Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Roman

For one person, living is cheaper in Roman: $840 a month against $2,551 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Roman
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Roman Living Index

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Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,551

/mo nomad

Roman

🇷🇴 Romania

$840

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berlin and in Roman

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

A single person spends $2,551 per month in Berlin vs $840 in Roman, rent included.

Berlin $2,551
Roman $840

A couple spends around $3,845 per month in Berlin vs $1,393 in Roman, rent included.

Berlin $3,845
Roman $1,393

A family of three spends $5,139 per month in Berlin vs $1,946 in Roman, rent included.

Berlin $5,139
Roman $1,946

Berlin costs about 204% more than Roman, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Berlin sits 89% above the global median, while Roman is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.81

$10.42 RON 49.30

59.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.7 €68.2

$33.99 RON 161

125.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.47 €11.98

$7.31 RON 34.59

84.27%

Cappuccino

$4.37 €3.89

$2.43 RON 11.49

79.84%

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

$3.48 €3.09

$1.38 RON 6.54

152.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.77

$1.06 RON 5.03

194.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.34 €4.75

$2.05 RON 9.69

160.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 €3.91

$2.17 RON 10.29

102.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.19 RON 5.61

6.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 €2.08

$0.66 RON 3.10

253.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.40 €3.02

$1.43 RON 6.75

137.76%

Eggs

$4.50 €4.00

$2.89 RON 13.65

55.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.78 €14.93

$7.55 RON 35.72

122.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.91 €10.59

$5.72 RON 27.05

108.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.90 €15.92

$8.63 RON 40.85

107.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 €3.07

$1.07 RON 5.05

223.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.51 RON 7.15

29.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$1.42 RON 6.71

129.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.71 €3.30

$1.75 RON 8.30

112.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.72 RON 3.39

191.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$0.88 RON 4.16

137.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 €1.27

$0.88 RON 4.17

61.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.84

$0.72 RON 3.41

31.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.44 €9.29

$5.62 RON 26.58

85.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.58 €5.85

$5.34 RON 25.25

23.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.13

$0.97 RON 4.59

30.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.19 RON 5.61

74.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.34 €3.86

$0.76 RON 3.62

471.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.6 €63.7

$21.67 RON 103

230.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.26 €4.68

$0.66 RON 3.13

696.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.09 €2.75

$0.64 RON 3.04

382.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.34 €32.32

$7.04 RON 33.30

416.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.05

$1.74 RON 8.22

32.76%

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

$32.4K €28.8K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

15.28%

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

$38.6K €34.3K

$25.1K RON 118.6K

54.02%

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

$382 €340

$146 RON 691

161.44%

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

$18.83 €16.75

$6.96 RON 32.93

170.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.57 €43.20

$7.80 RON 36.88

522.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.21 €35.76

$37.11 RON 176

8.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.90 €31.04

$20.05 RON 94.9

74.06%

Cinema Ticket

$15.73 €14.00

$6.42 RON 30.40

145.02%

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

$142 €126

$295 RON 1,397

-52.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.0K

$4,901 RON 23.2K

222.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.4 €84.8

$96.3 RON 456

-1.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.32 €41.20

$25.51 RON 121

81.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.4

$61.4 RON 290

69.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €128

$58.0 RON 274

147.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,469 €1,306

$213 RON 1,008

589.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,114 €991

$157 RON 745

608.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,751 €2,447

$605 RON 2,863

354.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 €1,875

$454 RON 2,146

364.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,454 €7,520

$1,862 RON 8,812

353.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,435 €4,834

$1,356 RON 6,413

300.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,543 €3,151

$820 RON 3,880

332.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

7.2

-47.22%

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

Last update for Berlin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Roman: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 43.7%

Roman

$157 18.7% 85.9% $957

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$449 17.6%

Roman

$161 19.1% 64.2% $288

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$343 13.4%

Roman

$176 20.9% 48.8% $167

Eating Out

Berlin

$288 11.3%

Roman

$159 18.9% 44.9% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$175 6.9%

Roman

$109 12.9% 38% $67

Getting Around

Berlin

$110 4.3%

Roman

$29 3.4% 73.9% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$72 2.8%

Roman

$50 6% 30.3% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,469 in Berlin versus $213 in Roman. 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 332% 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 $34.00 in Roman. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $343 vs $176 – making Roman the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇷🇴 Roman

🕒 Local time

10:27 10:27 AM

11:27 11:27 AM

1 h ahead of Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

80,328

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Berlin Roman 1,150 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Berlin
Roman

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 Roman: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 204%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,826 per month in Berlin and $1,259 in Roman. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Roman, 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 $840 in Roman. That's a gap of about 204%.

Public transport costs about 230% less in Roman. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Roman, where all-in costs run around $840, than in Berlin at $2,551. In Roman it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Roman – 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 Roman. 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.