Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Port Elizabeth

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Elizabeth: $1,182 a month against $2,535 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Port Elizabeth
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Port Elizabeth Living Index

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Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,535

/mo nomad

Port Elizabeth

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,182

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berlin and in Port Elizabeth

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

A single person spends $2,535 per month in Berlin vs $1,182 in Port Elizabeth, rent included.

Berlin $2,535
Port Elizabeth $1,182

A couple spends around $3,888 per month in Berlin vs $1,939 in Port Elizabeth, rent included.

Berlin $3,888
Port Elizabeth $1,939

A family of three spends $5,241 per month in Berlin vs $2,696 in Port Elizabeth, rent included.

Berlin $5,241
Port Elizabeth $2,696

Berlin costs about 114% more than Port Elizabeth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Berlin sits 88% above the global median, while Port Elizabeth is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.76

$10.66 R 176

54.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.1 €70.8

$41.58 R 687

90.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.98 €12.51

$6.04 R 99.9

131.46%

Cappuccino

$4.38 €3.92

$2.07 R 34.27

111.59%

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

$3.20 €2.87

$1.06 R 17.50

201.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 €2.76

$0.76 R 12.61

305.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.38 €4.81

$2.65 R 43.76

103.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 €3.92

$3.18 R 52.5

37.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.13 R 18.72

9.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 €2.24

$1.05 R 17.35

139.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.36 €3.01

$1.50 R 24.73

124.00%

Eggs

$4.68 €4.18

$2.72 R 44.92

72.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.28 €16.36

$8.83 R 146

107.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.25 €10.96

$5.41 R 89.5

126.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.10 €16.20

$8.27 R 137

118.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 €3.01

$2.16 R 35.74

55.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.54 R 25.48

27.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.39 €3.03

$1.70 R 28.16

99.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 €3.23

$1.80 R 29.81

100.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.73 R 28.53

16.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 €1.72

$1.42 R 23.53

35.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.30 R 21.41

13.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.81

$0.99 R 16.30

-9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.48 €9.37

$3.19 R 52.7

228.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.68 €5.98

$4.95 R 81.9

34.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.18

$1.26 R 20.76

3.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 €1.80

$1.82 R 30.01

10.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.53 €4.05

$1.09 R 18.09

315.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.2 €62.9

$36.03 R 596

94.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.85 €4.34

$2.11 R 34.87

129.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.11 €2.78

$0.47 R 7.77

561.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.21 €33.30

$8.51 R 141

337.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.53 R 25.30

52.29%

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

$33.3K €29.8K

$34.7K R 572.9K

-3.83%

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

$39.4K €35.2K

$34.3K R 566.2K

14.95%

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

$390 €349

$123 R 2,035

216.60%

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

$19.74 €17.67

$34.77 R 575

-43.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.03 €43.87

$44.39 R 734

10.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.21 €35.98

$31.97 R 528

25.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.15 €31.45

$23.16 R 383

51.77%

Cinema Ticket

$15.36 €13.74

$10.47 R 173

46.70%

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

$145 €130

$178 R 2,942

-18.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K €16.1K

$6,168 R 101.9K

191.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100.0 €89.5

$70.9 R 1,173

40.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.89 €42.85

$39.13 R 647

22.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.1

$112 R 1,854

-8.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 €127

$98.0 R 1,620

44.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,427 €1,277

$502 R 8,291

184.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,082 €968

$385 R 6,370

180.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,717 €2,432

$951 R 15.7K

185.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,170 €1,941

$932 R 15.4K

132.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,523 €7,626

$757 R 12.5K

1026.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,436 €4,864

$534 R 8,834

917.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,543 €3,171

$1,624 R 26.9K

118.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

11.94

-68.17%

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

Last update for Berlin: November 1, 2026

Last update for Port Elizabeth: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 42.7%

Port Elizabeth

$385 32.6% 64.4% $697

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$459 18.1%

Port Elizabeth

$202 17.1% 55.9% $256

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$351 13.8%

Port Elizabeth

$198 16.7% 43.6% $153

Eating Out

Berlin

$287 11.3%

Port Elizabeth

$155 13.1% 46% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$176 7%

Port Elizabeth

$144 12.2% 18.3% $32

Getting Around

Berlin

$109 4.3%

Port Elizabeth

$45 3.8% 58.7% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$71 2.8%

Port Elizabeth

$53 4.5% 25.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,427 in Berlin versus $502 in Port Elizabeth. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Berlin are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Berlin versus $42 in Port Elizabeth. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $198 – making Port Elizabeth the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇿🇦 Port Elizabeth

🕒 Local time

15:25 3:25 PM

16:25 4:25 PM

1 h ahead of Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

1,050,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.56 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Berlin Port Elizabeth 9,690 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Berlin
Port Elizabeth

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 Port Elizabeth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 114%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,803 per month in Berlin and $1,774 in Port Elizabeth. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Port Elizabeth, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $502 there versus $1,427 in Berlin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,535 in Berlin and $1,182 in Port Elizabeth. That makes Port Elizabeth about 53% cheaper.

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

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,535 in Berlin and $1,182 in Port Elizabeth. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Berlin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,182 in Port Elizabeth to $2,535 in Berlin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Port Elizabeth. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Berlin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.