Cost of living comparison
compared to
Essen vs. Germany Cost of Living Summary
Essen is 0.3% cheaper than Germany overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 0.3% less in Essen
- Groceries
-
pay 2.2% more in Essen
- Transportation
-
pay 5.0% more in Essen
- Housing
-
pay 9.3% less in Essen
- Childcare
-
pay 23.6% less in Essen
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 4.8% more in Essen
- Clothing
-
pay 19.4% more in Essen
The cost of clothing, transportation, entertainment and sports, and groceries in Essen are more expensive than in Germany. Expenses including childcare, housing, and restaurants are lower in Essen.
Essen vs. Germany Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Essen instead of Germany, you would:
pay 0.3% less for restaurants
|
Germany
|
Essen
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.25
€13.88
|
$19.86
€16.95
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.88
€10.14
|
$12.85
€10.97
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.29
€2.81
|
$2.61
€2.23
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.93
€2.50
|
$2.61
€2.23
|
|
Germany vs. Essen - Cost of restaurants
pay 2.2% more for groceries
|
Germany
|
Essen
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.25
€1.92
|
$2.20
€1.88
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.39
€6.31
|
$7.54
€6.44
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.79
€4.09
|
$5.02
€4.29
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.84
€3.28
|
$3.80
€3.25
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.58
€5.62
|
$6.63
€5.67
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.45
€1.24
|
$1.49
€1.27
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.82
€0.70
|
$0.86
€0.73
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.05
€0.90
|
$1.04
€0.89
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.20
€1.88
|
$2.21
€1.88
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.71
€0.60
|
$0.76
€0.65
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.72
€0.61
|
$0.76
€0.65
|
|
Germany vs. Essen - Cost of groceries
pay 5.0% more for transportation
|
Germany
|
Essen
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.59
€6.48
|
$7.70
€6.57
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$62.94
€53.75
|
$67.74
€57.84
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,651.13
€27,025.70
|
$31,745.96
€27,106.67
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$27.45
€23.44
|
$30.37
€25.93
|
|
Germany vs. Essen - Cost of transportation
pay 9.3% less for housing
|
Germany
|
Essen
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$48.64
€41.53
|
$41.84
€35.73
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$874.65
€746.83
|
$734.67
€627.30
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$695.68
€594.02
|
$528.19
€451.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$258.10
€220.38
|
$301.44
€257.39
|
|
Germany vs. Essen - Cost of housing
pay 23.6% less for childcare
|
Germany
|
Essen
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$497.10
€424.46
|
$463.98
€396.18
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$16,538.74
€14,121.81
|
$9,857.25
€8,416.73
|
|
Germany vs. Essen - Cost of childcare
pay 4.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
Germany
|
Essen
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.05
€4.32
|
$5.72
€4.89
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.95
€3.37
|
$3.80
€3.24
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.74
€8.32
|
$9.58
€8.18
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$40.02
€34.17
|
$37.94
€32.40
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.41
€12.30
|
$17.51
€14.95
|
|
Germany vs. Essen - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 19.4% more for clothing
|
Germany
|
Essen
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$91.81
€78.40
|
$100.21
€85.57
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$46.05
€39.32
|
$73.78
€63.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$102.53
€87.55
|
$104.84
€89.52
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$134.07
€114.48
|
$142.45
€121.63
|
|
Germany vs. Essen - 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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