Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cologne and Chatham

For one person, living is cheaper in Cologne: $2,233 a month against $2,877 in Chatham, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chatham outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Cologne
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Cologne Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Chatham
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Chatham Living Index

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Cologne

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,233

/mo nomad

Chatham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,877

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cologne and in Chatham

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

A single person spends $2,233 per month in Cologne vs $2,877 in Chatham, rent included.

Cologne $2,233
Chatham $2,877

A couple spends around $3,388 per month in Cologne vs $3,924 in Chatham, rent included.

Cologne $3,388
Chatham $3,924

A family of three spends $4,543 per month in Cologne vs $4,970 in Chatham, rent included.

Cologne $4,543
Chatham $4,970

Cologne is about 22% cheaper than Chatham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Cologne and Chatham sit above the global median – Cologne by 64%, Chatham by 111%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.02 €15.29

$13.51 £10.16

25.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.7 €75.2

$94.4 £71.0

-11.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.82 €10.62

$9.95 £7.47

18.79%

Cappuccino

$4.02 €3.61

$3.60 £2.70

11.67%

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

$3.74 €3.36

$2.75 £2.06

36.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.80

$1.62 £1.22

92.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 €4.90

$6.20 £4.66

-12.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.91

$6.76 £5.08

-19.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.14

$1.43 £1.08

-11.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 €2.30

$1.41 £1.06

81.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 €2.78

$1.63 £1.23

89.57%

Eggs

$3.71 €3.33

$3.08 £2.32

20.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.64 €11.36

$9.75 £7.32

29.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.08 €10.85

$8.09 £6.08

49.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.79 €20.48

$14.59 £10.97

56.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 €2.73

$3.15 £2.37

-3.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.82

$1.40 £1.05

45.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.71 £2.04

-4.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 €3.39

$3.23 £2.43

16.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.61 £1.21

-11.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.48 £1.11

-22.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.59 £1.19

-5.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.48 £1.11

-25.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.84 €8.84

$22.07 £16.59

-55.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.54 €5.88

$10.86 £8.16

-39.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 €1.13

$2.76 £2.07

-54.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.52

$2.33 £1.75

-27.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.90 €3.51

$3.92 £2.95

-0.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.5 €64.2

$114 £85.4

-37.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 €4.82

$5.94 £4.46

-9.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.74 €2.46

$3.94 £2.96

-30.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.45 €30.06

$19.80 £14.88

68.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 €2.00

$1.99 £1.49

11.56%

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

$33.1K €29.8K

$38.6K £29.0K

-14.08%

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

$38.0K €34.1K

$37.1K £27.9K

2.47%

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

$301 €271

$255 £192

17.85%

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

$12.17 €10.93

$19.79 £14.87

-38.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.02 €32.36

$26.57 £19.97

35.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.99 €37.73

$119 £89.3

-64.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.28 €31.70

$9.50 £7.14

271.37%

Cinema Ticket

$15.90 €14.29

$20.98 £15.77

-24.21%

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

$1,103 €991

$1,973 £1,483

-44.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K €19.7K

$19.8K £14.9K

10.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.4 €78.6

$69.1 £51.9

26.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.11 €36.93

$31.55 £23.71

30.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €91.1

$77.7 £58.4

30.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €120

$51.8 £38.91

158.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,223 €1,099

$2,010 £1,511

-39.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$917 €824

$1,629 £1,225

-43.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,340 €2,103

$2,451 £1,842

-4.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,628 €1,463

$2,165 £1,627

-24.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,324 €6,581

$8,144 £6,121

-10.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,056 €4,543

$7,296 £5,483

-30.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,562 €3,201

$3,012 £2,264

18.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.83

4.91

-22.00%

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

Last update for Cologne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chatham: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cologne

$917 41.1%

Chatham

$1.6K 56.6% 77.7% $712

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cologne

$349 15.6%

Chatham

$302 10.5% 13.6% $47

Groceries & Markets

Cologne

$337 15.1%

Chatham

$284 9.9% 15.8% $53

Eating Out

Cologne

$285 12.8%

Chatham

$243 8.5% 14.8% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Cologne

$164 7.3%

Chatham

$104 3.6% 36.7% $60

Getting Around

Cologne

$106 4.8%

Chatham

$155 5.4% 45.9% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Cologne

$74 3.3%

Chatham

$161 5.6% 118% $87

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,223 in Cologne versus $2,010 in Chatham. 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 18% higher in Cologne, 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 $84 in Cologne versus $94 in Chatham. Groceries tell a different story – $337 in Cologne vs $284 in Chatham – so Chatham wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Cologne

🇬🇧 Chatham

🕒 Local time

10:11 10:11 AM

09:11 9:11 AM

1 h behind Cologne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,095,520

76,792

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Cologne Chatham 450 km

From you

Cologne
Chatham

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

Cologne vs Chatham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chatham costs about 29% more than Cologne, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,349 per month in Cologne and $4,316 in Chatham. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cologne, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,223 there versus $2,010 in Chatham.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,233 in Cologne and $2,877 in Chatham. That’s a gap of about 29%.

Public transport costs about 37% less in Cologne. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Families tend to lean toward Cologne – 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.