Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Springfield, IL and Berlin

For one person, living is cheaper in Berlin: $2,545 a month against $2,675 in Springfield, IL, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. The total is higher in Springfield, IL despite lower rent and utilities.

128

Cost of Living Index in Springfield, IL
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Springfield, IL Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin Living Index

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Springfield, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,675

/mo nomad

Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,545

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,675 per month in Springfield, IL vs $2,545 in Berlin, rent included.

Springfield, IL $2,675
Berlin $2,545

A couple spends around $3,965 per month in Springfield, IL vs $3,901 in Berlin, rent included.

Springfield, IL $3,965
Berlin $3,901

A family of three spends $5,255 per month in Springfield, IL vs $5,257 in Berlin, rent included.

Springfield, IL $5,255
Berlin $5,257

Springfield, IL costs about 5% more than Berlin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Springfield, IL and Berlin sit above the global median – Springfield, IL by 100%, Berlin by 90%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.54 $14.54

$16.81 €15.00

-13.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.11 $42.11

$79.6 €71.0

-47.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 $10.19

$13.38 €11.94

-23.84%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$4.27 €3.81

28.34%

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

$2.04 $2.04

$3.40 €3.03

-40.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 $1.53

$3.12 €2.79

-50.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 $3.07

$5.48 €4.89

-43.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 $4.05

$4.56 €4.07

-11.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 $0.76

$1.27 €1.13

-40.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.36 $3.36

$2.45 €2.19

37.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$8.88 $8.88

$3.30 €2.94

169.09%

Eggs

$3.17 $3.17

$4.45 €3.97

-28.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.33 $19.33

$17.10 €15.26

13.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.04 $17.04

$12.19 €10.87

39.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.92 $32.92

$18.30 €16.33

79.89%

Apples (1kg)

$8.51 $8.51

$3.58 €3.19

137.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.98 €1.77

-34.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.94 $8.94

$3.27 €2.92

173.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.70 $5.70

$3.81 €3.40

49.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.24 $3.24

$2.13 €1.90

52.11%

Onion (1kg)

$4.42 $4.42

$2.21 €1.97

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.49 €1.33

30.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.01 €0.90

67.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.98 $9.98

$10.49 €9.36

-4.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.21 $11.21

$6.76 €6.03

65.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.34 €1.20

-7.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 $1.62

$2.10 €1.87

-22.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.28 $1.28

$4.37 €3.90

-70.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.33 $40.33

$71.0 €63.3

-43.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 $5.74

$5.29 €4.72

8.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 $1.03

$3.05 €2.73

-66.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.25 $18.25

$36.30 €32.39

-49.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$2.28 €2.03

-60.53%

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

$36.2K $36.2K

$33.2K €29.7K

8.86%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$39.1K €34.8K

-32.57%

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

$232 $232

$379 €338

-38.95%

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

$95.0 $95.0

$19.31 €17.23

391.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.2 $64.2

$48.41 €43.20

32.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.5 $50.5

$40.31 €35.97

25.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.14 $20.14

$35.51 €31.69

-43.28%

Cinema Ticket

$12.45 $12.45

$15.53 €13.86

-19.83%

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

$941 $941

$144 €128

554.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 $106

$94.6 €84.5

12.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 $55.3

$46.33 €41.34

19.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 $125

$103 €92.2

20.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 $139

$141 €126

-1.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$910 $910

$1,488 €1,328

-38.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,137 $1,137

$1,098 €980

3.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,863 $1,863

$2,665 €2,378

-30.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,192 $2,192

$2,080 €1,856

5.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,175 $3,175

$8,578 €7,654

-62.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,176 $1,176

$5,438 €4,852

-78.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,963 $3,963

$3,487 €3,111

13.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

3.8

72.37%

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

Last update for Springfield, IL: October 5, 2026

Last update for Berlin: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Springfield, IL

$1.1K 43.3%

Berlin

$1.1K 43.3% 3.5% $39

Groceries & Markets

Springfield, IL

$524 20%

Berlin

$351 13.8% 33.2% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Springfield, IL

$391 14.9%

Berlin

$447 17.6% 14.4% $56

Eating Out

Springfield, IL

$250 9.5%

Berlin

$289 11.4% 15.2% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Springfield, IL

$192 7.3%

Berlin

$174 6.8% 9.4% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Springfield, IL

$75 2.9%

Berlin

$71 2.8% 5.3% $4

Getting Around

Springfield, IL

$56 2.2%

Berlin

$109 4.3% 93.4% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $910 in Springfield, IL 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 14% higher in Springfield, IL, 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 $42.00 in Springfield, IL versus $80.0 in Berlin. Groceries tell a different story – $524 in Springfield, IL vs $351 in Berlin – so Berlin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Springfield, IL

🇩🇪 Berlin

🕒 Local time

03:35 3:35 AM

10:35 10:35 AM

7 h ahead of Springfield, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

116,482

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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Between locations

Springfield, IL Berlin 7,370 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Springfield, IL
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

Springfield, IL vs Berlin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Springfield, IL is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,013 per month in Springfield, IL 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 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 $2,675 in Springfield, IL and $2,545 in Berlin. That's a gap of about 5%.

Public transport costs about 76% 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 $2,545, than in Springfield, IL at $2,675. In Berlin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Springfield, IL 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, Springfield, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.