Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Lincoln

For one person, living is cheaper in Lincoln: $2,210 a month against $2,551 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 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
107

Cost of Living Index in Lincoln
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Lincoln Living Index

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Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,551

/mo nomad

Lincoln

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berlin and in Lincoln

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

A single person spends $2,551 per month in Berlin vs $2,210 in Lincoln, rent included.

Berlin $2,551
Lincoln $2,210

A couple spends around $3,845 per month in Berlin vs $3,279 in Lincoln, rent included.

Berlin $3,845
Lincoln $3,279

A family of three spends $5,139 per month in Berlin vs $4,349 in Lincoln, rent included.

Berlin $5,139
Lincoln $4,349

Berlin costs about 15% more than Lincoln, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Berlin and Lincoln sit above the global median – Berlin by 89%, Lincoln by 64%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.81

$26.56 £19.93

-37.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.7 €68.2

$86.5 £64.9

-11.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.47 €11.98

$7.97 £5.98

69.01%

Cappuccino

$4.37 €3.89

$4.85 £3.64

-9.90%

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

$3.48 €3.09

$2.58 £1.94

34.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.77

$1.97 £1.48

58.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.34 €4.75

$6.46 £4.85

-17.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 €3.91

$6.63 £4.97

-33.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.38 £1.03

-7.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 €2.08

$1.46 £1.10

59.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.40 €3.02

$1.35 £1.01

151.85%

Eggs

$4.50 €4.00

$3.20 £2.40

40.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.78 €14.93

$8.35 £6.26

100.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.91 €10.59

$8.39 £6.30

41.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.90 €15.92

$11.31 £8.49

58.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 €3.07

$3.62 £2.72

-4.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.25 £0.93

56.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$2.94 £2.20

10.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.71 €3.30

$3.56 £2.67

4.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.54 £1.16

36.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.21 £0.90

72.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.04 £0.78

36.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.84

$1.35 £1.01

-29.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.44 €9.29

$23.20 £17.41

-55.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.58 €5.85

$10.69 £8.02

-38.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.13

$3.30 £2.47

-61.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.85

$3.54 £2.66

-41.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.34 €3.86

$4.26 £3.20

1.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.6 €63.7

$107 £80.1

-32.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.26 €4.68

$3.84 £2.88

36.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.09 €2.75

$0.78 £0.58

296.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.34 €32.32

$19.63 £14.73

85.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.05

$1.96 £1.47

17.86%

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

$32.4K €28.8K

$38.5K £28.9K

-15.77%

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

$38.6K €34.3K

$39.7K £29.8K

-2.86%

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

$382 €340

$308 £231

23.92%

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

$18.83 €16.75

$16.78 £12.59

12.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.57 €43.20

$38.98 £29.24

24.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.21 €35.76

$26.20 £19.65

53.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.90 €31.04

$21.26 £15.95

64.16%

Cinema Ticket

$15.73 €14.00

$15.16 £11.38

3.76%

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

$142 €126

$1,809 £1,358

-92.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.0K

$20.6K £15.4K

-23.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.4 €84.8

$113 £85.1

-15.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.32 €41.20

$58.0 £43.49

-20.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.4

$87.0 £65.3

19.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €128

$98.4 £73.8

45.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,469 €1,306

$1,096 £822

34.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,114 €991

$864 £648

29.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,751 €2,447

$1,952 £1,464

40.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 €1,875

$1,408 £1,056

49.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,454 €7,520

$2,548 £1,911

231.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,435 €4,834

$1,205 £904

350.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,543 €3,151

$3,188 £2,391

11.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

4.88

-22.13%

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

Last update for Berlin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lincoln: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 43.7%

Lincoln

$864 39.1% 22.5% $251

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$449 17.6%

Lincoln

$364 16.5% 19% $85

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$343 13.4%

Lincoln

$275 12.4% 19.8% $68

Eating Out

Berlin

$288 11.3%

Lincoln

$358 16.2% 24.5% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$175 6.9%

Lincoln

$161 7.3% 8.3% $14

Getting Around

Berlin

$110 4.3%

Lincoln

$132 6% 20% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$72 2.8%

Lincoln

$57 2.6% 21.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,469 in Berlin versus $1,096 in Lincoln. 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 11% 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 $86.0 in Lincoln. Groceries tell a different story – $343 in Berlin vs $275 in Lincoln – so Lincoln wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇬🇧 Lincoln

🕒 Local time

11:26 11:26 AM

10:26 10:26 AM

1 h behind Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

97,541

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Berlin Lincoln 940 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Berlin
Lincoln

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 Lincoln: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 15%, 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 $3,314 in Lincoln. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lincoln, 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 $2,210 in Lincoln. That's a gap of about 15%.

Public transport costs about 49% less in Lincoln. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lincoln, where all-in costs run around $2,210, than in Berlin at $2,551. In Lincoln it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lincoln – 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 Lincoln. 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.