Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and George

For one person, living is cheaper in George: $1,132 a month against $2,535 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in George
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George Living Index

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Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,535

/mo nomad

George

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,132

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berlin and in George

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

A single person spends $2,535 per month in Berlin vs $1,132 in George, rent included.

Berlin $2,535
George $1,132

A couple spends around $3,888 per month in Berlin vs $1,858 in George, rent included.

Berlin $3,888
George $1,858

A family of three spends $5,241 per month in Berlin vs $2,585 in George, rent included.

Berlin $5,241
George $2,585

Berlin costs about 124% more than George, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Berlin sits 88% above the global median, while George is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.70

$12.22 R 200

35.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.1 €70.4

$35.94 R 589

120.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.98 €12.46

$5.37 R 87.9

160.34%

Cappuccino

$4.38 €3.90

$2.23 R 36.49

96.41%

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

$3.20 €2.85

$1.01 R 16.55

216.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 €2.74

$0.77 R 12.69

300.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.38 €4.79

$2.74 R 44.92

96.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 €3.90

$3.20 R 52.4

36.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.28 R 21.03

-3.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 €2.23

$1.21 R 19.77

107.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.36 €2.99

$1.49 R 24.38

125.50%

Eggs

$4.68 €4.16

$2.10 R 34.36

122.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.28 €16.29

$8.81 R 144

107.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.25 €10.91

$5.34 R 87.5

129.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.10 €16.13

$7.24 R 119

150.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 €2.99

$1.61 R 26.31

108.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.51 R 24.76

30.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.39 €3.02

$1.47 R 24.09

130.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 €3.22

$1.71 R 28.03

111.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.69 R 27.65

19.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.37 R 22.39

40.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.24 R 20.31

19.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.81

$0.99 R 16.19

-9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.48 €9.33

$3.16 R 51.7

231.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.68 €5.95

$4.72 R 77.3

41.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.26 R 20.64

3.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.72 R 28.20

16.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.53 €4.04

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.2 €62.6

$28.12 R 461

149.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.85 €4.32

$2.14 R 35.00

126.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.11 €2.77

$0.50 R 8.17

522.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.21 €33.15

$8.27 R 135

349.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 €2.08

$1.32 R 21.65

76.52%

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

$33.3K €29.7K

$34.6K R 567.6K

-3.78%

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

$39.4K €35.1K

$35.6K R 582.5K

10.74%

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

$390 €347

$121 R 1,986

221.56%

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

$19.74 €17.59

$28.66 R 470

-31.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.03 €43.68

$43.88 R 719

11.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.21 €35.82

$29.79 R 488

34.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.15 €31.31

$11.82 R 194

197.38%

Cinema Ticket

$15.36 €13.68

$5.95 R 97.5

158.15%

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

$145 €130

$139 R 2,277

4.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K €16.0K

$5,209 R 85.3K

245.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100.0 €89.1

$71.3 R 1,168

40.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.89 €42.66

$39.52 R 648

21.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.7

$110 R 1,805

-6.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 €126

$96.9 R 1,588

45.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,427 €1,271

$439 R 7,188

225.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,082 €964

$363 R 5,949

198.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,717 €2,421

$921 R 15.1K

195.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,170 €1,933

$920 R 15.1K

135.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,523 €7,592

$359 R 5,878

2275.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,436 €4,842

$245 R 4,018

2116.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,543 €3,156

$1,329 R 21.8K

166.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

10.92

-65.20%

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

Last update for Berlin: November 1, 2026

Last update for George: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 42.7%

George

$363 32.1% 66.5% $719

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$459 18.1%

George

$194 17.1% 57.7% $265

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$351 13.8%

George

$189 16.7% 46% $161

Eating Out

Berlin

$287 11.3%

George

$168 14.8% 41.6% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$176 7%

George

$143 12.6% 18.9% $33

Getting Around

Berlin

$109 4.3%

George

$33 * 2.9% 69.9% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$71 2.8%

George

$42 3.7% 41.2% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,427 in Berlin versus $439 in George. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Berlin are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Berlin versus $36 in George. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $189 – making George the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇿🇦 George

🕒 Local time

18:40 6:40 PM

19:40 7:40 PM

1 h ahead of Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

188,580

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.41 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Berlin George 9,660 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Berlin
George

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 George: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 124%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,803 per month in Berlin and $1,697 in George. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in George, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $439 there versus $1,427 in Berlin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,535 in Berlin and $1,132 in George. That makes George about 55% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 60% less in George. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in George, where all-in costs run around $1,132, than in Berlin at $2,535. In George it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with George. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Berlin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.