Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ilmenau and Berlin

For one person, living is cheaper in Ilmenau: $2,071 a month against $2,551 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Ilmenau
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Ilmenau Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin Living Index

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Ilmenau

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,071

/mo nomad

Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,551

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,071 per month in Ilmenau vs $2,551 in Berlin, rent included.

Ilmenau $2,071
Berlin $2,551

A couple spends around $2,525 per month in Ilmenau vs $3,845 in Berlin, rent included.

Ilmenau $2,525
Berlin $3,845

A family of three spends $2,980 per month in Ilmenau vs $5,139 in Berlin, rent included.

Ilmenau $2,980
Berlin $5,139

Ilmenau is about 19% cheaper than Berlin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ilmenau and Berlin sit above the global median – Ilmenau by 53%, Berlin by 89%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.96 €9.75

$16.65 €14.81

-34.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 €59.2

$76.7 €68.2

-13.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.02

$13.47 €11.98

-16.33%

Cappuccino

$3.41 €3.04

$4.37 €3.89

-21.97%

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

$4.26 €3.79

$3.48 €3.09

22.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.97 €7.09

$3.12 €2.77

155.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.41 €3.92

$5.34 €4.75

-17.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.99 €4.44

$4.39 €3.91

13.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.27 €1.13

-11.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.14 €1.90

$2.33 €2.08

-8.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.24 €2.88

$3.40 €3.02

-4.71%

Eggs

$3.23 €2.87

$4.50 €4.00

-28.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.33 €12.75

$16.78 €14.93

-14.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 €9.11

$11.91 €10.59

-14.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.79

$17.90 €15.92

-0.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$3.46 €3.07

-17.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 €1.24

$1.95 €1.73

-28.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 €3.11

$3.26 €2.90

7.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.82 €3.40

$3.71 €3.30

2.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.10 €1.87

0.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.09 €1.86

-34.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.42 €1.27

14.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.78

$0.95 €0.84

-7.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.22 €8.20

$10.44 €9.29

-11.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 €5.53

$6.58 €5.85

-5.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.27 €1.13

-12.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$2.08 €1.85

-28.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.34 €3.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.3 €58.1

$71.6 €63.7

-8.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.23 €4.65

$5.26 €4.68

-0.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.21 €3.75

$3.09 €2.75

36.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.78 €38.94

$36.34 €32.32

20.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 €1.90

$2.31 €2.05

-7.36%

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

$32.3K €28.7K

$32.4K €28.8K

-0.53%

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

$37.8K €33.6K

$38.6K €34.3K

-2.20%

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

$675 €600

$382 €340

76.81%

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

$27.38 €24.36

$18.83 €16.75

45.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.08 €30.32

$48.57 €43.20

-29.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.13 €42.81

$40.21 €35.76

19.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.90 €31.04

Cinema Ticket

$13.20 €11.74

$15.73 €14.00

-16.08%

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

$454 €404

$142 €126

220.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.0 €82.8

$95.4 €84.8

-2.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.50 €28.02

$46.32 €41.20

-31.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 €107

$104 €92.4

16.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €101

$143 €128

-21.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$471 €419

$1,469 €1,306

-67.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$455 €404

$1,114 €991

-59.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$828 €737

$2,751 €2,447

-69.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 €1,875

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,454 €7,520

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,435 €4,834

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,254 €2,894

$3,543 €3,151

-8.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

3.8

3.95%

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

Last update for Ilmenau: October 11, 2026

Last update for Berlin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ilmenau

$736 35.6%

Berlin

$449 17.6% 39% $287

Accommodation & Living

Ilmenau

$455 22%

Berlin

$1.1K 43.7% 145% $660

Groceries & Markets

Ilmenau

$309 14.9%

Berlin

$343 13.4% 11% $34

Eating Out

Ilmenau

$243 11.8%

Berlin

$288 11.3% 18.3% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Ilmenau

$161 7.8%

Berlin

$175 6.9% 8.5% $14

Getting Around

Ilmenau

$92 * 4.4%

Berlin

$110 4.3% 19.8% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Ilmenau

$75 3.6%

Berlin

$72 2.8% 3.8% $2.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $471 in Ilmenau 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 9% 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 $67.0 in Ilmenau versus $77.0 in Berlin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $309 vs $343 – making Ilmenau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Ilmenau

🇩🇪 Berlin

🕒 Local time

18:19 6:19 PM

Same time as Ilmenau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,000

3,769,962 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Ilmenau Berlin 270 km

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Ilmenau
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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

Ilmenau vs Berlin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,106 per month in Ilmenau 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 Ilmenau, 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 $2,071 in Ilmenau and $2,551 in Berlin. That's a gap of about 23%.

Public transport costs about 10% less in Ilmenau. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Ilmenau, where all-in costs run around $2,071, than in Berlin at $2,551. In Ilmenau it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ilmenau – 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 Ilmenau. 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.