Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Harlow

For one person, living is cheaper in Harlow: $2,320 a month against $2,551 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. The total is higher in Berlin despite lower rent and utilities.

124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Harlow
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Harlow Living Index

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Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,551

/mo nomad

Harlow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,320

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berlin and in Harlow

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

A single person spends $2,551 per month in Berlin vs $2,320 in Harlow, rent included.

Berlin $2,551
Harlow $2,320

A couple spends around $3,845 per month in Berlin vs $3,416 in Harlow, rent included.

Berlin $3,845
Harlow $3,416

A family of three spends $5,139 per month in Berlin vs $4,513 in Harlow, rent included.

Berlin $5,139
Harlow $4,513

Berlin costs about 10% more than Harlow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Berlin and Harlow sit above the global median – Berlin by 89%, Harlow by 72%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.81

$21.12 £15.85

-21.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.7 €68.2

$93.0 £69.7

-17.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.47 €11.98

$10.72 £8.04

25.65%

Cappuccino

$4.37 €3.89

$5.71 £4.28

-23.47%

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

$3.48 €3.09

$2.61 £1.96

33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.77

$1.79 £1.34

74.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.34 €4.75

$6.71 £5.04

-20.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 €3.91

$6.81 £5.11

-35.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.35 £1.01

-5.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 €2.08

$1.38 £1.03

68.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.40 €3.02

$1.10 £0.82

209.09%

Eggs

$4.50 €4.00

$2.35 £1.76

91.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.78 €14.93

$6.66 £5.00

151.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.91 €10.59

$6.12 £4.59

94.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.90 €15.92

$6.73 £5.05

165.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 €3.07

$2.03 £1.52

70.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.18 £0.88

65.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$1.15 £0.86

183.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.71 €3.30

$1.95 £1.47

90.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.58 £1.19

32.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.33 £1.00

57.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.35 £1.01

5.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.84

$1.48 £1.11

-35.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.44 €9.29

$20.83 £15.63

-49.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.58 €5.85

$9.04 £6.78

-27.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.13

$2.72 £2.04

-53.31%

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

$2.63 £1.97

65.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.6 €63.7

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.26 €4.68

$5.84 £4.38

-9.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.09 €2.75

$1.62 £1.22

90.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.34 €32.32

$21.14 £15.86

71.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.05

$1.85 £1.38

24.86%

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

$32.4K €28.8K

$37.4K £28.1K

-13.27%

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

$38.6K €34.3K

$41.1K £30.8K

-5.94%

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

$382 €340

$220 £165

73.87%

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

$18.83 €16.75

$11.73 £8.80

60.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.57 €43.20

$28.08 £21.07

72.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.21 €35.76

$45.62 £34.23

-11.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.90 €31.04

$8.11 £6.09

330.33%

Cinema Ticket

$15.73 €14.00

$12.56 £9.43

25.24%

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

$142 €126

$1,062 £797

-86.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.0K

$20.0K £15.0K

-20.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.4 €84.8

$69.9 £52.4

36.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.32 €41.20

$31.69 £23.78

46.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.4

$77.1 £57.8

34.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €128

$37.87 £28.41

278.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,469 €1,306

$1,397 £1,048

5.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,114 €991

$1,324 £993

-15.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,751 €2,447

$2,253 £1,690

22.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 €1,875

$2,211 £1,659

-4.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,454 €7,520

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,435 €4,834

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,543 €3,151

$2,992 £2,245

18.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

4.91

-22.61%

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

Last update for Berlin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Harlow: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 43.7%

Harlow

$1.3K 57.1% 18.8% $209

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$449 17.6%

Harlow

$259 11.2% 42.2% $190

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$343 13.4%

Harlow

$209 9% 38.9% $133

Eating Out

Berlin

$288 11.3%

Harlow

$334 14.4% 16.1% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$175 6.9%

Harlow

$97 4.2% 44.3% $78

Getting Around

Berlin

$110 4.3%

Harlow

$24 * 1.1% 77.7% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$72 2.8%

Harlow

$71 3.1% 1.3% $0.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,469 in Berlin versus $1,397 in Harlow. 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 18% 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 $93.0 in Harlow. Groceries tell a different story – $343 in Berlin vs $209 in Harlow – so Harlow wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇬🇧 Harlow

🕒 Local time

04:24 4:24 AM

03:24 3:24 AM

1 h behind Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

86,191

💱 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

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Between locations

Berlin Harlow 910 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Berlin
Harlow

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 Harlow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 10%, 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 $3,479 in Harlow. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Harlow, 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 $93.0 in Harlow. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 64% more in Berlin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Harlow, where all-in costs run around $2,320, than in Berlin at $2,551. In Harlow it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Harlow – 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 Harlow. 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.