Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Long Beach, CA and Berlin

For one person, living is cheaper in Berlin: $2,553 a month against $3,185 in Long Beach, CA, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Long Beach, CA
Learn more

Long Beach, CA Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
Learn more

Berlin Living Index

Jump to prices

Long Beach, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,185

/mo nomad

Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,553

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,185 per month in Long Beach, CA vs $2,553 in Berlin, rent included.

Long Beach, CA $3,185
Berlin $2,553

A couple spends around $4,857 per month in Long Beach, CA vs $3,856 in Berlin, rent included.

Long Beach, CA $4,857
Berlin $3,856

A family of three spends $6,529 per month in Long Beach, CA vs $5,159 in Berlin, rent included.

Long Beach, CA $6,529
Berlin $5,159

Long Beach, CA costs about 25% more than Berlin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Long Beach, CA and Berlin sit above the global median – Long Beach, CA by 135%, Berlin by 88%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.67 $19.67

$16.97 €15.09

15.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.7 $78.7

$77.5 €68.9

1.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.48 $14.48

$13.47 €11.98

7.50%

Cappuccino

$6.17 $6.17

$4.35 €3.87

41.84%

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

$3.27 $3.27

$3.53 €3.14

-7.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$3.16 €2.81

-21.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.46 $7.46

$5.60 €4.98

33.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.70 $9.70

$4.44 €3.95

118.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.23 €1.09

-14.63%

White Bread (500g)

$4.13 $4.13

$2.44 €2.17

69.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$3.41 €3.04

36.36%

Eggs

$4.63 $4.63

$4.55 €4.05

1.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.11 $13.11

$17.23 €15.33

-23.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.28 $14.28

$12.24 €10.89

16.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.21 $15.21

$17.98 €15.99

-15.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$3.52 €3.13

34.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$2.03 €1.81

-17.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$3.27 €2.91

46.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$3.72 €3.31

30.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.05 €1.82

68.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$2.19 €1.95

2.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.42 €1.26

43.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$0.98 €0.87

86.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.56 $11.56

$10.37 €9.22

11.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.06 $15.06

$6.78 €6.03

122.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.32 €1.17

46.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.09 €1.86

57.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 $1.76

$4.52 €4.02

-61.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.9 $68.9

$69.8 €62.1

-1.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 $2.92

$5.19 €4.62

-43.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 $2.08

$3.23 €2.87

-35.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.25 $28.25

$37.61 €33.46

-24.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.33 €2.07

-33.91%

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

$28.5K $28.5K

$33.2K €29.5K

-14.05%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$39.2K €34.8K

-33.71%

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

$169 $169

$384 €342

-56.11%

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

$66.3 $66.3

$19.27 €17.14

243.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.3 $60.3

$49.17 €43.74

22.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.49 $39.49

$39.54 €35.17

-0.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.56 €30.74

Cinema Ticket

$14.84 $14.84

$14.37 €12.78

3.27%

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

$1,912 $1,912

$146 €130

1210.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.2K $36.2K

$16.1K €14.4K

124.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 $58.5

$95.1 €84.6

-38.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.11 $40.11

$47.83 €42.54

-16.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 $93.9

$104 €92.6

-9.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 $142

$143 €127

-0.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 $2,057

$1,398 €1,244

47.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,813 $1,813

$1,106 €984

63.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,672 $3,672

$2,727 €2,426

34.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,462 $3,462

$2,104 €1,871

64.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,440 $7,440

$8,578 €7,630

-13.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,677 $6,677

$5,545 €4,932

20.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,419 $4,419

$3,451 €3,070

28.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

3.8

68.16%

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

Last update for Long Beach, CA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Berlin: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Long Beach, CA

$1.8K 56.9%

Berlin

$1.1K 43.3% 39% $707

Groceries & Markets

Long Beach, CA

$414 13%

Berlin

$349 13.7% 15.6% $65

Eating Out

Long Beach, CA

$355 11.1%

Berlin

$292 11.4% 17.6% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Long Beach, CA

$295 9.3%

Berlin

$453 17.7% 53.3% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Long Beach, CA

$151 4.7%

Berlin

$176 6.9% 16.5% $25

Getting Around

Long Beach, CA

$89 2.8%

Berlin

$109 4.3% 22.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Long Beach, CA

$69 2.2%

Berlin

$68 2.7% 1.3% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,057 in Long Beach, CA versus $1,398 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 28% higher in Long Beach, CA, 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 $79.0 in Long Beach, CA versus $77.0 in Berlin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $414 vs $349 – making Berlin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Long Beach, CA

🇩🇪 Berlin

🕒 Local time

16:43 4:43 PM

01:43 1:43 AM

9 h ahead of Long Beach, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

469,450

3,769,962 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Long Beach, CA Berlin 9,340 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Long Beach, CA
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

Long Beach, CA vs Berlin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Long Beach, CA is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,778 per month in Long Beach, CA and $3,829 in Berlin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Berlin, 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 $3,185 in Long Beach, CA and $2,553 in Berlin. That's a gap of about 25%.

Public transport costs about 1% less in Berlin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Berlin, where all-in costs run around $2,553, than in Long Beach, CA at $3,185. In Berlin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Long Beach, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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