Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Groningen and Ilmenau

For one person, living is cheaper in Ilmenau: $2,071 a month against $2,282 in Groningen, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Groningen
Learn more

Groningen Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Ilmenau
Learn more

Ilmenau Living Index

Jump to prices

Groningen

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,282

/mo nomad

Ilmenau

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,071

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Groningen and in Ilmenau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,282 in Groningen versus $2,071 in Ilmenau.

Groningen $2,282
Ilmenau $2,071

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,443 in Groningen versus $2,525 in Ilmenau.

Groningen $3,443
Ilmenau $2,525

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,603 in Groningen versus $2,980 in Ilmenau.

Groningen $4,603
Ilmenau $2,980

Living in Groningen is roughly 10% more expensive than in Ilmenau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Groningen 69% above, Ilmenau 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.82 €17.63

$10.96 €9.75

80.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 €91.0

$66.5 €59.2

53.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.34 €13.65

$11.27 €10.02

36.11%

Cappuccino

$4.60 €4.10

$3.41 €3.04

34.90%

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

$3.94 €3.50

$4.26 €3.79

-7.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 €2.83

$7.97 €7.09

-60.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.06

$4.41 €3.92

29.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.47 €4.87

$4.99 €4.44

9.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 €1.32

$1.13 €1.01

31.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.14 €1.90

22.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$3.24 €2.88

-19.44%

Eggs

$4.55 €4.05

$3.23 €2.87

40.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.72 €11.31

$14.33 €12.75

-11.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.16 €11.71

$10.24 €9.11

28.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.17 €16.16

$17.76 €15.79

2.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$2.87 €2.55

4.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 €2.13

$1.40 €1.24

70.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$3.50 €3.11

-28.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 €4.23

$3.82 €3.40

24.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.11 €1.88

-3.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.36 €1.21

15.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.63 €1.45

-20.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.13

$0.88 €0.78

44.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.45 €12.86

$9.22 €8.20

56.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.54 €5.82

$6.22 €5.53

5.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.22

$1.11 €0.99

24.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 €2.23

$1.48 €1.32

69.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.14 €3.68

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.5 €60.0

$65.3 €58.1

3.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.78 €6.03

$5.23 €4.65

29.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.73 €2.43

$4.21 €3.75

-35.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.38 €25.24

$43.78 €38.94

-35.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.52 €2.24

$2.14 €1.90

17.76%

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

$42.0K €37.3K

$32.3K €28.7K

30.06%

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

$39.1K €34.7K

$37.8K €33.6K

3.41%

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

$230 €204

$675 €600

-65.99%

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

$20.48 €18.21

$27.38 €24.36

-25.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.87 €43.47

$34.08 €30.32

43.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.10 €34.78

$48.13 €42.81

-18.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.07 €13.40

Cinema Ticket

$16.69 €14.84

$13.20 €11.74

26.44%

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

$1,756 €1,562

$454 €404

286.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,621 €6,779

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.3

$93.0 €82.8

12.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.13 €39.25

$31.50 €28.02

40.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.8

$121 €107

-14.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$196 €174

$113 €101

73.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 €1,194

$471 €419

185.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 €828

$455 €404

104.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,965 €1,748

$828 €737

137.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,473 €1,310

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,191 €4,618

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,906 €3,474

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,025 €2,691

$3,254 €2,894

-7.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.43

3.95

-13.16%

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

Last update for Groningen: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ilmenau: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Groningen

$931 40.8%

Ilmenau

$455 22% 51.2% $476

Groceries & Markets

Groningen

$346 15.2%

Ilmenau

$309 14.9% 10.7% $37

Eating Out

Groningen

$328 14.4%

Ilmenau

$243 11.8% 25.7% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Groningen

$299 13.1%

Ilmenau

$736 35.6% 146% $437

Clothing & Footwear

Groningen

$202 8.8%

Ilmenau

$161 7.8% 20% $40

Getting Around

Groningen

$104 4.6%

Ilmenau

$92 * 4.4% 12.3% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Groningen

$72 3.2%

Ilmenau

$75 3.6% 2.8% $2.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,342 in Groningen and $471 in Ilmenau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ilmenau pays 8% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $102 in Groningen vs $67.0 in Ilmenau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $309 per month, with Ilmenau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Groningen

🇩🇪 Ilmenau

🕒 Local time

18:53 6:53 PM

Same time as Groningen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

201,242

39,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Groningen Ilmenau 410 km

From you

Groningen
Ilmenau

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

Groningen vs Ilmenau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ilmenau wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Groningen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ilmenau the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 8% lower in Ilmenau. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,342 in Groningen versus $471 in Ilmenau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Groningen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Ilmenau – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $102 in Groningen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,071 in Ilmenau versus $2,282 in Groningen, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Ilmenau but tight or insufficient in Groningen. The gap between the two cities makes Ilmenau the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ilmenau delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,071 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ilmenau hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Groningen and Ilmenau are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ilmenau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Groningen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.