Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and London

For one person, living is cheaper in London: $2,312 a month against $2,545 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 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
112

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,545

/mo nomad

London

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,312

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berlin and in London

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

A single person spends $2,545 per month in Berlin vs $2,312 in London, rent included.

Berlin $2,545
London $2,312

A couple spends around $3,901 per month in Berlin vs $3,278 in London, rent included.

Berlin $3,901
London $3,278

A family of three spends $5,257 per month in Berlin vs $4,243 in London, rent included.

Berlin $5,257
London $4,243

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

Both Berlin and London sit above the global median – Berlin by 90%, London by 73%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.81 €15.00

$21.22 CA$30.24

-20.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.6 €71.0

$62.6 CA$89.3

27.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 €11.94

$12.36 CA$17.61

8.25%

Cappuccino

$4.27 €3.81

$3.65 CA$5.20

16.99%

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

$3.40 €3.03

$2.18 CA$3.10

55.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.79

$2.06 CA$2.94

51.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 €4.89

$6.47 CA$9.22

-15.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 €4.07

$6.47 CA$9.23

-29.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.95 CA$2.78

-34.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.45 €2.19

$2.61 CA$3.72

-6.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.30 €2.94

$3.94 CA$5.62

-16.24%

Eggs

$4.45 €3.97

$3.74 CA$5.34

18.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.10 €15.26

$9.83 CA$14.02

73.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.19 €10.88

$11.28 CA$16.08

8.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.30 €16.33

$15.02 CA$21.40

21.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 €3.19

$4.24 CA$6.04

-15.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.29 CA$1.84

53.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 €2.92

$3.85 CA$5.49

-15.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.81 €3.40

$4.06 CA$5.79

-6.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$3.17 CA$4.53

-32.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$3.02 CA$4.31

-26.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.33

$2.58 CA$3.68

-42.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 €0.90

$1.46 CA$2.09

-30.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.49 €9.37

$11.98 CA$17.08

-12.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.76 €6.03

$12.50 CA$17.82

-45.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.20

$2.40 CA$3.43

-44.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.87 CA$4.09

-26.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.37 €3.90

$2.26 CA$3.22

93.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.0 €63.3

$77.4 CA$110

-8.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 €4.72

$2.51 CA$3.58

110.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.05 €2.73

$1.60 CA$2.29

90.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.30 €32.39

$21.83 CA$31.11

66.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.17 CA$1.67

94.87%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$27.8K CA$39.6K

19.69%

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

$39.1K €34.9K

$22.7K CA$32.4K

71.67%

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

$379 €339

$135 CA$193

180.86%

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

$19.31 €17.23

$39.06 CA$55.7

-50.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.41 €43.20

$56.4 CA$80.3

-14.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.31 €35.97

$37.00 CA$52.7

8.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.51 €31.69

$28.27 CA$40.29

25.61%

Cinema Ticket

$15.53 €13.86

$10.41 CA$14.84

49.18%

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

$144 €128

$407 CA$579

-64.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.1K

$20.2K CA$28.8K

-22.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.6 €84.5

$52.0 CA$74.1

81.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.33 €41.34

$38.12 CA$54.3

21.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.2

$82.8 CA$118

24.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 €126

$90.7 CA$129

55.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,488 €1,328

$1,270 CA$1,810

17.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 €980

$1,148 CA$1,636

-4.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,665 €2,378

$2,013 CA$2,870

32.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 €1,856

$1,703 CA$2,428

22.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,578 €7,655

$3,440 CA$4,904

149.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,438 €4,853

$3,519 CA$5,015

54.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,487 €3,112

$2,882 CA$4,108

20.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

4.72

-19.49%

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

Last update for Berlin: October 3, 2026

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 43.3%

London

$1.1K 49.4% 4.5% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$447 17.6%

London

$230 9.9% 48.4% $217

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$351 13.8%

London

$358 15.4% 2.2% $7.6

Eating Out

Berlin

$289 11.4%

London

$313 13.5% 8.4% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$174 6.8%

London

$119 5.1% 31.7% $55

Getting Around

Berlin

$109 4.3%

London

$97 4.2% 11.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$71 2.8%

London

$58 2.5% 19% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,488 in Berlin versus $1,270 in London. 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 21% 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 $63.0 in London. Groceries tell a different story – $351 in Berlin vs $358 in London – so Berlin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇨🇦 London

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

03:03 3:03 AM

6 h behind Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

383,822

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Berlin London 6,640 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Berlin
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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 London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,818 per month in Berlin and $3,469 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in London, 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 $2,312 in London. That's a gap of about 10%.

Public transport costs about 9% less in London. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in London, where all-in costs run around $2,312, than in Berlin at $2,545. In London it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward London – 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 London. 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.