Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Sunderland

For one person, living is cheaper in Sunderland: $1,845 a month against $2,553 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
Learn more

Berlin Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Sunderland
Learn more

Sunderland Living Index

Jump to prices

Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,553

/mo nomad

Sunderland

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,845

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berlin and in Sunderland

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

A single person spends $2,551 per month in Berlin vs $1,841 in Sunderland, rent included.

Berlin $2,551
Sunderland $1,841

A couple spends around $3,845 per month in Berlin vs $2,749 in Sunderland, rent included.

Berlin $3,845
Sunderland $2,749

A family of three spends $5,139 per month in Berlin vs $3,656 in Sunderland, rent included.

Berlin $5,139
Sunderland $3,656

Berlin costs about 39% more than Sunderland, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Berlin and Sunderland sit above the global median – Berlin by 89%, Sunderland by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.97 €15.09

$18.54 £13.91

-8.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.5 €68.9

$70.2 £52.7

10.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.47 €11.98

$8.87 £6.66

51.86%

Cappuccino

$4.35 €3.87

$5.02 £3.77

-13.35%

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

$3.53 €3.14

$2.32 £1.74

52.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 €2.81

$1.96 £1.47

61.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.60 €4.98

$4.63 £3.48

20.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 €3.95

$4.30 £3.23

3.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.09

$1.44 £1.08

-14.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 €2.17

$1.37 £1.03

78.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.41 €3.04

$2.40 £1.80

42.08%

Eggs

$4.55 €4.05

$3.52 £2.64

29.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.23 €15.33

$9.72 £7.29

77.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.24 €10.89

$8.99 £6.74

36.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.98 €15.99

$14.35 £10.76

25.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 €3.13

$3.26 £2.44

7.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.85 £1.39

9.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 €2.91

$2.92 £2.19

11.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.72 €3.31

$3.79 £2.84

-1.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.79 £1.34

14.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.48 £1.11

47.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.20 £0.90

18.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 €0.87

$1.50 £1.13

-34.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.37 €9.22

$22.99 £17.25

-54.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.78 €6.03

$10.19 £7.65

-33.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.17

$3.57 £2.68

-63.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.86

$3.49 £2.62

-40.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.52 €4.02

$2.08 £1.56

117.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.8 €62.1

$119 £89.6

-41.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.19 €4.62

$4.40 £3.30

17.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.23 €2.87

$1.55 £1.16

108.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.61 €33.46

$28.14 £21.11

33.65%

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

$38.3K £28.8K

-13.46%

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

$39.2K €34.8K

$40.5K £30.4K

-3.26%

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

$384 €342

$248 £186

55.00%

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

$19.27 €17.14

$16.93 £12.70

13.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.17 €43.74

$42.31 £31.74

16.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.54 €35.17

$40.70 £30.53

-2.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.56 €30.74

$12.01 £9.01

187.76%

Cinema Ticket

$14.37 €12.78

$10.66 £8.00

34.80%

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

$146 €130

$819 £614

-82.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K €14.4K

$17.6K £13.2K

-8.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.1 €84.6

$91.1 £68.4

4.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.83 €42.54

$47.14 £35.37

1.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.6

$109 £81.4

-4.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €127

$94.7 £71.1

51.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,398 €1,244

$792 £594

76.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 €984

$595 £446

85.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,727 €2,426

$1,356 £1,017

101.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,104 €1,871

$957 £718

119.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,578 €7,630

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,545 €4,932

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,451 €3,070

$3,663 £2,748

-5.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

5.15

-26.21%

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

Last update for Berlin: October 17, 2026

Last update for Sunderland: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 43.3%

Sunderland

$595 32.2% 46.2% $511

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$453 17.7%

Sunderland

$307 16.7% 32.2% $146

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$349 13.7%

Sunderland

$303 16.4% 13.1% $46

Eating Out

Berlin

$292 11.4%

Sunderland

$284 15.4% 2.7% $7.9

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$176 6.9%

Sunderland

$154 8.3% 12.4% $22

Getting Around

Berlin

$109 4.3%

Sunderland

$140 7.6% 28.2% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$68 2.7%

Sunderland

$62 3.4% 9.2% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,469 in Berlin versus $775 in Sunderland. 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 2% higher in Sunderland, 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 $69.0 in Sunderland. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $343 vs $301 – making Sunderland the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇬🇧 Sunderland

🕒 Local time

11:52 11:52 AM

10:52 10:52 AM

1 h behind Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

275,300

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Berlin Sunderland 1,010 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Berlin
Sunderland

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 Sunderland: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 39%, 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 $2,762 in Sunderland. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sunderland, 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 $1,841 in Sunderland. That's a gap of about 39%.

Public transport costs about 66% less in Sunderland. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Sunderland, where all-in costs run around $1,841, than in Berlin at $2,551. In Sunderland it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sunderland – 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 Sunderland. 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.