Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burlington, IA and Berlin

For one person, living is cheaper in Burlington, IA: $1,769 a month against $2,553 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Burlington, IA
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Burlington, IA Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin Living Index

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Burlington, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,769

/mo nomad

Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,553

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,769 per month in Burlington, IA vs $2,553 in Berlin, rent included.

Burlington, IA $1,769
Berlin $2,553

A couple spends around $2,675 per month in Burlington, IA vs $3,856 in Berlin, rent included.

Burlington, IA $2,675
Berlin $3,856

A family of three spends $3,580 per month in Burlington, IA vs $5,159 in Berlin, rent included.

Burlington, IA $3,580
Berlin $5,159

Burlington, IA is about 31% cheaper than Berlin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Burlington, IA and Berlin sit above the global median – Burlington, IA by 31%, Berlin by 88%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.35 $11.35

$16.97 €15.09

-33.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.1 $59.1

$77.5 €68.9

-23.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 $8.84

$13.47 €11.98

-34.37%

Cappuccino

$4.74 $4.74

$4.35 €3.87

8.97%

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

$1.95 $1.95

$3.53 €3.14

-44.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$3.16 €2.81

-36.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 $3.41

$5.60 €4.98

-39.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 $4.58

$4.44 €3.95

3.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.23 €1.09

-34.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.44 €2.17

15.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.41 €3.04

27.27%

Eggs

$2.92 $2.92

$4.55 €4.05

-35.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.37 $11.37

$17.23 €15.33

-34.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.93 $11.93

$12.24 €10.89

-2.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.20 $14.20

$17.98 €15.99

-21.02%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$3.52 €3.13

14.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.03 €1.81

-2.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$3.27 €2.91

40.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$3.72 €3.31

25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$2.05 €1.82

33.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 $2.60

$2.19 €1.95

18.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.42 €1.26

8.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.98 €0.87

110.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.16 $8.16

$10.37 €9.22

-21.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.29 $16.29

$6.78 €6.03

140.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.32 €1.17

43.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$2.09 €1.86

8.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$4.52 €4.02

-57.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.76 $15.76

$69.8 €62.1

-77.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.67 $4.67

$5.19 €4.62

-10.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 $1.02

$3.23 €2.87

-68.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.19 $22.19

$37.61 €33.46

-41.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$2.33 €2.07

-59.66%

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

$22.7K $22.7K

$33.2K €29.5K

-31.50%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$39.2K €34.8K

-36.23%

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

$184 $184

$384 €342

-52.10%

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

$47.16 $47.16

$19.27 €17.14

144.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.2 $59.2

$49.17 €43.74

20.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.42 $42.42

$39.54 €35.17

7.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.56 €30.74

Cinema Ticket

$11.92 $11.92

$14.37 €12.78

-17.05%

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

$1,210 $1,210

$146 €130

729.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K $13.3K

$16.1K €14.4K

-17.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.72 $44.72

$95.1 €84.6

-52.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.53 $30.53

$47.83 €42.54

-36.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$104 €92.6

-16.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.90 $37.90

$143 €127

-73.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$754 $754

$1,398 €1,244

-46.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$707 $707

$1,106 €984

-36.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,172 $1,172

$2,727 €2,426

-57.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,280 $1,280

$2,104 €1,871

-39.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,026 $1,026

$8,578 €7,630

-88.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,033 $1,033

$5,545 €4,932

-81.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,446 $4,446

$3,451 €3,070

28.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.54

3.8

72.11%

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

Last update for Burlington, IA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Berlin: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burlington, IA

$707 40%

Berlin

$1.1K 43.3% 56.5% $399

Groceries & Markets

Burlington, IA

$366 20.7%

Berlin

$349 13.7% 4.6% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burlington, IA

$290 16.4%

Berlin

$453 17.7% 55.9% $162

Eating Out

Burlington, IA

$216 12.2%

Berlin

$292 11.4% 35% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Burlington, IA

$90 5.1%

Berlin

$176 6.9% 94.9% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Burlington, IA

$66 3.7%

Berlin

$68 2.7% 3% $2

Getting Around

Burlington, IA

$33 1.9%

Berlin

$109 4.3% 228% $76

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $754 in Burlington, IA 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.

Salaries run about 29% higher in Burlington, IA, 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 $59.0 in Burlington, IA versus $77.0 in Berlin. Groceries tell a different story – $366 in Burlington, IA vs $349 in Berlin – so Berlin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Burlington, IA

🇩🇪 Berlin

🕒 Local time

19:17 7:17 PM

02:17 2:17 AM

7 h ahead of Burlington, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,743

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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Burlington, IA Berlin 7,360 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Burlington, IA
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

Burlington, IA vs Berlin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 44%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,654 per month in Burlington, IA 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 Burlington, IA, 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 $1,769 in Burlington, IA and $2,553 in Berlin. That's a gap of about 44%.

Public transport costs about 343% less in Burlington, IA. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Burlington, IA, where all-in costs run around $1,769, than in Berlin at $2,553. In Burlington, IA it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Burlington, IA – 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 Burlington, IA. 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.