Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Ilford

For one person, living is cheaper in Ilford: $2,414 a month against $2,551 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Berlin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Ilford
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Ilford Living Index

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Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,551

/mo nomad

Ilford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,414

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berlin and in Ilford

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

A single person spends $2,551 per month in Berlin vs $2,414 in Ilford, rent included.

Berlin $2,551
Ilford $2,414

A couple spends around $3,845 per month in Berlin vs $3,764 in Ilford, rent included.

Berlin $3,845
Ilford $3,764

A family of three spends $5,139 per month in Berlin vs $5,115 in Ilford, rent included.

Berlin $5,139
Ilford $5,115

Berlin costs about 6% more than Ilford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Berlin and Ilford sit above the global median – Berlin by 89%, Ilford by 79%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.81

$21.28 £15.97

-21.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.7 €68.2

$93.9 £70.5

-18.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.47 €11.98

$10.51 £7.89

28.16%

Cappuccino

$4.37 €3.89

$4.60 £3.45

-5.00%

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

$3.48 €3.09

$2.81 £2.11

23.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.77

$1.83 £1.38

70.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.34 €4.75

$7.91 £5.93

-32.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 €3.91

$6.43 £4.82

-31.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.64 £1.23

-22.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 €2.08

$1.72 £1.29

35.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.40 €3.02

$2.30 £1.72

47.83%

Eggs

$4.50 €4.00

$4.60 £3.45

-2.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.78 €14.93

$9.46 £7.09

77.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.91 €10.59

$9.61 £7.21

23.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.90 €15.92

$15.45 £11.59

15.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 €3.07

$2.94 £2.21

17.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.41 £1.06

38.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$2.96 £2.22

10.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.71 €3.30

$3.28 £2.46

13.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.67 £1.25

25.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.77 £1.33

18.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.28 £0.96

10.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.84

$1.77 £1.33

-46.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.44 €9.29

$22.20 £16.65

-52.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.58 €5.85

$10.88 £8.16

-39.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.13

$3.04 £2.28

-58.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.85

$3.92 £2.94

-46.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.34 €3.86

$3.43 £2.57

26.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.6 €63.7

$97.6 £73.2

-26.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.26 €4.68

$5.39 £4.05

-2.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.09 €2.75

$2.61 £1.96

18.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.34 €32.32

$25.45 £19.09

42.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.05

$2.11 £1.58

9.48%

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

$32.4K €28.8K

$38.9K £29.2K

-16.72%

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

$38.6K €34.3K

$40.9K £30.7K

-5.66%

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

$382 €340

$334 £250

14.44%

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

$18.83 €16.75

$18.31 £13.73

2.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.57 €43.20

$40.86 £30.65

18.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.21 €35.76

$44.93 £33.70

-10.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.90 €31.04

Cinema Ticket

$15.73 €14.00

$17.09 £12.82

-7.96%

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

$142 €126

$2,535 £1,902

-94.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.0K

$35.1K £26.3K

-54.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.4 €84.8

$88.0 £66.0

8.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.32 €41.20

$46.25 £34.69

0.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.4

$93.0 £69.8

11.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €128

$96.2 £72.1

49.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,469 €1,306

$1,350 £1,013

8.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,114 €991

$1,023 £768

8.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,751 €2,447

$2,960 £2,221

-7.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 €1,875

$2,099 £1,575

0.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,454 €7,520

$4,983 £3,738

69.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,435 €4,834

$3,831 £2,874

41.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,543 €3,151

$3,485 £2,614

1.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

5.04

-24.60%

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

Last update for Berlin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ilford: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 43.7%

Ilford

$1K 42.4% 8.2% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$449 17.6%

Ilford

$393 16.3% 12.6% $56

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$343 13.4%

Ilford

$315 13.1% 8.1% $28

Eating Out

Berlin

$288 11.3%

Ilford

$328 13.6% 13.9% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$175 6.9%

Ilford

$146 6% 16.8% $29

Getting Around

Berlin

$110 4.3%

Ilford

$130 5.4% 18.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$72 2.8%

Ilford

$79 3.3% 10.4% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,469 in Berlin versus $1,350 in Ilford. 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 2% 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 $94.0 in Ilford. Groceries tell a different story – $343 in Berlin vs $315 in Ilford – so Ilford wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇬🇧 Ilford

🕒 Local time

03:33 3:33 AM

02:33 2:33 AM

1 h behind Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

168,168

💱 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

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Between locations

Berlin Ilford 920 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Berlin
Ilford

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 Ilford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,826 per month in Berlin and $3,620 in Ilford. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ilford, 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 $2,551 in Berlin and $2,414 in Ilford. That's a gap of about 6%.

Public transport costs about 36% less in Ilford. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ilford, where all-in costs run around $2,414, than in Berlin at $2,551. In Ilford it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ilford – 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 Ilford. 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.