Cost of living comparison
compared to
Columbia vs. Berlin Cost of Living Summary
Columbia is 93.3% more expensive than Berlin.
- Restaurants
-
pay 14.8% less in Columbia
- Groceries
-
pay 45.5% more in Columbia
- Transportation
-
pay 30.7% less in Columbia
- Housing
-
pay 30.0% more in Columbia
- Childcare
-
pay 7.1 times more in Columbia
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 13.4% more in Columbia
- Clothing
-
pay 3.9% more in Columbia
The cost of childcare, groceries, housing, entertainment and sports, and clothing in Columbia are more expensive than in Berlin. Expenses including transportation and restaurants are lower in Columbia. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Columbia.
Columbia vs. Berlin Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Columbia instead of Berlin, you would:
pay 14.8% less for restaurants
|
Berlin
|
Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.52
€14.93
|
$20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$13.55
€11.54
|
$11.25
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.49
€2.97
|
$2.42
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.98
€2.54
|
$2.21
|
|
Berlin vs. Columbia - Cost of restaurants
pay 45.5% more for groceries
|
Berlin
|
Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.25
€1.92
|
$3.87
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.10
€6.05
|
$6.72
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.13
€4.37
|
$4.38
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.88
€3.31
|
$6.45
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.52
€4.70
|
$4.52
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.54
€1.32
|
$3.13
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.94
€0.80
|
$0.58
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.20
€1.02
|
$3.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.76
€1.50
|
$2.45
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.91
€0.77
|
$1.25
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.78
€0.66
|
$1.50
|
|
Berlin vs. Columbia - Cost of groceries
pay 30.7% less for transportation
|
Berlin
|
Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.52
€6.41
|
$3.29
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$68.91
€58.71
|
$74.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,702.07
€27,862.36
|
$28,250.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$32.00
€27.27
|
$12.74
|
|
Berlin vs. Columbia - Cost of transportation
pay 30.0% more for housing
|
Berlin
|
Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$50.32
€42.87
|
$75.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,427.12
€1,215.92
|
$2,100.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,068.35
€910.24
|
$1,850.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$277.09
€236.08
|
$140.62
|
|
Berlin vs. Columbia - Cost of housing
pay 7.1 times more for childcare
|
Berlin
|
Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$184.92
€157.55
|
$1,966.67
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$9,579.95
€8,162.18
|
$33,360.00
|
|
Berlin vs. Columbia - Cost of childcare
pay 13.4% more for entertainment and sports
|
Berlin
|
Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.26
€4.48
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.45
€3.79
|
$5.04
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.16
€8.66
|
$11.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$38.79
€33.05
|
$50.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.89
€12.69
|
$15.25
|
|
Berlin vs. Columbia - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 3.9% more for clothing
|
Berlin
|
Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$93.79
€79.91
|
$55.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$43.63
€37.18
|
$70.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$106.67
€90.88
|
$115.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$129.59
€110.41
|
$115.00
|
|
Berlin vs. Columbia - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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