Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Madison, IA and Berlin

For one person, living costs are similar in Fort Madison, IA and in Berlin: $2,559 and $2,553 a month, rent and utilities included.

124

Cost of Living Index in Fort Madison, IA
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Fort Madison, IA Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin Living Index

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Fort Madison, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,559

/mo nomad

Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,553

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,559 per month in Fort Madison, IA vs $2,553 in Berlin, rent included.

Fort Madison, IA $2,559
Berlin $2,553

A couple spends around $3,754 per month in Fort Madison, IA vs $3,856 in Berlin, rent included.

Fort Madison, IA $3,754
Berlin $3,856

A family of three spends $4,950 per month in Fort Madison, IA vs $5,159 in Berlin, rent included.

Fort Madison, IA $4,950
Berlin $5,159

Fort Madison, IA and Berlin have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Fort Madison, IA and Berlin sit above the global median – Fort Madison, IA by 89%, Berlin by 88%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.82 $19.82

$16.97 €15.09

16.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.2 $76.2

$77.5 €68.9

-1.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 $11.40

$13.47 €11.98

-15.37%

Cappuccino

$5.49 $5.49

$4.35 €3.87

26.21%

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

$2.63 $2.63

$3.53 €3.14

-25.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$3.16 €2.81

-37.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.13 $6.13

$5.60 €4.98

9.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 $7.37

$4.44 €3.95

65.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.23 €1.09

-14.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.45 $3.45

$2.44 €2.17

41.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$3.41 €3.04

26.10%

Eggs

$4.15 $4.15

$4.55 €4.05

-8.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 $12.60

$17.23 €15.33

-26.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 $11.33

$12.24 €10.89

-7.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.07 $17.07

$17.98 €15.99

-5.06%

Apples (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$3.52 €3.13

38.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.03 €1.81

-22.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$3.27 €2.91

29.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$3.72 €3.31

29.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 $2.84

$2.05 €1.82

38.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.19 €1.95

34.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.42 €1.26

50.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$0.98 €0.87

125.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$10.37 €9.22

-2.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.04 $15.04

$6.78 €6.03

121.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.32 €1.17

27.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$2.09 €1.86

43.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 $2.27

$4.52 €4.02

-49.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.8 €62.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.33 $3.33

$5.19 €4.62

-35.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 $1.76

$3.23 €2.87

-45.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.70 $31.70

$37.61 €33.46

-15.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$2.33 €2.07

-60.52%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$33.2K €29.5K

-19.97%

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

$23.8K $23.8K

$39.2K €34.8K

-39.21%

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

$201 $201

$384 €342

-47.59%

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

$59.0 $59.0

$19.27 €17.14

206.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.0 $71.0

$49.17 €43.74

44.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.05 $41.05

$39.54 €35.17

3.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.56 €30.74

Cinema Ticket

$14.14 $14.14

$14.37 €12.78

-1.60%

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

$1,439 $1,439

$146 €130

885.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$16.1K €14.4K

46.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 $53.8

$95.1 €84.6

-43.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.89 $40.89

$47.83 €42.54

-14.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 $88.0

$104 €92.6

-15.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$143 €127

-19.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,582 $1,582

$1,398 €1,244

13.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 $1,287

$1,106 €984

16.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,533 $2,533

$2,727 €2,426

-7.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,141 $2,141

$2,104 €1,871

1.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 $2,414

$8,578 €7,630

-71.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,589 $2,589

$5,545 €4,932

-53.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,451 €3,070

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

3.8

72.89%

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

Last update for Fort Madison, IA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Berlin: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fort Madison, IA

$1.3K 50.3%

Berlin

$1.1K 43.3% 14.1% $181

Groceries & Markets

Fort Madison, IA

$393 15.4%

Berlin

$349 13.7% 11.2% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Madison, IA

$331 13%

Berlin

$453 17.7% 36.6% $121

Eating Out

Fort Madison, IA

$322 12.6%

Berlin

$292 11.4% 9.4% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Madison, IA

$134 5.2%

Berlin

$176 6.9% 31.2% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Madison, IA

$69 2.7%

Berlin

$68 2.7% 1.5% $1

Getting Around

Fort Madison, IA

$21 * 0.8%

Berlin

$109 4.3% 415% $88

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,582 in Fort Madison, 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Fort Madison, IA versus $77.0 in Berlin. Groceries tell a different story – $393 in Fort Madison, IA vs $349 in Berlin – so Berlin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fort Madison, IA

🇩🇪 Berlin

🕒 Local time

16:12 4:12 PM

23:12 11:12 PM

7 h ahead of Fort Madison, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,270

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

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Between locations

Fort Madison, IA Berlin 7,390 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Fort Madison, 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

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,838 per month in Fort Madison, 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 Berlin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Fort Madison, IA and $77.0 in Berlin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,439 per month in Fort Madison, IA and $146 in Berlin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Berlin, where all-in costs run around $2,553, than in Fort Madison, IA at $2,559. In Berlin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fort Madison, IA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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, Fort Madison, IA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.