Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medina and Berlin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medina: $1,364 a month against $2,545 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Medina
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Medina Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin Living Index

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Medina

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,364

/mo nomad

Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,545

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,364 per month in Medina vs $2,545 in Berlin, rent included.

Medina $1,364
Berlin $2,545

A couple spends around $1,816 per month in Medina vs $3,901 in Berlin, rent included.

Medina $1,816
Berlin $3,901

A family of three spends $2,268 per month in Medina vs $5,257 in Berlin, rent included.

Medina $2,268
Berlin $5,257

Medina is about 46% cheaper than Berlin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medina and Berlin sit above the global median – Medina by 2%, Berlin by 90%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.53 SAR 20.75

$16.81 €15.00

-67.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.09 SAR 120

$79.6 €71.0

-59.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.20 SAR 30.78

$13.38 €11.94

-38.71%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 SAR 5.93

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 SAR 6.62

Cappuccino

$2.70 SAR 10.15

$4.27 €3.81

-36.77%

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

$0.76 SAR 2.84

$3.40 €3.03

-77.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 SAR 0.95

$3.12 €2.79

-91.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 €4.89

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 €4.07

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 SAR 5.61

$1.27 €1.13

17.32%

White Bread (500g)

$0.92 SAR 3.44

$2.45 €2.19

-62.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 SAR 8.70

$3.30 €2.94

-29.70%

Eggs

$2.09 SAR 7.84

$4.45 €3.97

-53.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.44 SAR 20.44

$17.10 €15.26

-68.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.03 SAR 26.39

$12.19 €10.88

-42.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.49 SAR 46.90

$18.30 €16.33

-31.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 SAR 9.10

$3.58 €3.19

-32.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 SAR 7.42

$1.98 €1.77

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 SAR 8.60

$3.27 €2.92

-29.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 SAR 5.83

$3.81 €3.40

-59.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 SAR 5.12

$2.13 €1.90

-36.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 SAR 5.14

$2.21 €1.97

-38.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 SAR 3.49

$1.49 €1.33

-37.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 SAR 2.68

$1.01 €0.90

-29.70%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.29 SAR 4.85

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 SAR 5.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 SAR 5.83

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.54 SAR 28.32

$10.49 €9.37

-28.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.76 €6.03

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.20

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.87

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 SAR 3.94

$4.37 €3.90

-75.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.80 SAR 138

$71.0 €63.3

-48.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 SAR 5.12

$5.29 €4.72

-74.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 SAR 6.32

$3.05 €2.73

-44.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 SAR 21.44

$36.30 €32.39

-84.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.41

$2.28 €2.03

-71.93%

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

$41.8K SAR 157.0K

$33.2K €29.7K

25.78%

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

$20.7K SAR 77.5K

$39.1K €34.9K

-47.12%

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

$149 SAR 558

$379 €339

-60.82%

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

$27.41 SAR 103

$19.31 €17.23

41.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$90.7 SAR 341

$48.41 €43.20

87.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.9 SAR 296

$40.31 €35.97

95.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.01 SAR 33.83

$35.51 €31.69

-74.63%

Cinema Ticket

$13.51 SAR 50.7

$15.53 €13.86

-13.01%

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

$294 SAR 1,103

$144 €128

104.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,483 SAR 20.6K

$15.8K €14.1K

-65.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.85 SAR 138

$94.6 €84.5

-61.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 SAR 204

$46.33 €41.34

17.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.0 SAR 252

$103 €92.2

-35.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.0 SAR 263

$141 €126

-50.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$570 SAR 2,139

$1,488 €1,328

-61.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 SAR 1,988

$1,098 €980

-51.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$779 SAR 2,926

$2,665 €2,378

-70.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$573 SAR 2,151

$2,080 €1,856

-72.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,309 SAR 8,670

$8,578 €7,655

-73.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,356 SAR 5,091

$5,438 €4,853

-75.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,244 SAR 4,671

$3,487 €3,112

-64.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

3.8

9.74%

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

Last update for Medina: October 4, 2026

Last update for Berlin: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medina

$529 39.2%

Berlin

$1.1K 43.3% 107% $569

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medina

$267 19.7%

Berlin

$447 17.6% 67.6% $180

Groceries & Markets

Medina

$191 14.1%

Berlin

$351 13.8% 83.8% $160

Sport & Entertainment

Medina

$106 7.8%

Berlin

$71 2.8% 32.6% $35

Eating Out

Medina

$105 7.8%

Berlin

$289 11.4% 174% $183

Clothing & Footwear

Medina

$103 7.6%

Berlin

$174 6.8% 68.9% $71

Getting Around

Medina

$51 3.8%

Berlin

$109 4.3% 115% $58

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $570 in Medina 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 180% 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 $32.00 in Medina versus $80.0 in Berlin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $191 vs $351 – making Medina the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Medina

🇩🇪 Berlin

🕒 Local time

08:00 8:00 AM

07:00 7:00 AM

1 h behind Medina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,100,093

3,769,962 Capital

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medina Berlin 3,820 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Medina
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

Medina vs Berlin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 87%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,047 per month in Medina 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 Medina, 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 $1,364 in Medina and $2,545 in Berlin. That's a gap of about 87%.

Public transport costs about 93% less in Medina. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Medina, where all-in costs run around $1,364, than in Berlin at $2,545. In Medina it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Medina – 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 Medina. 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.