Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Welkom

For one person, living is cheaper in Welkom: $1,051 a month against $2,535 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $17,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Welkom
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Welkom Living Index

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Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,535

/mo nomad

Welkom

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,051

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berlin and in Welkom

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

A single person spends $2,535 per month in Berlin vs $1,051 in Welkom, rent included.

Berlin $2,535
Welkom $1,051

A couple spends around $3,888 per month in Berlin vs $1,581 in Welkom, rent included.

Berlin $3,888
Welkom $1,581

A family of three spends $5,241 per month in Berlin vs $2,112 in Welkom, rent included.

Berlin $5,241
Welkom $2,112

Berlin costs about 141% more than Welkom, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Berlin sits 88% above the global median, while Welkom is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.69

$8.84 R 146

86.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.1 €70.4

$20.76 R 342

280.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.98 €12.45

$5.23 R 86.3

167.30%

Cappuccino

$4.38 €3.90

$2.29 R 37.75

91.27%

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

$3.20 €2.85

$0.50 R 8.25

540.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 €2.74

$0.62 R 10.27

396.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.38 €4.79

$1.22 R 20.08

340.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 €3.90

$1.46 R 24.07

200.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.00 R 16.53

24.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 €2.23

$1.01 R 16.64

148.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.36 €2.99

$1.40 R 23.14

140.00%

Eggs

$4.68 €4.16

$1.79 R 29.43

161.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.28 €16.28

$6.48 R 107

182.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.25 €10.91

$4.44 R 73.1

175.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.10 €16.12

$4.68 R 77.1

286.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 €2.99

$1.54 R 25.43

118.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.59 R 26.26

23.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.39 €3.02

$1.77 R 29.24

91.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 €3.22

$1.23 R 20.27

193.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.12 R 18.53

80.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.22 R 20.06

57.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.87 R 14.32

70.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.81

$1.29 R 21.19

-30.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.48 €9.33

$2.37 R 38.99

342.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.68 €5.95

$2.46 R 40.60

171.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.54 R 25.30

-14.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.76 R 29.00

14.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.53 €4.03

$1.79 R 29.48

153.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.2 €62.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.85 €4.32

$0.31 R 5.19

1464.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.11 €2.77

$0.82 R 13.46

279.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.21 €33.14

$14.74 R 243

152.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 €2.08

$1.58 R 26.00

47.47%

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

$33.3K €29.7K

$35.3K R 582.1K

-5.65%

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

$39.4K €35.1K

$34.0K R 560.6K

15.73%

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

$390 €347

$153 R 2,526

154.31%

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

$19.74 €17.58

$36.34 R 599

-45.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.03 €43.66

$36.25 R 597

35.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.21 €35.80

$31.57 R 520

27.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.15 €31.30

$11.70 R 193

200.43%

Cinema Ticket

$15.36 €13.67

$7.37 R 121

108.41%

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

$145 €130

$256 R 4,224

-43.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K €16.0K

$6,077 R 100.1K

195.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100.0 €89.0

$52.5 R 865

90.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.89 €42.64

$31.62 R 521

51.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.6

$92.4 R 1,522

11.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 €126

$82.7 R 1,363

70.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,427 €1,270

$392 R 6,457

264.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,082 €964

$364 R 5,991

197.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,717 €2,420

$726 R 12.0K

274.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,170 €1,932

$726 R 12.0K

198.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,523 €7,589

$715 R 11.8K

1092.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,436 €4,840

$621 R 10.2K

775.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,543 €3,155

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

11.34

-66.49%

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

Last update for Berlin: November 1, 2026

Last update for Welkom: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 42.7%

Welkom

$364 34.6% 66.4% $719

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$459 18.1%

Welkom

$226 21.5% 50.7% $233

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$351 13.8%

Welkom

$160 15.2% 54.4% $191

Eating Out

Berlin

$287 11.3%

Welkom

$127 12.1% 55.7% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$176 7%

Welkom

$117 11.1% 33.9% $60

Getting Around

Berlin

$109 4.3%

Welkom

$12 * 1.1% 89.4% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$71 2.8%

Welkom

$46 4.4% 34.7% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,427 in Berlin versus $392 in Welkom. 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 $79 in Berlin versus $21 in Welkom. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $160 – making Welkom the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇿🇦 Welkom

🕒 Local time

05:41 5:41 AM

06:41 6:41 AM

1 h ahead of Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

64,130

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Berlin Welkom 9,040 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Berlin
Welkom

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 Welkom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 141%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,803 per month in Berlin and $1,577 in Welkom. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Welkom, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $392 there versus $1,427 in Berlin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Berlin and $21 in Welkom. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 119% more in Berlin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,535 in Berlin and $1,051 in Welkom. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Berlin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,051 in Welkom to $2,535 in Berlin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.