Cost of living comparison
compared to
Palo Alto vs. Berlin Cost of Living Summary
Palo Alto is 2.6 times more expensive than Berlin.
- Restaurants
-
pay 9.1% more in Palo Alto
- Groceries
-
pay 79.8% more in Palo Alto
- Transportation
-
pay 8.3% less in Palo Alto
- Housing
-
pay 87.1% more in Palo Alto
- Childcare
-
pay 9.8 times more in Palo Alto
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 2.1 times more in Palo Alto
- Clothing
-
pay 10.7% less in Palo Alto
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, groceries, and restaurants in Palo Alto are more expensive than in Berlin. Expenses including clothing and transportation are lower in Palo Alto. Notably, childcare, entertainment and sports, and housing are significantly more expensive in Palo Alto.
Palo Alto vs. Berlin Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Palo Alto instead of Berlin, you would:
pay 9.1% more for restaurants
|
Berlin
|
Palo Alto
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.52
€15.11
|
$30.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$13.55
€11.68
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.49
€3.01
|
$3.30
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.98
€2.57
|
$2.44
|
|
Berlin vs. Palo Alto - Cost of restaurants
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pay 79.8% more for groceries
|
Berlin
|
Palo Alto
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.25
€1.94
|
$5.06
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.10
€6.12
|
$11.39
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.13
€4.42
|
$5.85
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.88
€3.35
|
$6.26
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.52
€4.76
|
$6.63
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.54
€1.33
|
$3.22
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.94
€0.81
|
$1.18
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.20
€1.04
|
$2.37
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.76
€1.52
|
$3.01
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.91
€0.78
|
$1.94
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.78
€0.67
|
$2.19
|
|
Berlin vs. Palo Alto - Cost of groceries
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pay 8.3% less for transportation
|
Berlin
|
Palo Alto
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.52
€6.49
|
$4.84
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$68.91
€59.42
|
$90.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,702.07
€28,199.88
|
$36,753.89
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$32.00
€27.60
|
$19.06
|
|
Berlin vs. Palo Alto - Cost of transportation
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pay 87.1% more for housing
|
Berlin
|
Palo Alto
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$50.32
€43.39
|
$68.78
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,427.12
€1,230.65
|
$3,600.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,068.35
€921.27
|
$3,148.75
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$277.09
€238.94
|
$179.63
|
|
Berlin vs. Palo Alto - Cost of housing
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pay 9.8 times more for childcare
|
Berlin
|
Palo Alto
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$184.92
€159.46
|
$2,823.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$9,579.95
€8,261.05
|
$42,000.00
|
|
Berlin vs. Palo Alto - Cost of childcare
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pay 2.1 times more for entertainment and sports
|
Berlin
|
Palo Alto
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.26
€4.53
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.45
€3.84
|
$5.83
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.16
€8.76
|
$11.50
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$38.79
€33.45
|
$206.33
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.89
€12.84
|
$16.00
|
|
Berlin vs. Palo Alto - Cost of entertainment and sports
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pay 10.7% less for clothing
|
Berlin
|
Palo Alto
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$93.79
€80.88
|
$67.50
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$43.63
€37.63
|
$46.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$106.67
€91.99
|
$88.89
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$129.59
€111.75
|
$125.00
|
|
Berlin vs. Palo Alto - Cost of clothing
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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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