Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Retford

For one person, living is cheaper in Retford: $2,255 a month against $2,553 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 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
113

Cost of Living Index in Retford
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Retford Living Index

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Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,553

/mo nomad

Retford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,255

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berlin and in Retford

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

A single person spends $2,553 per month in Berlin vs $2,255 in Retford, rent included.

Berlin $2,553
Retford $2,255

A couple spends around $3,856 per month in Berlin vs $3,343 in Retford, rent included.

Berlin $3,856
Retford $3,343

A family of three spends $5,159 per month in Berlin vs $4,432 in Retford, rent included.

Berlin $5,159
Retford $4,432

Berlin costs about 13% more than Retford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Berlin and Retford sit above the global median – Berlin by 88%, Retford by 66%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.97 €15.09

$14.72 £11.04

15.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.5 €68.9

$66.5 £49.87

16.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.47 €11.98

$7.14 £5.36

88.66%

Cappuccino

$4.35 €3.87

$3.88 £2.91

12.11%

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

$3.53 €3.14

$1.75 £1.31

101.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 €2.81

$1.78 £1.33

77.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.60 €4.98

$4.30 £3.22

30.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 €3.95

$4.34 £3.26

2.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.09

$1.72 £1.29

-28.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 €2.17

$1.83 £1.38

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.41 €3.04

$1.64 £1.23

107.93%

Eggs

$4.55 €4.05

$4.66 £3.50

-2.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.23 €15.33

$11.18 £8.39

54.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.24 €10.89

$10.16 £7.62

20.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.98 €15.99

$12.50 £9.38

43.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 €3.13

$2.09 £1.56

68.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.80 £1.35

12.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 €2.91

$1.76 £1.32

85.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.72 €3.31

$1.74 £1.31

113.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.48 £1.11

38.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.58 £1.19

38.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 €1.26

$0.42 £0.31

238.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 €0.87

$1.56 £1.17

-37.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.37 €9.22

$23.33 £17.50

-55.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.78 €6.03

$7.77 £5.83

-12.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.70 £1.27

-22.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.04 £1.53

2.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.52 €4.02

$3.65 £2.74

23.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.8 €62.1

$108 £80.7

-35.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.19 €4.62

$4.93 £3.70

5.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.23 €2.87

$3.91 £2.93

-17.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.61 €33.46

$28.85 £21.64

30.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 €2.07

$2.09 £1.57

11.48%

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

$33.2K €29.5K

$40.1K £30.1K

-17.34%

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

$39.2K €34.8K

$44.2K £33.2K

-11.39%

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

$384 €342

$342 £257

12.40%

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

$19.27 €17.14

$27.87 £20.91

-30.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.17 €43.74

$46.53 £34.91

5.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.54 €35.17

$52.7 £39.53

-24.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.56 €30.74

Cinema Ticket

$14.37 €12.78

$11.50 £8.62

24.96%

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

$146 €130

$1,926 £1,445

-92.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K €14.4K

$23.9K £17.9K

-32.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.1 €84.6

$85.1 £63.9

11.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.83 €42.54

$60.8 £45.59

-21.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.6

$109 £81.4

-4.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €127

$161 £121

-11.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,398 €1,244

$1,398 £1,049

0.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 €984

$924 £693

19.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,727 €2,426

$2,099 £1,575

29.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,104 €1,871

$1,675 £1,257

25.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,578 €7,630

$5,059 £3,796

69.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,545 €4,932

$3,851 £2,889

44.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,451 €3,070

$1,711 £1,283

101.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

5.3

-28.30%

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

Last update for Berlin: October 17, 2026

Last update for Retford: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 43.3%

Retford

$924 41% 16.5% $182

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$453 17.7%

Retford

$416 18.5% 8% $36

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$349 13.7%

Retford

$276 12.2% 21% $73

Eating Out

Berlin

$292 11.4%

Retford

$230 10.2% 21.2% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$176 6.9%

Retford

$187 8.3% 6.5% $11

Getting Around

Berlin

$109 4.3%

Retford

$147 6.5% 34.3% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$68 2.7%

Retford

$76 3.4% 10.8% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,398 in Berlin versus $1,398 in Retford. 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 102% 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 $66.0 in Retford. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $276 – making Retford the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇬🇧 Retford

🕒 Local time

20:26 8:26 PM

19:26 7:26 PM

1 h behind Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

22,023

💱 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 Retford 960 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Berlin
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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 Retford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 13%, 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 $3,383 in Retford. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Retford, 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 $2,553 in Berlin and $2,255 in Retford. That's a gap of about 13%.

Public transport costs about 54% less in Retford. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Retford, where all-in costs run around $2,255, than in Berlin at $2,553. In Retford it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Retford – 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 Retford. 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.