Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Heraklion

For one person, living is cheaper in Heraklion: $1,609 a month against $2,545 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 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
78

Cost of Living Index in Heraklion
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Heraklion Living Index

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Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,545

/mo nomad

Heraklion

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,609

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berlin and in Heraklion

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

A single person spends $2,545 per month in Berlin vs $1,609 in Heraklion, rent included.

Berlin $2,545
Heraklion $1,609

A couple spends around $3,901 per month in Berlin vs $2,492 in Heraklion, rent included.

Berlin $3,901
Heraklion $2,492

A family of three spends $5,257 per month in Berlin vs $3,374 in Heraklion, rent included.

Berlin $5,257
Heraklion $3,374

Berlin costs about 58% more than Heraklion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Berlin and Heraklion sit above the global median – Berlin by 90%, Heraklion by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.81 €15.00

$13.02 €11.62

29.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.6 €71.0

$56.5 €50.4

40.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 €11.94

$10.03 €8.96

33.40%

Cappuccino

$4.27 €3.81

$3.80 €3.39

12.37%

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

$3.40 €3.03

$2.43 €2.17

39.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.79

$0.76 €0.68

310.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 €4.89

$5.62 €5.02

-2.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 €4.07

$5.48 €4.89

-16.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.79 €1.60

-29.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.45 €2.19

$1.47 €1.32

66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.30 €2.94

$2.73 €2.43

20.88%

Eggs

$4.45 €3.97

$4.38 €3.91

1.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.10 €15.26

$15.75 €14.06

8.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.19 €10.88

$10.42 €9.30

16.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.30 €16.33

$15.23 €13.59

20.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 €3.19

$2.23 €1.99

60.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$2.08 €1.86

-4.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 €2.92

$1.34 €1.20

144.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.81 €3.40

$1.76 €1.57

116.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.18 €1.05

80.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.22 €1.09

81.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.33

$0.94 €0.84

58.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 €0.90

$0.71 €0.63

42.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.49 €9.37

$5.12 €4.57

104.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.76 €6.03

$7.80 €6.96

-13.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.20

$2.27 €2.03

-40.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.88 €2.57

-27.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.37 €3.90

$1.47 €1.31

197.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.0 €63.3

$67.0 €59.8

5.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 €4.72

$4.51 €4.02

17.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.05 €2.73

$1.13 €1.01

169.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.30 €32.39

$11.08 €9.89

227.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.24 €2.00

1.79%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$28.0K €25.0K

18.86%

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

$39.1K €34.9K

$24.0K €21.5K

62.44%

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

$379 €339

$195 €174

94.46%

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

$19.31 €17.23

$30.21 €26.96

-36.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.41 €43.20

$37.66 €33.61

28.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.31 €35.97

$49.93 €44.56

-19.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.51 €31.69

$39.72 €35.44

-10.60%

Cinema Ticket

$15.53 €13.86

$9.05 €8.07

71.60%

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

$144 €128

$410 €366

-64.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.1K

$4,089 €3,649

285.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.6 €84.5

$89.0 €79.4

6.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.33 €41.34

$42.78 €38.18

8.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.2

$82.6 €73.7

25.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 €126

$136 €122

3.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,488 €1,328

$652 €582

128.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 €980

$505 €450

117.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,665 €2,378

$1,105 €986

141.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 €1,856

$1,005 €897

106.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,578 €7,655

$4,070 €3,632

110.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,438 €4,853

$2,799 €2,498

94.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,487 €3,112

$1,111 €992

213.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

4.44

-14.41%

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

Last update for Berlin: October 3, 2026

Last update for Heraklion: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 43.3%

Heraklion

$505 31.5% 54% $593

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$447 17.6%

Heraklion

$263 16.4% 41.2% $184

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$351 13.8%

Heraklion

$295 18.4% 15.8% $56

Eating Out

Berlin

$289 11.4%

Heraklion

$232 14.5% 19.7% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$174 6.8%

Heraklion

$158 9.8% 9.1% $16

Getting Around

Berlin

$109 4.3%

Heraklion

$83 5.2% 23.8% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$71 2.8%

Heraklion

$68 4.2% 4.7% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,488 in Berlin versus $652 in Heraklion. 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 214% 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 $56.0 in Heraklion. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $295 – making Heraklion the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇬🇷 Heraklion

🕒 Local time

09:53 9:53 AM

10:53 10:53 AM

1 h ahead of Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

140,730

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Berlin Heraklion 2,120 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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 Heraklion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 58%, 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 $2,414 in Heraklion. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Heraklion, 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 $1,609 in Heraklion. That's a gap of about 58%.

Public transport costs about 6% less in Heraklion. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Heraklion, where all-in costs run around $1,609, than in Berlin at $2,545. In Heraklion it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Heraklion – 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 Heraklion. 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.