Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Derby and Cologne

For one person, living costs are similar in Derby and in Cologne: $2,255 and $2,233 a month, rent and utilities included.

108

Cost of Living Index in Derby
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Derby Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Cologne
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Cologne Living Index

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Derby

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,255

/mo nomad

Cologne

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,233

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Derby and in Cologne

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,255 in Derby versus $2,233 in Cologne.

Derby $2,255
Cologne $2,233

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,377 in Derby versus $3,388 in Cologne.

Derby $3,377
Cologne $3,388

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,499 in Derby versus $4,543 in Cologne.

Derby $4,499
Cologne $4,543

Living in Derby is roughly 1% more expensive than in Cologne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Derby 66% above, Cologne 64% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.57 £19.97

$17.02 €15.29

56.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.0 £71.4

$83.7 €75.2

13.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.72 £8.06

$11.82 €10.62

-9.31%

Cappuccino

$4.97 £3.73

$4.02 €3.61

23.63%

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

$2.52 £1.89

$3.74 €3.36

-32.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 £1.47

$3.12 €2.80

-37.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.82 £5.12

$5.45 €4.90

25.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 £5.34

$5.46 €4.91

30.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 £1.18

$1.27 €1.14

23.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 £1.07

$2.56 €2.30

-44.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 £1.76

$3.09 €2.78

-24.27%

Eggs

$3.96 £2.97

$3.71 €3.33

6.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.42 £6.33

$12.64 €11.36

-33.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.58 £6.45

$12.08 €10.85

-28.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.38 £17.57

$22.79 €20.48

2.59%

Apples (1kg)

$5.42 £4.07

$3.04 €2.73

78.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.80 £2.10

$2.03 €1.82

37.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 £2.22

$2.59 €2.32

14.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.74 £2.81

$3.77 €3.39

-0.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.42 €1.27

9.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 £1.16

$1.15 €1.03

33.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 £0.79

$1.51 €1.36

-30.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 £1.03

$1.10 €0.99

24.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.73 £17.84

$9.84 €8.84

141.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.62 £7.98

$6.54 €5.88

62.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.28 £2.47

$1.26 €1.13

160.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 £2.71

$1.69 €1.52

113.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.01 £3.02

$3.90 €3.51

2.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$115 £86.7

$71.5 €64.2

61.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.34 £3.26

$5.36 €4.82

-19.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 £1.21

$2.74 €2.46

-40.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.95 £24.02

$33.45 €30.06

-4.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 £1.49

$2.22 €2.00

-10.81%

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

$38.2K £28.7K

$33.1K €29.8K

15.43%

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

$39.9K £30.0K

$38.0K €34.1K

4.91%

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

$366 £275

$301 €271

21.48%

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

$19.97 £15.01

$12.17 €10.93

64.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.71 £29.84

$36.02 €32.36

10.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.95 £27.77

$41.99 €37.73

-12.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.60 £19.24

$35.28 €31.70

-27.44%

Cinema Ticket

$15.22 £11.44

$15.90 €14.29

-4.28%

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

$1,912 £1,437

$1,103 €991

73.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.3K £15.3K

$22.0K €19.7K

-7.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.9

$87.4 €78.6

30.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 £43.57

$41.11 €36.93

41.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.2 £65.5

$101 €91.1

-14.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.1 £73.7

$134 €120

-26.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$947 £712

$1,223 €1,099

-22.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$746 £561

$917 €824

-18.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,532 £1,152

$2,340 €2,103

-34.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,206 £906

$1,628 €1,463

-25.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,201 £3,157

$7,324 €6,581

-42.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,055 £2,296

$5,056 €4,543

-39.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,541 £2,661

$3,562 €3,201

-0.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.88

3.83

27.42%

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

Last update for Derby: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cologne: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Derby

$746 33.1%

Cologne

$917 41.1% 22.9% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Derby

$425 18.9%

Cologne

$349 15.6% 17.9% $76

Eating Out

Derby

$371 16.4%

Cologne

$285 12.8% 22.9% $85

Groceries & Markets

Derby

$341 15.1%

Cologne

$337 15.1% 1.1% $3.7

Clothing & Footwear

Derby

$161 7.1%

Cologne

$164 7.3% 1.7% $2.8

Getting Around

Derby

$144 6.4%

Cologne

$106 4.8% 26.2% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Derby

$67 3%

Cologne

$74 3.3% 9.5% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $947 in Derby and $1,223 in Cologne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $95 in Derby vs $84 in Cologne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $341 vs $337 per month, with Cologne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Derby

🇩🇪 Cologne

🕒 Local time

17:40 5:40 PM

18:40 6:40 PM

1 h ahead of Derby

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

233,700

1,095,520

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.752 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.837 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Derby Cologne 620 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Derby
Cologne

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

Derby vs Cologne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Derby and Cologne differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($2,255 vs $2,233 including rent). Cologne is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,383 in Derby and $3,349 in Cologne to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $947 in Derby versus $1,223 in Cologne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,912 in Derby versus $1,103 in Cologne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cologne – a meal for two runs $84 versus $95 in Derby. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Cologne gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.