Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brookhaven, NY and Berlin

For one person, living is cheaper in Berlin: $2,553 a month against $2,722 in Brookhaven, NY, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. The total is higher in Brookhaven, NY despite lower rent and utilities.

133

Cost of Living Index in Brookhaven, NY
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Brookhaven, NY Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin Living Index

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Brookhaven, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,722

/mo nomad

Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,553

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brookhaven, NY and in Berlin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Brookhaven, NY and in Berlin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,722 per month in Brookhaven, NY vs $2,553 in Berlin, rent included.

Brookhaven, NY $2,722
Berlin $2,553

A couple spends around $4,065 per month in Brookhaven, NY vs $3,856 in Berlin, rent included.

Brookhaven, NY $4,065
Berlin $3,856

A family of three spends $5,408 per month in Brookhaven, NY vs $5,159 in Berlin, rent included.

Brookhaven, NY $5,408
Berlin $5,159

Brookhaven, NY costs about 7% more than Berlin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Brookhaven, NY and Berlin sit above the global median – Brookhaven, NY by 101%, Berlin by 88%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.74 $24.74

$16.97 €15.09

45.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.9 $98.9

$77.5 €68.9

27.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.20 $11.20

$13.47 €11.98

-16.85%

Cappuccino

$5.35 $5.35

$4.35 €3.87

22.99%

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

$2.24 $2.24

$3.53 €3.14

-36.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 $1.54

$3.16 €2.81

-51.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.01 $8.01

$5.60 €4.98

43.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.20 $8.20

$4.44 €3.95

84.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.23 €1.09

2.44%

White Bread (500g)

$4.31 $4.31

$2.44 €2.17

76.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.76 $7.76

$3.41 €3.04

127.57%

Eggs

$5.75 $5.75

$4.55 €4.05

26.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 $12.61

$17.23 €15.33

-26.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.62 $11.62

$12.24 €10.89

-5.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.07 $17.07

$17.98 €15.99

-5.06%

Apples (1kg)

$5.54 $5.54

$3.52 €3.13

57.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$2.03 €1.81

-14.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.16 $6.16

$3.27 €2.91

88.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.14 $6.14

$3.72 €3.31

65.05%

Potato (1kg)

$5.47 $5.47

$2.05 €1.82

166.83%

Onion (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$2.19 €1.95

72.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.42 €1.26

96.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$0.98 €0.87

200.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.50 $11.50

$10.37 €9.22

10.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.08 $24.08

$6.78 €6.03

255.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.32 €1.17

29.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.49 $5.49

$2.09 €1.86

162.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.86 $1.86

$4.52 €4.02

-58.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.8 €62.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 $2.93

$5.19 €4.62

-43.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.03 $2.03

$3.23 €2.87

-37.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.54 $23.54

$37.61 €33.46

-37.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$2.33 €2.07

-52.79%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$33.2K €29.5K

-16.88%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$39.2K €34.8K

-31.82%

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

$211 $211

$384 €342

-45.16%

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

$75.6 $75.6

$19.27 €17.14

292.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.3 $64.3

$49.17 €43.74

30.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.96 $40.96

$39.54 €35.17

3.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.56 €30.74

Cinema Ticket

$14.76 $14.76

$14.37 €12.78

2.71%

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

$2,237 $2,237

$146 €130

1432.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.6K $23.6K

$16.1K €14.4K

46.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.13 $41.13

$95.1 €84.6

-56.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.5 $56.5

$47.83 €42.54

18.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.1 $76.1

$104 €92.6

-26.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 $158

$143 €127

10.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,587 $1,587

$1,398 €1,244

13.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 $1,275

$1,106 €984

15.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 $2,527

$2,727 €2,426

-7.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,118 $2,118

$2,104 €1,871

0.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,099 $3,099

$8,578 €7,630

-63.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,127 $2,127

$5,545 €4,932

-61.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,451 €3,070

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

3.8

77.63%

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

Last update for Brookhaven, NY: October 18, 2026

Last update for Berlin: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brookhaven, NY

$1.3K 46.9%

Berlin

$1.1K 43.3% 13.3% $169

Groceries & Markets

Brookhaven, NY

$489 18%

Berlin

$349 13.7% 28.5% $139

Eating Out

Brookhaven, NY

$367 13.5%

Berlin

$292 11.4% 20.5% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brookhaven, NY

$351 12.9%

Berlin

$453 17.7% 29.1% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Brookhaven, NY

$149 5.5%

Berlin

$176 6.9% 17.6% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Brookhaven, NY

$70 2.6%

Berlin

$68 2.7% 3.1% $2.2

Getting Around

Brookhaven, NY

$21 * 0.8%

Berlin

$109 4.3% 433% $89

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,587 in Brookhaven, NY versus $1,398 in Berlin. 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 $99.0 in Brookhaven, NY versus $77.0 in Berlin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $489 vs $349 – making Berlin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brookhaven, NY

🇩🇪 Berlin

🕒 Local time

16:40 4:40 PM

22:40 10:40 PM

6 h ahead of Brookhaven, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,674

3,769,962 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Brookhaven, NY Berlin 6,310 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Brookhaven, NY
Berlin

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

Brookhaven, NY vs Berlin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Brookhaven, NY is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,083 per month in Brookhaven, NY and $3,829 in Berlin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Berlin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99.0 in Brookhaven, NY and $77.0 in Berlin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% more in Brookhaven, NY, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Berlin, where all-in costs run around $2,553, than in Brookhaven, NY at $2,722. In Berlin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brookhaven, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Berlin – 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 Berlin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Brookhaven, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.