Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Germany and the United Kingdom

Name: United Kingdom
Address: GB

For one person, living is cheaper in Germany: $2,056 a month against $2,453 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Germany
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Germany Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index

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🇩🇪 Germany

$2,056

/mo nomad

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Germany and in the United Kingdom

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,056 in Germany versus $2,453 in the United Kingdom.

Germany $2,056
United Kingdom $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,129 in Germany versus $3,548 in the United Kingdom.

Germany $3,129
United Kingdom $3,548

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,202 in Germany versus $4,643 in the United Kingdom.

Germany $4,202
United Kingdom $4,643

Internal cost variation is higher in the United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,131 to $3,986, compared to $1,329–$2,658 in Germany. City choice carries more weight in the United Kingdom.

Living in Germany costs about 16% less than in the United Kingdom on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Germany 52% above, the United Kingdom 82% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.62 €14.79

$20.82 £15.62

-20.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.6 €64.6

$86.3 £64.7

-15.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.24 €10.89

$10.76 £8.07

13.75%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.63

$4.87 £3.65

-16.22%

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

$3.37 €3.00

$2.55 £1.91

32.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 €2.67

$1.85 £1.39

62.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 €4.36

$6.75 £5.06

-27.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 €3.90

$6.49 £4.87

-32.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.64 £1.23

-19.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.66 £1.24

27.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 €3.00

$2.17 £1.63

55.30%

Eggs

$3.91 €3.48

$4.02 £3.01

-2.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.23 €12.66

$9.40 £7.05

51.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.79 €10.49

$8.99 £6.74

31.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.95 €18.64

$14.55 £10.92

43.99%

Apples (1kg)

$3.18 €2.83

$2.90 £2.17

9.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.60 £1.20

28.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.78 £2.08

-20.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 €3.68

$3.39 £2.54

22.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.78 £1.34

-17.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.62 £1.21

-11.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 €1.42

$1.23 £0.92

30.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 €0.95

$1.66 £1.24

-36.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.67 €8.61

$23.67 £17.76

-59.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.97 €5.31

$10.67 £8.00

-44.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.01

$3.06 £2.30

-63.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 €1.44

$3.33 £2.50

-51.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.90 €3.47

$3.34 £2.51

16.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.8 €62.9

$103 £77.1

-31.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 €4.78

$5.44 £4.08

-1.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.81 €2.50

$2.36 £1.77

19.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.76 €34.48

$26.17 £19.63

48.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 €1.88

$1.95 £1.46

8.72%

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

$32.9K €29.3K

$38.0K £28.5K

-13.37%

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

$37.7K €33.5K

$40.6K £30.5K

-7.33%

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

$338 €301

$315 £236

7.51%

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

$25.29 €22.49

$17.88 £13.41

41.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.19 €42.86

$42.77 £32.09

12.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.85 €36.34

$44.93 £33.71

-9.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.91 €24.83

$17.98 £13.49

55.23%

Cinema Ticket

$14.64 €13.02

$13.06 £9.80

12.10%

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

$564 €502

$1,753 £1,315

-67.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K €15.4K

$22.5K £16.9K

-22.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.5 €80.5

$90.4 £67.8

0.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.21 €38.44

$45.49 £34.13

-5.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.3 €88.3

$101 £75.9

-1.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €113

$102 £76.4

24.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$917 €816

$1,339 £1,005

-31.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$696 €619

$1,096 £822

-36.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,660 €1,476

$2,152 £1,615

-22.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,310 €1,165

$1,699 £1,275

-22.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,987 €5,326

$5,551 £4,165

7.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,049 €3,601

$4,374 £3,282

-7.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,321 €2,954

$3,324 £2,494

-0.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

5.32

-25.56%

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

Last update for Germany: October 12, 2026

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Germany

$696 33.8%

United Kingdom

$1.1K 44.7% 57.5% $400

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Germany

$412 20%

United Kingdom

$375 15.3% 8.9% $36

Groceries & Markets

Germany

$333 16.2%

United Kingdom

$303 12.4% 8.9% $30

Eating Out

Germany

$278 13.5%

United Kingdom

$322 13.1% 15.9% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Germany

$162 7.9%

United Kingdom

$153 6.2% 5.9% $9.5

Getting Around

Germany

$106 5.2%

United Kingdom

$133 5.4% 26% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Germany

$70 3.4%

United Kingdom

$71 2.9% 1.3% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $801 in Germany, $1,252 in the United Kingdom. Capital cities: $1,469 in Berlin vs $2,869 in London.

National salary averages: $3,101 in Germany, $3,228 in the United Kingdom. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 56% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 17% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 32% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Germany

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🕒 Local time

23:45 11:45 PM

22:45 10:45 PM

1 h behind Germany

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

84,358,845

67,326,569

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Germany United Kingdom 930 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Germany
United Kingdom

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

Germany vs United Kingdom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,056 per month in Germany and $2,453 in the United Kingdom, there's a 19% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,252 in the United Kingdom and $801 in Germany. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Germany, $3,000 covers most cities easily; in the United Kingdom it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Germany wins on affordability; the United Kingdom may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.