Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Cambridge

For one person, living is cheaper in Berlin: $2,545 a month against $3,193 in Cambridge, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 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
155

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
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Cambridge Living Index

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Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,545

/mo nomad

Cambridge

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,193

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berlin and in Cambridge

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

A single person spends $2,545 per month in Berlin vs $3,193 in Cambridge, rent included.

Berlin $2,545
Cambridge $3,193

A couple spends around $3,901 per month in Berlin vs $4,497 in Cambridge, rent included.

Berlin $3,901
Cambridge $4,497

A family of three spends $5,257 per month in Berlin vs $5,801 in Cambridge, rent included.

Berlin $5,257
Cambridge $5,801

Berlin is about 20% cheaper than Cambridge, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Berlin and Cambridge sit above the global median – Berlin by 90%, Cambridge by 138%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.81 €15.00

$21.44 £16.20

-21.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.6 €71.0

$89.5 £67.6

-11.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 €11.94

$10.39 £7.85

28.78%

Cappuccino

$4.27 €3.81

$4.65 £3.51

-8.17%

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

$3.40 €3.03

$2.82 £2.13

20.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.79

$1.89 £1.43

65.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 €4.89

$7.64 £5.77

-28.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 €4.07

$6.53 £4.93

-30.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.57 £1.19

-19.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.45 €2.19

$1.81 £1.37

35.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.30 €2.94

$2.48 £1.88

33.06%

Eggs

$4.45 €3.97

$4.56 £3.44

-2.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.10 €15.26

$9.59 £7.25

78.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.19 €10.88

$9.25 £6.99

31.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.30 €16.33

$15.41 £11.65

18.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 €3.19

$2.90 £2.20

23.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.72 £1.30

15.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 €2.92

$3.66 £2.77

-10.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.81 €3.40

$3.43 £2.59

11.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.75 £1.33

21.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.84 £1.39

20.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.30 £0.98

14.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 €0.90

$1.96 £1.48

-48.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.49 €9.37

$22.60 £17.07

-53.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.76 €6.03

$11.17 £8.44

-39.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.20

$3.28 £2.48

-59.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.87

$4.12 £3.11

-49.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.37 €3.90

$3.89 £2.94

12.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.0 €63.3

$93.4 £70.6

-24.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 €4.72

$8.05 £6.09

-34.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.05 €2.73

$2.57 £1.94

18.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.30 €32.39

$50.3 £38.03

-27.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.09 £1.58

9.09%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$38.2K £28.9K

-13.04%

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

$39.1K €34.9K

$40.8K £30.8K

-4.27%

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

$379 €339

$336 £254

12.89%

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

$19.31 €17.23

$18.66 £14.10

3.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.41 €43.20

$42.12 £31.83

14.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.31 €35.97

$64.6 £48.79

-37.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.51 €31.69

$20.61 £15.57

72.30%

Cinema Ticket

$15.53 €13.86

$17.06 £12.89

-8.97%

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

$144 €128

$2,538 £1,918

-94.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.1K

$35.2K £26.6K

-55.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.6 €84.5

$88.2 £66.6

7.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.33 €41.34

$47.02 £35.54

-1.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.2

$93.3 £70.5

10.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 €126

$129 £97.2

9.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,488 €1,328

$2,080 £1,572

-28.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 €980

$1,717 £1,297

-36.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,665 €2,378

$3,168 £2,394

-15.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 €1,856

$2,686 £2,030

-22.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,578 €7,655

$9,021 £6,817

-4.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,438 €4,853

$5,852 £4,422

-7.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,487 €3,112

$4,402 £3,327

-20.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

5.04

-24.60%

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

Last update for Berlin: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cambridge: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 43.3%

Cambridge

$1.7K 54.4% 56.3% $619

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$447 17.6%

Cambridge

$397 12.6% 11.2% $50

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$351 13.8%

Cambridge

$325 10.3% 7.4% $26

Eating Out

Berlin

$289 11.4%

Cambridge

$329 10.4% 13.9% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$174 6.8%

Cambridge

$161 5.1% 7.4% $13

Getting Around

Berlin

$109 4.3%

Cambridge

$130 4.1% 19.1% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$71 2.8%

Cambridge

$99 3.1% 38.2% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,488 in Berlin versus $2,080 in Cambridge. 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 26% higher in Cambridge, 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 $80.0 in Berlin versus $89.0 in Cambridge. Groceries tell a different story – $351 in Berlin vs $325 in Cambridge – so Cambridge wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇬🇧 Cambridge

🕒 Local time

09:28 9:28 AM

08:28 8:28 AM

1 h behind Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

145,818

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Berlin Cambridge 900 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Berlin
Cambridge

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 Cambridge: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,818 per month in Berlin and $4,790 in Cambridge. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Berlin, 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 $2,545 in Berlin and $3,193 in Cambridge. That's a gap of about 25%.

Public transport costs about 32% less in Berlin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,545 in Berlin and $3,193 in Cambridge. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Berlin – 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 Berlin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cambridge makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.