Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lincoln, NE and Berlin

For one person, living is cheaper in Lincoln, NE: $2,250 a month against $2,545 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Berlin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lincoln, NE
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Lincoln, NE Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin Living Index

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Lincoln, NE

🇺🇸 United States

$2,250

/mo nomad

Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,545

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,250 per month in Lincoln, NE vs $2,545 in Berlin, rent included.

Lincoln, NE $2,250
Berlin $2,545

A couple spends around $3,309 per month in Lincoln, NE vs $3,901 in Berlin, rent included.

Lincoln, NE $3,309
Berlin $3,901

A family of three spends $4,368 per month in Lincoln, NE vs $5,257 in Berlin, rent included.

Lincoln, NE $4,368
Berlin $5,257

Lincoln, NE is about 12% cheaper than Berlin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Lincoln, NE and Berlin sit above the global median – Lincoln, NE by 68%, Berlin by 90%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.25 $20.25

$16.81 €15.00

20.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.8 $78.8

$79.6 €71.0

-0.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.22 $12.22

$13.38 €11.94

-8.67%

Cappuccino

$5.46 $5.46

$4.27 €3.81

27.87%

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

$2.28 $2.28

$3.40 €3.03

-32.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$3.12 €2.79

-44.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.01 $5.01

$5.48 €4.89

-8.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.13 $9.13

$4.56 €4.07

100.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.27 €1.13

-31.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.45 €2.19

26.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.19 $6.19

$3.30 €2.94

87.58%

Eggs

$4.60 $4.60

$4.45 €3.97

3.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.62 $11.62

$17.10 €15.26

-32.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.36 $8.36

$12.19 €10.88

-31.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.70 $14.70

$18.30 €16.33

-19.67%

Apples (1kg)

$6.63 $6.63

$3.58 €3.19

85.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.98 €1.77

5.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.79 $5.79

$3.27 €2.92

77.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.81 €3.40

9.97%

Potato (1kg)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.13 €1.90

61.50%

Onion (1kg)

$3.85 $3.85

$2.21 €1.97

74.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.49 €1.33

27.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.01 €0.90

161.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.73 $9.73

$10.49 €9.37

-7.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.90 $16.90

$6.76 €6.03

150.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.34 €1.20

34.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.10 €1.87

20.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 $1.70

$4.37 €3.90

-61.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.02 $35.02

$71.0 €63.3

-50.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 $5.04

$5.29 €4.72

-4.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 $1.87

$3.05 €2.73

-38.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.54 $34.54

$36.30 €32.39

-4.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$2.28 €2.03

-54.39%

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

$35.5K $35.5K

$33.2K €29.7K

6.85%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$39.1K €34.9K

-35.16%

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

$142 $142

$379 €339

-62.53%

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

$48.30 $48.30

$19.31 €17.23

150.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.8 $64.8

$48.41 €43.20

33.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.6 $55.6

$40.31 €35.97

37.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.15 $26.15

$35.51 €31.69

-26.36%

Cinema Ticket

$14.88 $14.88

$15.53 €13.86

-4.19%

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

$839 $839

$144 €128

483.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.72 $48.72

$94.6 €84.5

-48.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.40 $35.40

$46.33 €41.34

-23.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.7 $87.7

$103 €92.2

-15.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 $118

$141 €126

-16.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 $1,083

$1,488 €1,328

-27.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$964 $964

$1,098 €980

-12.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 $1,608

$2,665 €2,378

-39.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,459 $1,459

$2,080 €1,856

-29.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,853 $1,853

$8,578 €7,655

-78.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,889 $1,889

$5,438 €4,853

-65.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,812 $3,812

$3,487 €3,112

9.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.37

3.8

67.63%

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

Last update for Lincoln, NE: October 3, 2026

Last update for Berlin: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lincoln, NE

$964 43.6%

Berlin

$1.1K 43.3% 13.9% $134

Groceries & Markets

Lincoln, NE

$398 18%

Berlin

$351 13.8% 12% $48

Eating Out

Lincoln, NE

$324 14.6%

Berlin

$289 11.4% 10.8% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lincoln, NE

$255 11.5%

Berlin

$447 17.6% 75.2% $192

Clothing & Footwear

Lincoln, NE

$130 5.9%

Berlin

$174 6.8% 33.2% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Lincoln, NE

$85 3.9%

Berlin

$71 2.8% 16.4% $14

Getting Around

Lincoln, NE

$56 2.5%

Berlin

$109 4.3% 93.9% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,083 in Lincoln, NE versus $1,488 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 Lincoln, NE, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79.0 in Lincoln, NE versus $80.0 in Berlin. Groceries tell a different story – $398 in Lincoln, NE vs $351 in Berlin – so Berlin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lincoln, NE

🇩🇪 Berlin

🕒 Local time

05:19 5:19 AM

12:19 12:19 PM

7 h ahead of Lincoln, NE

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

277,348

3,769,962 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lincoln, NE Berlin 7,660 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Lincoln, NE
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

Lincoln, NE vs Berlin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,375 per month in Lincoln, NE and $3,818 in Berlin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lincoln, NE, 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 $2,250 in Lincoln, NE and $2,545 in Berlin. That's a gap of about 13%.

Public transport costs about 103% less in Lincoln, NE. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lincoln, NE, where all-in costs run around $2,250, than in Berlin at $2,545. In Lincoln, NE it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lincoln, NE – 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 Lincoln, NE. 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.