Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Cardiff

For one person, living costs are similar in Berlin and in Cardiff: $2,545 and $2,463 a month, rent and utilities included.

124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in Cardiff
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Cardiff Living Index

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Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,545

/mo nomad

Cardiff

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,463

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berlin and in Cardiff

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

A single person spends $2,545 per month in Berlin vs $2,463 in Cardiff, rent included.

Berlin $2,545
Cardiff $2,463

A couple spends around $3,901 per month in Berlin vs $3,467 in Cardiff, rent included.

Berlin $3,901
Cardiff $3,467

A family of three spends $5,257 per month in Berlin vs $4,470 in Cardiff, rent included.

Berlin $5,257
Cardiff $4,470

Berlin costs about 3% more than Cardiff, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Berlin and Cardiff sit above the global median – Berlin by 90%, Cardiff by 84%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.81 €15.00

$19.59 £14.80

-14.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.6 €71.0

$82.6 £62.4

-3.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 €11.94

$10.73 £8.11

24.70%

Cappuccino

$4.27 €3.81

$4.60 £3.47

-7.17%

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

$3.40 €3.03

$2.98 £2.25

14.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.79

$2.00 £1.51

56.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 €4.89

$7.79 £5.88

-29.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 €4.07

$6.42 £4.85

-28.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.72 £1.30

-26.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.45 €2.19

$1.47 £1.11

66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.30 €2.94

$2.25 £1.70

46.67%

Eggs

$4.45 €3.97

$3.72 £2.81

19.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.10 €15.26

$9.18 £6.93

86.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.19 €10.88

$8.75 £6.61

39.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.30 €16.33

$16.29 £12.31

12.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 €3.19

$2.81 £2.12

27.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.54 £1.16

28.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 €2.92

$2.98 £2.25

9.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.81 €3.40

$3.65 £2.76

4.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.90 £1.43

12.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.48 £1.12

49.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.11 £0.84

34.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 €0.90

$1.63 £1.23

-38.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.49 €9.37

$23.34 £17.64

-55.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.76 €6.03

$11.17 £8.44

-39.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.20

$3.11 £2.35

-56.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.33 £2.52

-36.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.37 €3.90

$3.30 £2.50

32.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.0 €63.3

$78.6 £59.4

-9.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 €4.72

$4.56 £3.45

16.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.05 €2.73

$1.74 £1.31

75.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.30 €32.39

$35.83 £27.08

1.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.14 £1.62

6.54%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$37.8K £28.6K

-12.17%

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

$39.1K €34.9K

$41.3K £31.2K

-5.34%

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

$379 €339

$343 £259

10.49%

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

$19.31 €17.23

$25.85 £19.54

-25.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.41 €43.20

$43.60 £32.95

11.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.31 €35.97

$38.02 £28.73

6.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.51 €31.69

$11.52 £8.70

208.25%

Cinema Ticket

$15.53 €13.86

$10.65 £8.05

45.82%

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

$144 €128

$1,978 £1,495

-92.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.1K

$32.8K £24.8K

-52.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.6 €84.5

$100 £75.6

-5.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.33 €41.34

$47.31 £35.75

-2.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.2

$120 £90.6

-13.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 €126

$99.3 £75.0

42.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,488 €1,328

$1,158 £875

28.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 €980

$1,097 £829

0.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,665 €2,378

$2,185 £1,651

21.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 €1,856

$1,514 £1,144

37.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,578 €7,655

$5,353 £4,045

60.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,438 €4,853

$3,479 £2,629

56.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,487 €3,112

$3,223 £2,435

8.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

5.11

-25.64%

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

Last update for Berlin: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cardiff: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 43.3%

Cardiff

$1.1K 44.6% 0.1% $1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$447 17.6%

Cardiff

$413 16.8% 7.7% $34

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$351 13.8%

Cardiff

$307 12.5% 12.5% $44

Eating Out

Berlin

$289 11.4%

Cardiff

$316 12.8% 9.4% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$174 6.8%

Cardiff

$165 6.7% 4.9% $8.6

Getting Around

Berlin

$109 4.3%

Cardiff

$105 4.3% 3.6% $3.9

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$71 2.8%

Cardiff

$59 2.4% 16.9% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,488 in Berlin versus $1,158 in Cardiff. 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 8% 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 $80.0 in Berlin versus $83.0 in Cardiff. Groceries tell a different story – $351 in Berlin vs $307 in Cardiff – so Cardiff wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇬🇧 Cardiff

🕒 Local time

08:16 8:16 AM

07:16 7:16 AM

1 h behind Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

346,100

💱 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 Cardiff 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Berlin
Cardiff

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 Cardiff: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,818 per month in Berlin and $3,694 in Cardiff. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cardiff, 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 $2,463 in Cardiff. That's a gap of about 3%.

Public transport costs about 11% less in Cardiff. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Cardiff, where all-in costs run around $2,463, than in Berlin at $2,545. In Cardiff it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cardiff – 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 Cardiff. 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.