Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Surrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Surrey: $2,236 a month against $2,545 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
110

Cost of Living Index in Surrey
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Surrey Living Index

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Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,545

/mo nomad

Surrey

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,236

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berlin and in Surrey

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

A single person spends $2,545 per month in Berlin vs $2,236 in Surrey, rent included.

Berlin $2,545
Surrey $2,236

A couple spends around $3,901 per month in Berlin vs $3,522 in Surrey, rent included.

Berlin $3,901
Surrey $3,522

A family of three spends $5,257 per month in Berlin vs $4,808 in Surrey, rent included.

Berlin $5,257
Surrey $4,808

Berlin costs about 14% more than Surrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Berlin and Surrey sit above the global median – Berlin by 90%, Surrey by 67%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.81 €15.00

$17.87 CA$25.48

-5.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.6 €71.0

$55.2 CA$78.7

44.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 €11.94

$10.26 CA$14.62

30.41%

Cappuccino

$4.27 €3.81

$3.63 CA$5.18

17.63%

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

$3.40 €3.03

$2.11 CA$3.00

61.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.79

$1.57 CA$2.23

98.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 €4.89

$5.65 CA$8.05

-3.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 €4.07

$5.95 CA$8.48

-23.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$2.40 CA$3.42

-47.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.45 €2.19

$2.04 CA$2.91

20.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.30 €2.94

$3.57 CA$5.09

-7.56%

Eggs

$4.45 €3.97

$3.23 CA$4.61

37.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.10 €15.26

$9.63 CA$13.73

77.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.19 €10.88

$10.29 CA$14.66

18.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.30 €16.33

$19.56 CA$27.89

-6.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 €3.19

$3.14 CA$4.48

14.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.31 CA$1.86

51.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 €2.92

$2.94 CA$4.20

11.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.81 €3.40

$2.95 CA$4.20

29.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$2.54 CA$3.62

-16.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$2.05 CA$2.92

7.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.98 CA$2.82

-24.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 €0.90

$1.80 CA$2.56

-43.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.49 €9.37

$13.93 CA$19.86

-24.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.76 €6.03

$14.12 CA$20.12

-52.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.20

$2.46 CA$3.51

-45.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.05 CA$4.35

-31.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.37 €3.90

$2.67 CA$3.81

63.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.0 €63.3

$106 CA$150

-32.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 €4.72

$2.57 CA$3.66

105.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.05 €2.73

$1.49 CA$2.13

104.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.30 €32.39

$27.20 CA$38.77

33.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.31 CA$1.86

74.05%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$27.8K CA$39.6K

19.56%

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

$39.1K €34.9K

$18.5K CA$26.3K

111.51%

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

$379 €339

$185 CA$263

105.34%

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

$19.31 €17.23

$36.28 CA$51.7

-46.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.41 €43.20

$63.2 CA$90.1

-23.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.31 €35.97

$34.52 CA$49.21

16.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.51 €31.69

$25.21 CA$35.93

40.86%

Cinema Ticket

$15.53 €13.86

$12.70 CA$18.10

22.28%

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

$144 €128

$832 CA$1,186

-82.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.1K

$11.9K CA$17.0K

32.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.6 €84.5

$55.2 CA$78.7

71.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.33 €41.34

$60.3 CA$85.9

-23.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.2

$96.4 CA$137

7.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 €126

$88.2 CA$126

60.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,488 €1,328

$1,327 CA$1,891

12.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 €980

$1,050 CA$1,497

4.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,665 €2,378

$2,676 CA$3,815

-0.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 €1,856

$2,085 CA$2,972

-0.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,578 €7,655

$9,553 CA$13.6K

-10.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,438 €4,853

$8,388 CA$12.0K

-35.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,487 €3,112

$2,988 CA$4,260

16.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

4.87

-21.97%

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

Last update for Berlin: October 3, 2026

Last update for Surrey: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 43.3%

Surrey

$1.1K 46.1% 4.4% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$447 17.6%

Surrey

$284 12.5% 36.4% $163

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$351 13.8%

Surrey

$348 15.3% 0.6% $2

Eating Out

Berlin

$289 11.4%

Surrey

$272 12% 5.7% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$174 6.8%

Surrey

$135 5.9% 22.2% $39

Getting Around

Berlin

$109 4.3%

Surrey

$126 5.6% 15.8% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$71 2.8%

Surrey

$60 2.6% 16.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,488 in Berlin versus $1,327 in Surrey. 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 17% 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 $80.0 in Berlin versus $55.0 in Surrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $348 – making Surrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇨🇦 Surrey

🕒 Local time

06:46 6:46 AM

21:46 9:46 PM

9 h behind Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

517,887

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Berlin Surrey 7,980 km ≈ 10 h 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 Surrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,818 per month in Berlin and $3,353 in Surrey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Surrey, 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 $2,545 in Berlin and $2,236 in Surrey. That's a gap of about 14%.

Public transport costs about 49% less in Surrey. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Surrey, where all-in costs run around $2,236, than in Berlin at $2,545. In Surrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Surrey – 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 Surrey. 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.