Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Southwark

For one person, living is cheaper in Southwark: $1,473 a month against $2,551 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Berlin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Southwark
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Southwark Living Index

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Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,551

/mo nomad

Southwark

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,473

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berlin and in Southwark

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

A single person spends $2,551 per month in Berlin vs $1,473 in Southwark, rent included.

Berlin $2,551
Southwark $1,473

A couple spends around $3,845 per month in Berlin vs $4,277 in Southwark, rent included.

Berlin $3,845
Southwark $4,277

A family of three spends $5,139 per month in Berlin vs $7,080 in Southwark, rent included.

Berlin $5,139
Southwark $7,080

Berlin costs about 73% more than Southwark, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Berlin and Southwark sit above the global median – Berlin by 89%, Southwark by 9%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.81

$24.89 £18.67

-33.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.7 €68.2

$98.4 £73.8

-22.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.47 €11.98

$10.65 £7.99

26.48%

Cappuccino

$4.37 €3.89

$5.71 £4.28

-23.47%

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

$3.48 €3.09

$2.97 £2.22

17.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.77

$2.50 £1.87

24.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.34 €4.75

$9.43 £7.07

-43.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 €3.91

$8.01 £6.01

-45.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.95 £1.47

-34.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 €2.08

$2.04 £1.53

14.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.40 €3.02

$2.10 £1.58

61.90%

Eggs

$4.50 €4.00

$4.40 £3.30

2.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.78 €14.93

$11.64 £8.74

44.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.91 €10.59

$9.39 £7.04

26.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.90 €15.92

$14.91 £11.19

20.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 €3.07

$2.95 £2.21

17.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.36 £1.02

43.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$2.87 £2.15

13.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.71 €3.30

$3.38 £2.53

9.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.65 £1.24

27.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.73 £1.30

20.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.30 £0.98

9.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.84

$1.78 £1.33

-46.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.44 €9.29

$23.70 £17.78

-55.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.58 €5.85

$11.87 £8.91

-44.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.13

$3.02 £2.27

-57.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.85

$3.23 £2.42

-35.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.34 €3.86

$3.90 £2.93

11.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.6 €63.7

$159 £119

-55.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.26 €4.68

$5.05 £3.79

4.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.09 €2.75

$2.70 £2.02

14.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.34 €32.32

$39.31 £29.49

-7.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.05

$2.14 £1.60

7.94%

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

$32.4K €28.8K

$38.6K £28.9K

-15.95%

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

$38.6K €34.3K

$40.2K £30.2K

-4.06%

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

$382 €340

$329 £247

15.96%

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

$18.83 €16.75

$17.85 £13.39

5.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.57 €43.20

$40.79 £30.60

19.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.21 €35.76

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.90 €31.04

Cinema Ticket

$15.73 €14.00

$17.69 £13.27

-11.08%

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

$142 €126

$2,484 £1,864

-94.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.0K

$29.9K £22.4K

-47.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.4 €84.8

$90.9 £68.2

4.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.32 €41.20

$46.17 £34.63

0.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.4

$103 £77.1

1.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €128

$89.2 £66.9

60.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,469 €1,306

$2,309 £1,732

-36.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,114 €991

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,751 €2,447

$5,679 £4,260

-51.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 €1,875

$3,867 £2,901

-45.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,454 €7,520

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,435 €4,834

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,543 €3,151

$4,165 £3,124

-14.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

5.12

-25.78%

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

Last update for Berlin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Southwark: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 43.7%

Southwark

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$449 17.6%

Southwark

$388 26.3% 13.6% $61

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$343 13.4%

Southwark

$324 22% 5.5% $19

Eating Out

Berlin

$288 11.3%

Southwark

$385 26.1% 33.5% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$175 6.9%

Southwark

$148 10.1% 15.4% $27

Getting Around

Berlin

$110 4.3%

Southwark

$193 13.1% 76.4% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$72 2.8%

Southwark

$35 * 2.4% 50.6% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,469 in Berlin versus $2,309 in Southwark. 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 18% higher in Southwark, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77.0 in Berlin versus $98.0 in Southwark. Groceries tell a different story – $343 in Berlin vs $324 in Southwark – so Southwark wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇬🇧 Southwark

🕒 Local time

19:35 7:35 PM

18:35 6:35 PM

1 h behind Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

71,552

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Berlin Southwark 930 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Berlin
Southwark

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 Southwark: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 73%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,826 per month in Berlin and $2,210 in Southwark. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Southwark, 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 $1,473 in Southwark. That's a gap of about 73%.

Public transport costs about 122% less in Southwark. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,551 in Berlin and $1,473 in Southwark. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Southwark – 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 Southwark. 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.