Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Villingen-Schwenningen

For one person, living is cheaper in Villingen-Schwenningen: $1,846 a month against $2,551 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Berlin
🇩🇪 Germany
$2,551
/mo nomad
Villingen-Schwenningen
🇩🇪 Germany
$1,846
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berlin and in Villingen-Schwenningen

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 Villingen-Schwenningen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,551 per month in Berlin vs $1,846 in Villingen-Schwenningen, rent included.

  • Berlin $2,551
  • Villingen-Schwenningen $1,846

A couple spends around $3,845 per month in Berlin vs $2,844 in Villingen-Schwenningen, rent included.

  • Berlin $3,845
  • Villingen-Schwenningen $2,844

A family of three spends $5,139 per month in Berlin vs $3,842 in Villingen-Schwenningen, rent included.

  • Berlin $5,139
  • Villingen-Schwenningen $3,842

Berlin costs about 38% more than Villingen-Schwenningen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Berlin and Villingen-Schwenningen sit above the global median – Berlin by 89%, Villingen-Schwenningen by 37%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Berlin
Villingen-Schwenningen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.81
$15.34 €13.65
8.54%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$76.7 €68.2
$55.9 €49.72
37.27%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.47 €11.98
$10.24 €9.10
31.54%
Cappuccino
$4.37 €3.89
$3.39 €3.02
28.91%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.48 €3.09
$3.40 €3.02
2.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.12 €2.77
$2.30 €2.04
35.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.34 €4.75
$5.09 €4.53
4.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.39 €3.91
$4.37 €3.89
0.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Berlin
Villingen-Schwenningen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.27 €1.13
$1.22 €1.09
4.10%
White Bread (500g)
$2.33 €2.08
$2.07 €1.84
12.56%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.40 €3.02
$2.95 €2.63
15.25%
Eggs
$4.50 €4.00
$2.50 €2.22
80.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.78 €14.93
$9.86 €8.77
70.18%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.91 €10.59
$11.30 €10.05
5.40%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.90 €15.92
$15.31 €13.62
16.92%
Apples (1kg)
$3.46 €3.07
$2.97 €2.64
16.50%
Banana (1kg)
$1.95 €1.73
$1.63 €1.45
19.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.26 €2.90
$2.10 €1.87
55.24%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.71 €3.30
$3.96 €3.53
-6.31%
Potato (1kg)
$2.10 €1.87
$1.28 €1.14
64.06%
Onion (1kg)
$2.09 €1.86
$1.28 €1.14
63.28%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.42 €1.27
$1.36 €1.21
4.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.95 €0.84
$1.09 €0.97
-12.84%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.44 €9.29
$9.69 €8.62
7.74%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.58 €5.85
$3.86 €3.44
70.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 €1.13
$1.22 €1.08
4.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 €1.85
$1.54 €1.37
35.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Berlin
Villingen-Schwenningen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.34 €3.86
$3.36 €2.99
29.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$71.6 €63.7
$66.4 €59.0
7.86%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.26 €4.68
$4.92 €4.38
6.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.09 €2.75
$2.72 €2.42
13.60%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$36.34 €32.32
$42.34 €37.66
-14.17%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.31 €2.05
$2.04 €1.81
13.24%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.4K €28.8K
$32.6K €29.0K
-0.58%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.6K €34.3K
$37.8K €33.7K
2.05%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Berlin
Villingen-Schwenningen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$382 €340
$481 €428
-20.66%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.83 €16.75
$15.63 €13.91
20.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$48.57 €43.20
$46.05 €40.96
5.47%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Berlin
Villingen-Schwenningen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.21 €35.76
$38.88 €34.58
3.42%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$34.90 €31.04
$24.16 €21.49
44.45%
Cinema Ticket
$15.73 €14.00
$9.97 €8.87
57.77%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Berlin
Villingen-Schwenningen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$142 €126
$261 €232
-45.81%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.8K €14.0K
$17.3K €15.4K
-8.79%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Berlin
Villingen-Schwenningen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$95.4 €84.8
$85.2 €75.8
11.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.32 €41.20
$59.4 €52.9
-22.05%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 €92.4
$113 €101
-8.08%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$143 €128
$108 €96.0
32.77%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Berlin
Villingen-Schwenningen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,469 €1,306
$767 €683
91.42%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,114 €991
$449 €399
148.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,751 €2,447
$1,473 €1,310
86.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,107 €1,875
$1,128 €1,004
86.79%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,454 €7,520
$4,673 €4,157
80.90%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,435 €4,834
$3,581 €3,185
51.76%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Berlin
Villingen-Schwenningen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,543 €3,151
$3,993 €3,552
-11.28%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.8
3.81
-0.26%

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

Last update for Berlin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Villingen-Schwenningen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Berlin
$1.1K
Villingen-Schwenningen
$449 59.7% $666
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Berlin
$449
Villingen-Schwenningen
$543 20.9% $94
Groceries & Markets
Berlin
$343
Villingen-Schwenningen
$281 17.9% $61
Eating Out
Berlin
$288
Villingen-Schwenningen
$251 12.8% $37
Clothing & Footwear
Berlin
$175
Villingen-Schwenningen
$165 6% $10
Getting Around
Berlin
$110
Villingen-Schwenningen
$98 10.3% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Berlin
$72
Villingen-Schwenningen
$59 17.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,469 in Berlin versus $767 in Villingen-Schwenningen. 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 13% higher in Villingen-Schwenningen, 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 $56.0 in Villingen-Schwenningen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $343 vs $281 – making Villingen-Schwenningen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇩🇪 Berlin
🇩🇪 Villingen-Schwenningen
🕒 Local time
09:39 9:39 AM
09:39 9:39 AM
Same time as Berlin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,769,962 Capital
81,128
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Berlin Villingen-Schwenningen 600 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Berlin
  • Villingen-Schwenningen

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 Villingen-Schwenningen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Villingen-Schwenningen cheaper than Berlin?
Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 38%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,826 per month in Berlin and $2,769 in Villingen-Schwenningen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Villingen-Schwenningen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Berlin and in Villingen-Schwenningen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,551 in Berlin and $1,846 in Villingen-Schwenningen. That's a gap of about 38%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 8% less in Villingen-Schwenningen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $3,000 a realistic budget for living in Berlin or in Villingen-Schwenningen?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Villingen-Schwenningen, where all-in costs run around $1,846, than in Berlin at $2,551. In Villingen-Schwenningen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Berlin or Villingen-Schwenningen more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Villingen-Schwenningen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Berlin or Villingen-Schwenningen?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Villingen-Schwenningen. 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.

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