Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Fort Madison, IA

For one person, living costs are similar in Berlin and in Fort Madison, IA: $2,553 and $2,559 a month, rent and utilities included.

124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Fort Madison, IA
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Fort Madison, IA Living Index

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Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,553

/mo nomad

Fort Madison, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,559

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berlin and in Fort Madison, IA

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 Fort Madison, IA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,553 per month in Berlin vs $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA, rent included.

Berlin $2,553
Fort Madison, IA $2,559

A couple spends around $3,856 per month in Berlin vs $3,754 in Fort Madison, IA, rent included.

Berlin $3,856
Fort Madison, IA $3,754

A family of three spends $5,159 per month in Berlin vs $4,950 in Fort Madison, IA, rent included.

Berlin $5,159
Fort Madison, IA $4,950

Berlin and Fort Madison, IA have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Berlin and Fort Madison, IA sit above the global median – Berlin by 88%, Fort Madison, IA by 89%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.97 €15.09

$19.82 $19.82

-14.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.5 €68.9

$76.2 $76.2

1.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.47 €11.98

$11.40 $11.40

18.16%

Cappuccino

$4.35 €3.87

$5.49 $5.49

-20.77%

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

$3.53 €3.14

$2.63 $2.63

34.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 €2.81

$1.98 $1.98

59.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.60 €4.98

$6.13 $6.13

-8.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 €3.95

$7.37 $7.37

-39.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.09

$1.05 $1.05

17.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 €2.17

$3.45 $3.45

-29.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.41 €3.04

$4.30 $4.30

-20.70%

Eggs

$4.55 €4.05

$4.15 $4.15

9.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.23 €15.33

$12.60 $12.60

36.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.24 €10.89

$11.33 $11.33

8.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.98 €15.99

$17.07 $17.07

5.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 €3.13

$4.89 $4.89

-28.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.58 $1.58

28.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 €2.91

$4.23 $4.23

-22.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.72 €3.31

$4.82 $4.82

-22.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$2.84 $2.84

-27.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.94 $2.94

-25.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 €1.26

$2.14 $2.14

-33.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 €0.87

$2.21 $2.21

-55.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.37 €9.22

$10.10 $10.10

2.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.78 €6.03

$15.04 $15.04

-54.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.68 $1.68

-21.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.86

$3.00 $3.00

-30.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.52 €4.02

$2.27 $2.27

99.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.8 €62.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.19 €4.62

$3.33 $3.33

55.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.23 €2.87

$1.76 $1.76

83.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.61 €33.46

$31.70 $31.70

18.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 €2.07

$0.92 $0.92

153.26%

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

$33.2K €29.5K

$26.6K $26.6K

24.95%

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

$39.2K €34.8K

$23.8K $23.8K

64.49%

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

$384 €342

$201 $201

90.80%

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

$19.27 €17.14

$59.0 $59.0

-67.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.17 €43.74

$71.0 $71.0

-30.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.54 €35.17

$41.05 $41.05

-3.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.56 €30.74

Cinema Ticket

$14.37 €12.78

$14.14 $14.14

1.63%

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

$146 €130

$1,439 $1,439

-89.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K €14.4K

$23.7K $23.7K

-31.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.1 €84.6

$53.8 $53.8

76.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.83 €42.54

$40.89 $40.89

16.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.6

$88.0 $88.0

18.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €127

$115 $115

24.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,398 €1,244

$1,582 $1,582

-11.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 €984

$1,287 $1,287

-14.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,727 €2,426

$2,533 $2,533

7.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,104 €1,871

$2,141 $2,141

-1.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,578 €7,630

$2,414 $2,414

255.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,545 €4,932

$2,589 $2,589

114.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,451 €3,070

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

6.57

-42.16%

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

Last update for Berlin: October 17, 2026

Last update for Fort Madison, IA: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 43.3%

Fort Madison, IA

$1.3K 50.3% 16.4% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$453 17.7%

Fort Madison, IA

$331 13% 26.8% $121

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$349 13.7%

Fort Madison, IA

$393 15.4% 12.7% $44

Eating Out

Berlin

$292 11.4%

Fort Madison, IA

$322 12.6% 10.4% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$176 6.9%

Fort Madison, IA

$134 5.2% 23.8% $42

Getting Around

Berlin

$109 4.3%

Fort Madison, IA

$21 * 0.8% 80.6% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$68 2.7%

Fort Madison, IA

$69 2.7% 1.5% $1

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,398 in Berlin versus $1,582 in Fort Madison, IA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77.0 in Berlin versus $76.0 in Fort Madison, IA. Groceries tell a different story – $349 in Berlin vs $393 in Fort Madison, IA – so Berlin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇺🇸 Fort Madison, IA

🕒 Local time

23:12 11:12 PM

16:12 4:12 PM

7 h behind Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

10,270

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Berlin Fort Madison, IA 7,390 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Berlin
Fort Madison, IA

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 Fort Madison, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,829 per month in Berlin and $3,838 in Fort Madison, IA. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77.0 in Berlin and $76.0 in Fort Madison, IA. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $146 per month in Berlin and $1,439 in Fort Madison, IA. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Berlin, where all-in costs run around $2,553, than in Fort Madison, IA at $2,559. In Berlin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fort Madison, IA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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, Fort Madison, IA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.