Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brooklyn, NY and Berlin

For one person, living is cheaper in Berlin: $2,545 a month against $4,437 in Brooklyn, NY, rent and utilities included – about $22,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

216

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

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin Living Index

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Brooklyn, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,437

/mo nomad

Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,545

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brooklyn, 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 Brooklyn, NY and in Berlin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $4,437 per month in Brooklyn, NY vs $2,545 in Berlin, rent included.

Brooklyn, NY $4,437
Berlin $2,545

A couple spends around $6,601 per month in Brooklyn, NY vs $3,901 in Berlin, rent included.

Brooklyn, NY $6,601
Berlin $3,901

A family of three spends $8,766 per month in Brooklyn, NY vs $5,257 in Berlin, rent included.

Brooklyn, NY $8,766
Berlin $5,257

Brooklyn, NY costs about 74% more than Berlin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Brooklyn, NY and Berlin sit above the global median – Brooklyn, NY by 231%, Berlin by 90%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.72 $19.72

$16.81 €15.00

17.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 $106

$79.6 €71.0

33.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.95 $11.95

$13.38 €11.94

-10.69%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$4.27 €3.81

32.32%

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

$2.54 $2.54

$3.40 €3.03

-25.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$3.12 €2.79

-28.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.10 $8.10

$5.48 €4.89

47.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.81 $8.81

$4.56 €4.07

93.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.27 €1.13

32.28%

White Bread (500g)

$4.70 $4.70

$2.45 €2.19

91.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.28 $7.28

$3.30 €2.94

120.61%

Eggs

$6.48 $6.48

$4.45 €3.97

45.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.24 $16.24

$17.10 €15.26

-5.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.15 $17.15

$12.19 €10.88

40.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.76 $19.76

$18.30 €16.33

7.98%

Apples (1kg)

$8.10 $8.10

$3.58 €3.19

126.26%

Banana (1kg)

$3.80 $3.80

$1.98 €1.77

91.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.37 $5.37

$3.27 €2.92

64.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.87 $5.87

$3.81 €3.40

54.07%

Potato (1kg)

$4.01 $4.01

$2.13 €1.90

88.26%

Onion (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$2.21 €1.97

116.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.49 €1.33

71.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.01 €0.90

144.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.90 $14.90

$10.49 €9.37

42.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.71 $20.71

$6.76 €6.03

206.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.34 €1.20

97.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 $3.38

$2.10 €1.87

60.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.06 $3.06

$4.37 €3.90

-29.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$151 $151

$71.0 €63.3

112.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$5.29 €4.72

-42.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$3.05 €2.73

-27.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.16 $42.16

$36.30 €32.39

16.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$2.28 €2.03

-49.56%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$33.2K €29.7K

5.31%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$39.1K €34.9K

-34.67%

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

$244 $244

$379 €339

-35.70%

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

$61.5 $61.5

$19.31 €17.23

218.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.2 $61.2

$48.41 €43.20

26.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$107 $107

$40.31 €35.97

164.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.20 $35.20

$35.51 €31.69

-0.87%

Cinema Ticket

$20.29 $20.29

$15.53 €13.86

30.65%

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

$2,646 $2,646

$144 €128

1740.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.3K $34.3K

$15.8K €14.1K

117.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.0 $70.0

$94.6 €84.5

-26.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$76.4 $76.4

$46.33 €41.34

64.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$103 €92.2

15.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$141 €126

-13.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,711 $3,711

$1,488 €1,328

149.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,694 $2,694

$1,098 €980

145.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$7,368 $7,368

$2,665 €2,378

176.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,813 $4,813

$2,080 €1,856

131.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K $13.4K

$8,578 €7,655

56.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,757 $7,757

$5,438 €4,853

42.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,661 $3,661

$3,487 €3,112

5.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

3.8

75.53%

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

Last update for Brooklyn, NY: October 4, 2026

Last update for Berlin: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brooklyn, NY

$2.7K 60.6%

Berlin

$1.1K 43.3% 59.2% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Brooklyn, NY

$550 12.4%

Berlin

$351 13.8% 36.2% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brooklyn, NY

$367 8.2%

Berlin

$447 17.6% 22% $81

Eating Out

Brooklyn, NY

$339 7.6%

Berlin

$289 11.4% 14.8% $50

Getting Around

Brooklyn, NY

$177 4%

Berlin

$109 4.3% 38.5% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Brooklyn, NY

$175 3.9%

Berlin

$174 6.8% 0.6% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Brooklyn, NY

$147 3.3%

Berlin

$71 2.8% 51.5% $76

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,711 in Brooklyn, NY versus $1,488 in Berlin. 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 5% higher in Brooklyn, NY, 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 $106 in Brooklyn, NY versus $80.0 in Berlin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $550 vs $351 – making Berlin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brooklyn, NY

🇩🇪 Berlin

🕒 Local time

01:02 1:02 AM

07:02 7:02 AM

6 h ahead of Brooklyn, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,736,074

3,769,962 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Brooklyn, NY Berlin 6,390 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Brooklyn, 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

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

Yes – Brooklyn, NY is pricier by about 74%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,655 per month in Brooklyn, NY and $3,818 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,437 in Brooklyn, NY and $2,545 in Berlin. That's a gap of about 74%.

Public transport costs about 113% less in Berlin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,437 in Brooklyn, NY and $2,545 in Berlin. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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, Brooklyn, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.