Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Shakhty

For one person, living is cheaper in Shakhty: $973 a month against $2,553 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 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 Shakhty
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Shakhty Living Index

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Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,553

/mo nomad

Shakhty

🇷🇺 Russia

$973

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berlin and in Shakhty

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

A single person spends $2,553 per month in Berlin vs $973 in Shakhty, rent included.

Berlin $2,553
Shakhty $973

A couple spends around $3,856 per month in Berlin vs $1,539 in Shakhty, rent included.

Berlin $3,856
Shakhty $1,539

A family of three spends $5,159 per month in Berlin vs $2,105 in Shakhty, rent included.

Berlin $5,159
Shakhty $2,105

Berlin costs about 162% more than Shakhty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Berlin sits 88% above the global median, while Shakhty is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.97 €15.09

$9.92 ₽828

71.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.5 €68.9

$37.22 ₽3,106

108.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.47 €11.98

$5.74 ₽479

134.67%

Cappuccino

$4.35 €3.87

$2.40 ₽201

81.25%

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

$3.53 €3.14

$1.16 ₽96.5

204.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 €2.81

$0.57 ₽47.83

454.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.60 €4.98

$1.61 ₽134

247.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 €3.95

$2.63 ₽220

68.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.09

$1.19 ₽99.1

3.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 €2.17

$0.80 ₽66.5

205.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.41 €3.04

$1.50 ₽125

127.33%

Eggs

$4.55 €4.05

$1.62 ₽135

180.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.23 €15.33

$10.16 ₽848

69.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.24 €10.89

$4.96 ₽414

146.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.98 €15.99

$10.31 ₽861

74.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 €3.13

$1.69 ₽141

108.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.55 ₽130

30.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 €2.91

$2.05 ₽171

59.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.72 €3.31

$3.05 ₽254

21.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$0.84 ₽70.3

144.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$0.65 ₽53.9

236.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.25 ₽105

13.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 €0.87

$0.73 ₽60.7

34.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.37 €9.22

$2.89 ₽241

258.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.78 €6.03

$7.01 ₽585

-3.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.17

$0.95 ₽79.3

38.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.30 ₽192

-9.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.52 €4.02

$0.59 ₽48.93

666.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.8 €62.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.19 €4.62

$2.26 ₽189

129.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.23 €2.87

$0.32 ₽26.88

909.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.61 €33.46

$6.03 ₽504

523.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 €2.07

$0.85 ₽70.5

174.12%

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

$33.2K €29.5K

$59.1K ₽4.9M

-43.83%

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

$39.2K €34.8K

$44.0K ₽3.7M

-11.02%

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

$384 €342

$105 ₽8,740

267.02%

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

$19.27 €17.14

$6.49 ₽542

196.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.17 €43.74

$7.40 ₽618

564.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.54 €35.17

$32.98 ₽2,752

19.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.56 €30.74

$26.70 ₽2,229

29.44%

Cinema Ticket

$14.37 €12.78

$5.53 ₽461

159.86%

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

$146 €130

$336 ₽28.1K

-56.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K €14.4K

$6,458 ₽539.0K

149.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.1 €84.6

$72.0 ₽6,010

32.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.83 €42.54

$45.27 ₽3,779

5.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.6

$109 ₽9,135

-4.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €127

$115 ₽9,611

24.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,398 €1,244

$496 ₽41.4K

181.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 €984

$304 ₽25.4K

263.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,727 €2,426

$776 ₽64.7K

251.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,104 €1,871

$559 ₽46.7K

276.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,578 €7,630

$2,448 ₽204.3K

250.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,545 €4,932

$1,378 ₽115.0K

302.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,451 €3,070

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 Shakhty: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 43.3%

Shakhty

$304 31.3% 72.5% $801

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$453 17.7%

Shakhty

$119 12.2% 73.8% $334

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$349 13.7%

Shakhty

$201 20.6% 42.5% $149

Eating Out

Berlin

$292 11.4%

Shakhty

$146 15% 50.1% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$176 6.9%

Shakhty

$154 15.8% 12.4% $22

Getting Around

Berlin

$109 4.3%

Shakhty

$6.2 * 0.6% 94.3% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$68 2.7%

Shakhty

$44 4.5% 35.5% $24

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 $496 in Shakhty. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77.0 in Berlin versus $37.00 in Shakhty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $201 – making Shakhty the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇷🇺 Shakhty

🕒 Local time

02:48 2:48 AM

03:48 3:48 AM

1 h ahead of Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

235,492

💱 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 21, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Berlin Shakhty 1,970 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Berlin
Shakhty

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 Shakhty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 162%, 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 $1,460 in Shakhty. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shakhty, 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 $37.00 in Shakhty. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 74% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shakhty, where all-in costs run around $973, than in Berlin at $2,553. In Shakhty it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shakhty – 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 Shakhty. 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.