Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Makhachkala

For one person, living is cheaper in Makhachkala: $1,049 a month against $2,553 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Makhachkala
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Makhachkala Living Index

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Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,553

/mo nomad

Makhachkala

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,049

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berlin and in Makhachkala

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

A single person spends $2,553 per month in Berlin vs $1,049 in Makhachkala, rent included.

Berlin $2,553
Makhachkala $1,049

A couple spends around $3,856 per month in Berlin vs $1,635 in Makhachkala, rent included.

Berlin $3,856
Makhachkala $1,635

A family of three spends $5,159 per month in Berlin vs $2,222 in Makhachkala, rent included.

Berlin $5,159
Makhachkala $2,222

Berlin costs about 143% more than Makhachkala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Berlin sits 88% above the global median, while Makhachkala is 23% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.97 €15.09

$10.80 ₽902

57.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.5 €68.9

$36.26 ₽3,026

113.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.47 €11.98

$6.40 ₽534

110.47%

Cappuccino

$4.35 €3.87

$3.05 ₽255

42.62%

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

$3.53 €3.14

$1.25 ₽104

182.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 €2.81

$0.51 ₽42.98

519.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.60 €4.98

$1.98 ₽165

182.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 €3.95

$2.83 ₽236

56.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.09

$1.12 ₽93.1

9.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 €2.17

$0.72 ₽60.3

238.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.41 €3.04

$1.44 ₽120

136.81%

Eggs

$4.55 €4.05

$1.63 ₽136

179.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.23 €15.33

$11.49 ₽959

49.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.24 €10.89

$5.42 ₽453

125.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.98 €15.99

$11.18 ₽933

60.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 €3.13

$1.79 ₽149

96.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.78 ₽148

14.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 €2.91

$1.84 ₽153

77.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.72 €3.31

$2.69 ₽225

38.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$0.84 ₽69.8

144.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$0.61 ₽51.2

259.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.44 ₽120

-1.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 €0.87

$0.71 ₽59.2

38.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.37 €9.22

$3.39 ₽283

205.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.78 €6.03

$7.84 ₽654

-13.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.04 ₽87.1

26.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.78 ₽149

17.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.52 €4.02

$0.47 ₽39.20

861.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.8 €62.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.19 €4.62

$2.12 ₽177

144.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.23 €2.87

$0.34 ₽28.11

850.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.61 €33.46

$6.02 ₽503

524.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 €2.07

$0.84 ₽70.3

177.38%

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

$33.2K €29.5K

$57.5K ₽4.8M

-42.29%

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

$39.2K €34.8K

$37.4K ₽3.1M

4.72%

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

$384 €342

$121 ₽10.1K

217.16%

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

$19.27 €17.14

$5.46 ₽455

252.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.17 €43.74

$8.46 ₽706

481.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.54 €35.17

$35.95 ₽3,001

9.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.56 €30.74

$23.54 ₽1,964

46.81%

Cinema Ticket

$14.37 €12.78

$6.23 ₽520

130.66%

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

$146 €130

$343 ₽28.7K

-57.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K €14.4K

$6,198 ₽517.3K

160.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.1 €84.6

$87.1 ₽7,266

9.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.83 €42.54

$60.4 ₽5,044

-20.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.6

$119 ₽9,895

-12.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €127

$109 ₽9,073

31.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,398 €1,244

$467 ₽39.0K

199.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 €984

$317 ₽26.5K

248.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,727 €2,426

$916 ₽76.4K

197.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,104 €1,871

$571 ₽47.7K

268.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,578 €7,630

$2,241 ₽187.0K

282.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,545 €4,932

$1,521 ₽126.9K

264.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,451 €3,070

$614 ₽51.3K

461.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

21.45

-82.28%

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

Last update for Berlin: October 17, 2026

Last update for Makhachkala: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 43.3%

Makhachkala

$317 30.3% 71.3% $788

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$453 17.7%

Makhachkala

$135 12.9% 70.2% $318

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$349 13.7%

Makhachkala

$209 19.9% 40.2% $140

Eating Out

Berlin

$292 11.4%

Makhachkala

$165 15.7% 43.5% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$176 6.9%

Makhachkala

$169 16.1% 3.9% $6.9

Getting Around

Berlin

$109 4.3%

Makhachkala

$5.7 * 0.5% 94.8% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$68 2.7%

Makhachkala

$48 4.6% 29.1% $20

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,398 in Berlin versus $467 in Makhachkala. 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 462% 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 $36.00 in Makhachkala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $209 – making Makhachkala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇷🇺 Makhachkala

🕒 Local time

13:34 1:34 PM

14:34 2:34 PM

1 h ahead of Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

604,266

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Berlin Makhachkala 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

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Berlin
Makhachkala

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 Makhachkala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 143%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,829 per month in Berlin and $1,573 in Makhachkala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Makhachkala, 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 $36.00 in Makhachkala. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 67% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Makhachkala, where all-in costs run around $1,049, than in Berlin at $2,553. In Makhachkala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Makhachkala – 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 Makhachkala. 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.