Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ilford and Berlin

For one person, living is cheaper in Ilford: $2,414 a month against $2,551 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Berlin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Ilford
Learn more

Ilford Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
Learn more

Berlin Living Index

Jump to prices

Ilford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,414

/mo nomad

Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,551

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,414 per month in Ilford vs $2,551 in Berlin, rent included.

Ilford $2,414
Berlin $2,551

A couple spends around $3,764 per month in Ilford vs $3,845 in Berlin, rent included.

Ilford $3,764
Berlin $3,845

A family of three spends $5,115 per month in Ilford vs $5,139 in Berlin, rent included.

Ilford $5,115
Berlin $5,139

Ilford is about 5% cheaper than Berlin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ilford and Berlin sit above the global median – Ilford by 79%, Berlin by 89%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.28 £15.97

$16.65 €14.81

27.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.9 £70.5

$76.7 €68.2

22.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.51 £7.89

$13.47 €11.98

-21.97%

Cappuccino

$4.60 £3.45

$4.37 €3.89

5.26%

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

$2.81 £2.11

$3.48 €3.09

-19.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 £1.38

$3.12 €2.77

-41.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.91 £5.93

$5.34 €4.75

48.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.43 £4.82

$4.39 €3.91

46.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.27 €1.13

29.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.29

$2.33 €2.08

-26.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 £1.72

$3.40 €3.02

-32.35%

Eggs

$4.60 £3.45

$4.50 €4.00

2.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.46 £7.09

$16.78 €14.93

-43.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 £7.21

$11.91 €10.59

-19.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.45 £11.59

$17.90 €15.92

-13.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 £2.21

$3.46 €3.07

-15.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.06

$1.95 €1.73

-27.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 £2.22

$3.26 €2.90

-9.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.28 £2.46

$3.71 €3.30

-11.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.25

$2.10 €1.87

-20.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 £1.33

$2.09 €1.86

-15.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 £0.96

$1.42 €1.27

-9.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 £1.33

$0.95 €0.84

86.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.20 £16.65

$10.44 €9.29

112.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.16

$6.58 €5.85

65.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.04 £2.28

$1.27 €1.13

139.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 £2.94

$2.08 €1.85

88.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.43 £2.57

$4.34 €3.86

-20.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.6 £73.2

$71.6 €63.7

36.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 £4.05

$5.26 €4.68

2.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.61 £1.96

$3.09 €2.75

-15.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.45 £19.09

$36.34 €32.32

-29.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 £1.58

$2.31 €2.05

-8.66%

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

$38.9K £29.2K

$32.4K €28.8K

20.08%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$38.6K €34.3K

6.00%

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

$334 £250

$382 €340

-12.62%

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

$18.31 £13.73

$18.83 €16.75

-2.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.86 £30.65

$48.57 €43.20

-15.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.93 £33.70

$40.21 €35.76

11.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.90 €31.04

Cinema Ticket

$17.09 £12.82

$15.73 €14.00

8.65%

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

$2,535 £1,902

$142 €126

1690.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.1K £26.3K

$15.8K €14.0K

122.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.0 £66.0

$95.4 €84.8

-7.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.25 £34.69

$46.32 €41.20

-0.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 £69.8

$104 €92.4

-10.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.2 £72.1

$143 €128

-32.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,350 £1,013

$1,469 €1,306

-8.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 £768

$1,114 €991

-8.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,960 £2,221

$2,751 €2,447

7.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,099 £1,575

$2,107 €1,875

-0.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,983 £3,738

$8,454 €7,520

-41.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,831 £2,874

$5,435 €4,834

-29.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,485 £2,614

$3,543 €3,151

-1.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.04

3.8

32.63%

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

Last update for Ilford: October 10, 2026

Last update for Berlin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ilford

$1K 42.4%

Berlin

$1.1K 43.7% 8.9% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ilford

$393 16.3%

Berlin

$449 17.6% 14.4% $56

Eating Out

Ilford

$328 13.6%

Berlin

$288 11.3% 12.2% $40

Groceries & Markets

Ilford

$315 13.1%

Berlin

$343 13.4% 8.8% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Ilford

$146 6%

Berlin

$175 6.9% 20.3% $29

Getting Around

Ilford

$130 5.4%

Berlin

$110 4.3% 15.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Ilford

$79 3.3%

Berlin

$72 2.8% 9.4% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,350 in Ilford versus $1,469 in Berlin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 2% higher in Berlin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $94.0 in Ilford versus $77.0 in Berlin. Groceries tell a different story – $315 in Ilford vs $343 in Berlin – so Ilford wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Ilford

🇩🇪 Berlin

🕒 Local time

23:38 11:38 PM

00:38 12:38 AM

1 h ahead of Ilford

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

168,168

3,769,962 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ilford Berlin 920 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ilford
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

Ilford vs Berlin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,620 per month in Ilford and $3,826 in Berlin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ilford, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,414 in Ilford and $2,551 in Berlin. That's a gap of about 6%.

Public transport costs about 36% less in Ilford. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ilford, where all-in costs run around $2,414, than in Berlin at $2,551. In Ilford it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ilford – 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 Ilford. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Berlin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.