Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waukegan, IL and Berlin

For one person, living costs are similar in Waukegan, IL and in Berlin: $2,588 and $2,553 a month, rent and utilities included.

125

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

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin Living Index

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Waukegan, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,588

/mo nomad

Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,553

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,588 per month in Waukegan, IL vs $2,553 in Berlin, rent included.

Waukegan, IL $2,588
Berlin $2,553

A couple spends around $3,760 per month in Waukegan, IL vs $3,856 in Berlin, rent included.

Waukegan, IL $3,760
Berlin $3,856

A family of three spends $4,931 per month in Waukegan, IL vs $5,159 in Berlin, rent included.

Waukegan, IL $4,931
Berlin $5,159

Waukegan, IL costs about 1% more than Berlin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Waukegan, IL and Berlin sit above the global median – Waukegan, IL by 91%, Berlin by 88%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.80 $18.80

$16.97 €15.09

10.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.9 $73.9

$77.5 €68.9

-4.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 $11.09

$13.47 €11.98

-17.67%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$4.35 €3.87

15.86%

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

$2.47 $2.47

$3.53 €3.14

-30.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$3.16 €2.81

-38.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.12 $6.12

$5.60 €4.98

9.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.15 $7.15

$4.44 €3.95

61.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.23 €1.09

-17.89%

White Bread (500g)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.44 €2.17

40.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.41 €3.04

22.87%

Eggs

$4.06 $4.06

$4.55 €4.05

-10.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 $12.46

$17.23 €15.33

-27.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.48 $11.48

$12.24 €10.89

-6.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.19 $15.19

$17.98 €15.99

-15.52%

Apples (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$3.52 €3.13

40.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$2.03 €1.81

-23.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$3.27 €2.91

26.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.60 $4.60

$3.72 €3.31

23.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$2.05 €1.82

35.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$2.19 €1.95

30.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.42 €1.26

42.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$0.98 €0.87

112.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.56 $9.56

$10.37 €9.22

-7.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.83 $13.83

$6.78 €6.03

103.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.32 €1.17

34.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 $3.28

$2.09 €1.86

56.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$4.52 €4.02

-56.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.8 €62.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 $3.52

$5.19 €4.62

-32.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$3.23 €2.87

-51.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.94 $28.94

$37.61 €33.46

-23.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$2.33 €2.07

-60.94%

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

$29.7K $29.7K

$33.2K €29.5K

-10.35%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$39.2K €34.8K

-34.66%

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

$188 $188

$384 €342

-51.00%

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

$51.9 $51.9

$19.27 €17.14

169.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.3 $66.3

$49.17 €43.74

34.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.42 $42.42

$39.54 €35.17

7.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.56 €30.74

Cinema Ticket

$13.37 $13.37

$14.37 €12.78

-6.96%

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

$1,314 $1,314

$146 €130

800.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K $23.5K

$16.1K €14.4K

45.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 $51.5

$95.1 €84.6

-45.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.19 $40.19

$47.83 €42.54

-15.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.5 $87.5

$104 €92.6

-15.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$143 €127

-20.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 $1,631

$1,398 €1,244

16.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,373 $1,373

$1,106 €984

24.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,587 $2,587

$2,727 €2,426

-5.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,235 $2,235

$2,104 €1,871

6.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,798 $2,798

$8,578 €7,630

-67.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,430 $2,430

$5,545 €4,932

-56.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,451 €3,070

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

3.8

71.32%

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

Last update for Waukegan, IL: October 19, 2026

Last update for Berlin: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Waukegan, IL

$1.4K 53.1%

Berlin

$1.1K 43.3% 19.5% $267

Groceries & Markets

Waukegan, IL

$382 14.7%

Berlin

$349 13.7% 8.5% $32

Eating Out

Waukegan, IL

$307 11.9%

Berlin

$292 11.4% 4.8% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waukegan, IL

$306 11.8%

Berlin

$453 17.7% 47.7% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Waukegan, IL

$132 5.1%

Berlin

$176 6.9% 33% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Waukegan, IL

$69 2.7%

Berlin

$68 2.7% 1.3% $0.9

Getting Around

Waukegan, IL

$19 * 0.7%

Berlin

$109 4.3% 466% $90

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,631 in Waukegan, IL 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Waukegan, IL versus $77.0 in Berlin. Groceries tell a different story – $382 in Waukegan, IL vs $349 in Berlin – so Berlin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Waukegan, IL

🇩🇪 Berlin

🕒 Local time

01:50 1:50 AM

08:50 8:50 AM

7 h ahead of Waukegan, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,321

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

Waukegan, IL Berlin 7,060 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Waukegan, 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

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

Yes – Waukegan, IL is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,882 per month in Waukegan, IL 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Waukegan, IL and $77.0 in Berlin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Waukegan, IL, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Berlin, where all-in costs run around $2,553, than in Waukegan, IL at $2,588. In Berlin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Waukegan, 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, Waukegan, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.