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.13

$2.20 £1.65

-42.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.93 £1.45

7.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.34 €3.86

$2.66 £1.99

63.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.6 €63.7

$73.1 £54.8

-2.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.26 €4.68

$2.56 £1.92

105.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.09 €2.75

$1.99 £1.49

55.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.34 €32.32

$17.82 £13.37

103.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.05

$2.00 £1.50

15.50%

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

$32.4K €28.8K

$37.8K £28.3K

-14.10%

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

$38.6K €34.3K

$40.6K £30.5K

-4.97%

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

$382 €340

$251 £189

51.87%

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

$18.83 €16.75

$16.61 £12.46

13.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.57 €43.20

$28.77 £21.58

68.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.21 €35.76

$44.83 £33.63

-10.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.90 €31.04

$12.11 £9.08

188.19%

Cinema Ticket

$15.73 €14.00

$9.37 £7.03

67.88%

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

$142 €126

$1,069 £802

-86.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.0K

$22.4K £16.8K

-29.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.4 €84.8

$87.5 £65.6

9.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.32 €41.20

$47.07 £35.31

-1.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.4

$89.6 £67.2

15.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €128

$68.5 £51.4

109.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,469 €1,306

$1,200 £901

22.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,114 €991

$950 £713

17.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,751 €2,447

$1,885 £1,414

45.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 €1,875

$1,681 £1,261

25.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,454 €7,520

$4,975 £3,732

69.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,435 €4,834

$3,792 £2,845

43.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,543 €3,151

$2,119 £1,590

67.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

4.99

-23.85%

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

Last update for Berlin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Blackburn: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 43.7%

Blackburn

$950 46.4% 14.7% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$449 17.6%

Blackburn

$297 14.5% 33.9% $152

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$343 13.4%

Blackburn

$271 13.3% 20.9% $72

Eating Out

Berlin

$288 11.3%

Blackburn

$238 11.6% 17.3% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$175 6.9%

Blackburn

$132 6.4% 24.7% $43

Getting Around

Berlin

$110 4.3%

Blackburn

$96 4.7% 12.3% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$72 2.8%

Blackburn

$64 3.1% 11.3% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,469 in Berlin versus $1,200 in Blackburn. 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 67% 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 $56.0 in Blackburn. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $343 vs $271 – making Blackburn the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇬🇧 Blackburn

🕒 Local time

20:41 8:41 PM

19:41 7:41 PM

1 h behind Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

105,000

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Berlin Blackburn 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Berlin
Blackburn

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 Blackburn: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,826 per month in Berlin and $3,072 in Blackburn. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Blackburn, 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 $2,048 in Blackburn. That's a gap of about 25%.

Public transport costs about 2% less in Blackburn. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Blackburn, where all-in costs run around $2,048, than in Berlin at $2,551. In Blackburn it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Blackburn – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Blackburn. 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.