Cost of living comparison
compared to
United States vs. Berlin Cost of Living Summary
United States is 54.2% more expensive than Berlin.
- Restaurants
-
pay 16.6% less in United States
- Groceries
-
pay 26.6% more in United States
- Transportation
-
pay 26.3% less in United States
- Housing
-
pay 10.1% more in United States
- Childcare
-
pay 5.0 times more in United States
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 9.7% more in United States
- Clothing
-
pay 20.3% less in United States
The cost of childcare, groceries, housing, and entertainment and sports in United States are more expensive than in Berlin. Expenses including transportation, clothing, and restaurants are lower in United States. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in United States.
United States vs. Berlin Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United States instead of Berlin, you would:
pay 16.6% less for restaurants
|
Berlin
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.52
€15.11
|
$19.45
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$13.55
€11.68
|
$11.12
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.49
€3.01
|
$2.56
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.98
€2.57
|
$2.00
|
|
Berlin vs. United States - Cost of restaurants
pay 26.6% more for groceries
|
Berlin
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.25
€1.94
|
$3.56
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.10
€6.12
|
$6.50
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.13
€4.42
|
$3.97
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.88
€3.35
|
$4.27
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.52
€4.76
|
$5.41
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.54
€1.33
|
$2.37
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.94
€0.81
|
$0.78
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.20
€1.04
|
$2.04
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.76
€1.52
|
$2.21
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.91
€0.78
|
$1.34
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.78
€0.67
|
$1.38
|
|
Berlin vs. United States - Cost of groceries
pay 26.3% less for transportation
|
Berlin
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.52
€6.49
|
$3.41
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$68.91
€59.42
|
$65.85
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,702.07
€28,199.88
|
$32,336.38
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$32.00
€27.60
|
$17.61
|
|
Berlin vs. United States - Cost of transportation
pay 10.1% more for housing
|
Berlin
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$50.32
€43.39
|
$68.97
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,427.12
€1,230.65
|
$1,664.59
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,068.35
€921.27
|
$1,416.15
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$277.09
€238.94
|
$150.19
|
|
Berlin vs. United States - Cost of housing
pay 5.0 times more for childcare
|
Berlin
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$184.92
€159.46
|
$1,387.27
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$9,579.95
€8,261.05
|
$23,196.46
|
|
Berlin vs. United States - Cost of childcare
pay 9.7% more for entertainment and sports
|
Berlin
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.26
€4.53
|
$5.84
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.45
€3.84
|
$5.15
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.16
€8.76
|
$9.90
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$38.79
€33.45
|
$51.45
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.89
€12.84
|
$13.64
|
|
Berlin vs. United States - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 20.3% less for clothing
|
Berlin
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$93.79
€80.88
|
$51.08
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$43.63
€37.63
|
$41.81
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$106.67
€91.99
|
$87.56
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$129.59
€111.75
|
$112.04
|
|
Berlin vs. United States - 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
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in Germany vs. United States.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Germany and United States.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about United States or Berlin. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.