Cost of Living Comparison Between Essen and Berlin Cost of Living Comparison Between Essen and Berlin

😐 Solo nomad: Essen is 1.8% more expensive than Berlin without rent, and 14.8% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Essen is 2.6% more expensive than Berlin without rent, and 13.5% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.31 €15.81

$17.13 €14.79

6.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.7 €61.1

$80.3 €69.3

-11.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.96 €12.05

$12.98 €11.21

7.55%

Cappuccino

$3.66 €3.16

$4.3 €3.71

-14.88%

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

$2.5 €2.16

$3.3 €2.85

-24.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.12

$2.87 €2.48

-14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.78 €4.13

$5.33 €4.6

-10.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 €3.94

$4.5 €3.88

1.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.17

White Bread (500g)

$2.14 €1.85

$2.04 €1.76

4.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.29 €2.84

$3.62 €3.12

-9.12%

Eggs

$3.71 €3.2

$3.89 €3.36

-4.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.91 €12.88

$14.44 €12.47

3.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.62 €12.63

$10.86 €9.37

34.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.88 €18.89

$19.02 €16.43

15.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 €2.82

$3.31 €2.86

-1.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 €1.58

$2.08 €1.79

-12.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 €1.95

$2.83 €2.45

-20.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.89 €4.22

$3.98 €3.44

22.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 €1.46

$1.94 €1.67

-12.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 €1.41

$1.74 €1.51

-6.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.88 €1.63

$1.66 €1.43

13.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €0.96

$1.04 €0.9

7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.25 €7.98

$10.08 €8.71

-8.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.84 €5.91

$6.87 €5.93

-0.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.94

$1.18 €1.02

-7.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.49

$1.9 €1.64

-8.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.9 €3.36

$3.98 €3.43

-2.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.2 €53.7

$67.1 €57.9

-7.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.1 €4.41

$5.88 €5.08

-13.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.74 €2.36

$2.34 €2.02

17.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.55 €35.87

$42.01 €36.27

-1.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.8

$1.94 €1.68

7.73%

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

$32.1K €27.7K

-0.13%

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

$38.3K €33.1K

$37.6K €32.5K

1.83%

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

$386 €333

$371 €320

4.10%

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

$34.88 €30.12

$19.98 €17.25

74.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.4 €46.12

$46.51 €40.16

14.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.14 €32.07

$37.37 €32.27

-0.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.34 €30.51

$28.66 €24.75

23.31%

Cinema Ticket

$17.26 €14.9

$14.22 €12.28

21.38%

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

$469 €405

$198 €171

136.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,651 €8,333

$10.5K €9,109

-8.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.3 €82.3

$94.5 €81.6

0.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$74.3 €64.2

$44.04 €38.02

68.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €90.5

$106 €91.1

-0.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 €120

$130 €112

7.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$748 €645

$1,412 €1,219

-47.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$582 €503

$1,059 €915

-45.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,325

$2,652 €2,290

-42.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 €914

$1,934 €1,670

-45.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,419 €3,816

$8,766 €7,568

-49.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,340 €2,884

$6,041 €5,216

-44.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,402 €2,937

$3,577 €3,089

-4.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.97

3.68

7.88%

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

Last update for Essen: October 28, 2025

Last update for Berlin: October 28, 2025

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