Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lexington, KY and Bochum

For one person, living is cheaper in Bochum: $1,806 a month against $2,209 in Lexington, KY, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lexington, KY
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Lexington, KY Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Bochum
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Bochum Living Index

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Lexington, KY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,209

/mo nomad

Bochum

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lexington, KY and in Bochum

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

A single person spends $2,209 per month in Lexington, KY vs $1,806 in Bochum, rent included.

Lexington, KY $2,209
Bochum $1,806

A couple spends around $3,249 per month in Lexington, KY vs $2,869 in Bochum, rent included.

Lexington, KY $3,249
Bochum $2,869

A family of three spends $4,289 per month in Lexington, KY vs $3,933 in Bochum, rent included.

Lexington, KY $4,289
Bochum $3,933

Lexington, KY costs about 22% more than Bochum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Lexington, KY and Bochum sit above the global median – Lexington, KY by 64%, Bochum by 34%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.82 $12.82

$16.55 €14.72

-22.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.6 $57.6

$79.2 €70.4

-27.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.78 $8.78

$12.43 €11.05

-29.36%

Cappuccino

$5.00 $5.00

$4.16 €3.70

20.19%

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

$2.48 $2.48

$3.17 €2.82

-21.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$3.00 €2.67

-28.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.05 $5.05

$5.73 €5.09

-11.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.98 $5.98

$5.15 €4.58

16.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.21 €1.08

-35.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.36 €2.10

18.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.10 $4.10

$3.65 €3.25

12.33%

Eggs

$3.69 $3.69

$3.67 €3.26

0.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.40 $10.40

$14.61 €12.99

-28.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 $10.34

$12.42 €11.05

-16.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.40 $14.40

$23.25 €20.68

-38.06%

Apples (1kg)

$5.31 $5.31

$3.31 €2.95

60.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.02 €1.79

-23.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.52 $5.52

$2.13 €1.90

159.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$4.02 €3.58

8.71%

Potato (1kg)

$4.24 $4.24

$1.33 €1.18

218.80%

Onion (1kg)

$3.21 $3.21

$1.22 €1.09

163.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.55 €1.38

38.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.13 $3.13

$1.08 €0.96

189.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.68 $8.68

$9.67 €8.60

-10.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.87 $12.87

$6.54 €5.82

96.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$0.91 €0.81

194.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 $4.30

$1.63 €1.45

163.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 $0.98

$3.80 €3.38

-74.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 $30.52

$65.0 €57.8

-53.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 $4.91

$5.55 €4.93

-11.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.72 €2.42

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.12 €30.35

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$2.06 €1.83

-51.46%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$32.2K €28.7K

11.69%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$38.5K €34.3K

-32.88%

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

$191 $191

$324 €289

-41.26%

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

$105 $105

$30.22 €26.88

248.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.9 $74.9

$36.16 €32.17

107.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.65 $38.65

$30.24 €26.89

27.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.41 $29.41

$26.57 €23.63

10.69%

Cinema Ticket

$14.86 $14.86

$16.45 €14.64

-9.67%

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

$2,261 $2,261

$400 €356

464.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K $24.8K

$21.9K €19.4K

13.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 $50.9

$89.1 €79.2

-42.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.06 $31.06

$41.59 €37.00

-25.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 $118

$95.7 €85.2

22.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 $152

$134 €120

13.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,141 $1,141

$805 €716

41.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$942 $942

$463 €411

103.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 $2,028

$1,290 €1,148

57.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 $1,565

$1,014 €902

54.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,066 $2,066

$3,951 €3,515

-47.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,100 $2,100

$4,240 €3,772

-50.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,968 $3,968

$2,674 €2,379

48.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

3.83

78.07%

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

Last update for Lexington, KY: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bochum: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lexington, KY

$942 42.6%

Bochum

$463 25.6% 50.9% $479

Groceries & Markets

Lexington, KY

$386 17.5%

Bochum

$345 19.1% 10.7% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lexington, KY

$371 16.8%

Bochum

$391 21.6% 5.4% $20

Eating Out

Lexington, KY

$245 11.1%

Bochum

$283 15.7% 15.8% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Lexington, KY

$158 7.2%

Bochum

$162 9% 2.6% $4.1

Sport & Entertainment

Lexington, KY

$68 3.1%

Bochum

$63 3.5% 7.6% $5.2

Getting Around

Lexington, KY

$39 * 1.8%

Bochum

$99 5.5% 153% $60

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,141 in Lexington, KY versus $805 in Bochum. 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 48% higher in Lexington, KY, 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 $58.0 in Lexington, KY versus $79.0 in Bochum. Groceries tell a different story – $386 in Lexington, KY vs $345 in Bochum – so Bochum wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lexington, KY

🇩🇪 Bochum

🕒 Local time

10:04 10:04 AM

16:04 4:04 PM

6 h ahead of Lexington, KY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

322,570

371,075

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lexington, KY Bochum 6,910 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Lexington, KY
Bochum

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

Lexington, KY vs Bochum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,209 in Lexington, KY, $1,806 in Bochum – roughly 22% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,313 per month in Lexington, KY and $2,709 in Bochum. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bochum, 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 $58.0 in Lexington, KY and $79.0 in Bochum. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,209 in Lexington, KY and $1,806 in Bochum. That's a gap of about 22%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Bochum, where all-in costs run around $1,806, than in Lexington, KY at $2,209. In Bochum it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lexington, KY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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