Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tallinn and Ilmenau

For one person, living is cheaper in Tallinn: $1,889 a month against $2,071 in Ilmenau, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ilmenau outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

91

Cost of Living Index in Tallinn
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Tallinn Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Ilmenau
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Ilmenau Living Index

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Tallinn

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,889

/mo nomad

Ilmenau

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,071

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tallinn and in Ilmenau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,889 in Tallinn versus $2,071 in Ilmenau.

Tallinn $1,889
Ilmenau $2,071

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,857 in Tallinn versus $2,525 in Ilmenau.

Tallinn $2,857
Ilmenau $2,525

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,824 in Tallinn versus $2,980 in Ilmenau.

Tallinn $3,824
Ilmenau $2,980

Living in Tallinn costs roughly 9% less than in Ilmenau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Tallinn 40% above, Ilmenau 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.06 €15.18

$10.96 €9.75

55.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.0 €79.2

$66.5 €59.2

33.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.95 €10.63

$11.27 €10.02

6.03%

Cappuccino

$4.42 €3.93

$3.41 €3.04

29.62%

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

$2.25 €2.00

$4.26 €3.79

-47.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 €1.96

$7.97 €7.09

-72.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.85 €6.10

$4.41 €3.92

55.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 €6.08

$4.99 €4.44

37.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.13 €1.01

-4.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.25

$2.14 €1.90

-34.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 €2.54

$3.24 €2.88

-11.73%

Eggs

$3.26 €2.90

$3.23 €2.87

0.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.35 €10.10

$14.33 €12.75

-20.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.00 €8.00

$10.24 €9.11

-12.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.76 €22.91

$17.76 €15.79

45.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$2.87 €2.55

-23.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.40 €1.24

2.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$3.50 €3.11

-23.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.97 €2.65

$3.82 €3.40

-22.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 €0.69

$2.11 €1.88

-63.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 €0.71

$1.36 €1.21

-41.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 €1.79

$1.63 €1.45

23.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 €0.85

$0.88 €0.78

9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.85 €6.09

$9.22 €8.20

-25.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.24 €9.11

$6.22 €5.53

64.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.11 €0.99

74.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.48 €1.32

44.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 €1.93

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.24 €29.57

$65.3 €58.1

-49.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.23 €5.55

$5.23 €4.65

19.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.01

$4.21 €3.75

-72.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.38 €23.47

$43.78 €38.94

-39.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.14 €1.90

-7.48%

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

$27.7K €24.7K

$32.3K €28.7K

-13.99%

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

$32.0K €28.5K

$37.8K €33.6K

-15.18%

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

$345 €307

$675 €600

-48.83%

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

$17.18 €15.28

$27.38 €24.36

-37.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.77 €28.26

$34.08 €30.32

-6.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.23 €43.79

$48.13 €42.81

2.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.34 €41.22

Cinema Ticket

$13.61 €12.10

$13.20 €11.74

3.11%

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

$648 €576

$454 €404

42.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K €9,007

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 €91.5

$93.0 €82.8

10.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.9 €46.16

$31.50 €28.02

64.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 €107

$121 €107

-0.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €119

$113 €101

18.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$818 €728

$471 €419

73.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$580 €516

$455 €404

27.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,443 €1,283

$828 €737

74.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$944 €839

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,663 €4,148

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,146 €2,798

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,213 €1,969

$3,254 €2,894

-31.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.44

3.95

-12.91%

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

Last update for Tallinn: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ilmenau: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tallinn

$580 30.7%

Ilmenau

$455 22% 21.6% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tallinn

$394 20.9%

Ilmenau

$736 35.6% 86.8% $342

Groceries & Markets

Tallinn

$309 16.4%

Ilmenau

$309 14.9% 0% $0

Eating Out

Tallinn

$291 15.4%

Ilmenau

$243 11.8% 16.4% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Tallinn

$184 9.8%

Ilmenau

$161 7.8% 12.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Tallinn

$76 4.1%

Ilmenau

$75 3.6% 2.5% $1.9

Getting Around

Tallinn

$54 2.9%

Ilmenau

$92 * 4.4% 70.1% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $818 in Tallinn and $471 in Ilmenau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ilmenau pays 47% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $89.0 in Tallinn vs $67.0 in Ilmenau. Groceries flip the comparison at $309 vs $309, with Tallinn cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇪 Tallinn

🇩🇪 Ilmenau

🕒 Local time

19:54 7:54 PM

18:54 6:54 PM

1 h behind Tallinn

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

443,623 Capital

39,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Tallinn Ilmenau 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tallinn
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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

Tallinn vs Ilmenau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tallinn and Ilmenau differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($1,889 vs $2,071 including rent). Tallinn is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 47% lower in Ilmenau. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $818 in Tallinn versus $471 in Ilmenau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,889 per month in Tallinn versus $2,071 in Ilmenau – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Tallinn runs roughly 96% less than in Ilmenau. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,889 in Tallinn versus $2,071 in Ilmenau, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tallinn but tight or insufficient in Ilmenau. The gap between the two cities makes Tallinn the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Tallinn and Ilmenau are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Tallinn gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Ilmenau. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.