Germany vs United States - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Germany United States
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1601
$2498
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$3915
$5861
🏠 One person rent
$853
$1595
🏘️ Family rent
$1596
$2818
🍽️ Food expenses
$501
$638
🚐 Transport expenses
$111
$100
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$2931
$4485
💸 GDP per capita
$54343
$82769
😃 Human freedom index
8.67
8.64
❤️ Life expectancy
80.7
77.4
👮 Corruption perceptions index
75
65
🌐 English speaking %
56.3%
95.3%
🎓 Higher education
94
100
😀 Quality of life
91
86
🏙️ Population
84.4M
340M

The average cost of living in Germany ($1601) is 36% less expensive than in the United States ($2498). Germany ranked 23rd vs 7th for the United States in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 1.8 months in Germany compared to 1.8 months in the United States. Ranked 12th and 21st best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in Germany vs United States infographic

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Prices in Germany vs the United States

We calculate prices for Germany and the United States as a population-weighted mean of 662 and 2202 cities, respectively. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages below for more relevant information.

Germany United States
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$14.3
$19.4
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$65.3
$77.2
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$10.6
$11
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$4.51
$6.27
 Cappuccino
$3.56
$5.22
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$2.89
$2.59
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$774
$1640
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$593
$1347
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1561
$2923
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1204
$2471
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$179
$124
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$276
$190
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$44.3
$66.2
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
3.94%
6.52%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$5339
$4583
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4073
$3784
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$3.24
$2.35
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$53.4
$68.9
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$23.5
$18
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.82
$0.96
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.15
$1.1
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.98
$3.59
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.95
$4.49
🥚 Eggs, x12
$3.43
$4.15
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$13.2
$13.1
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$13
$11.9
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$18.1
$16.4
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.79
$5.15
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.61
$1.78
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.13
$4.54
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.26
$4.63
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.54
$2.84
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.56
$2.86
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.58
$1.48
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.97
$2.64
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$5.98
$14.6
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$0.98
$2.21
🚬 Cigarette pack
$8.54
$10.6
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$9.5
$9.47
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$2.71
$5.83
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.59
$4.44
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.72
$2.13
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$36.3
$48.6
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$12.9
$14.2
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$63.7
$125
💇 Haircut, simple
$17
$21.2
👖 Brand Jeans
$85.9
$53.3
👟 Brand Sneakers
$94
$90
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$445
$1451
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$13707
$21164

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in Germany vs the United States

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In Germany

City Cost of living Population
Berlin
$2027
3.78M
Hamburg City
$2007
1.91M
Munich
$2201
1.51M
Cologne
$1744
1.09M
Frankfurt
$1989
776K
Stuttgart
$1957
633K
Dusseldorf
$1772
631K
Bremen City
$1556
577K
Essen
$1443
587K
Nuremberg
$1672
526K
Leipzig
$1516
620K
Dresden
$1402
566K
Dortmund
$1585
595K
Hanover
$1726
548K
Mannheim
$1617
317K
Wuppertal
$1233
359K
Duisburg
$1314
504K
Bielefeld
$1451
338K
Wiesbaden
$1879
286K
Munster
$1737
323K
Bochum
$1486
366K
Augsburg
$1728
303K
Karlsruhe
$1780
310K
Bonn
$1677
336K
Braunschweig
$1371
252K
Freiburg im Breisgau
$1245
237K
Aachen
$1477
253K
Monchengladbach
$1511
269K
Chemnitz
$1187
251K
Mainz
$1666
223K

In the United States

City Cost of living Population
New York City
$4441
8.8M
Los Angeles
$3196
3.9M
Chicago
$2678
2.75M
Houston
$2265
2.3M
San Diego
$3428
1.39M
Phoenix
$2395
1.61M
Philadelphia
$2597
1.6M
San Francisco
$3905
874K
Dallas
$2471
1.3M
San Jose
$3810
1.01M
San Antonio
$2033
1.43M
Austin
$2455
962K
Seattle
$3015
737K
Indianapolis
$2189
888K
Washington
$3149
690K
Fort Worth
$2289
919K
Hempstead
$2664
793K
Charlotte
$2528
875K
Boston
$3547
676K
Jacksonville
$2364
950K
Denver
$2717
716K
Columbus
$2145
906K
Portland
$2629
653K
Nashville
$2508
689K
Atlanta
$2570
499K
Las Vegas
$2271
642K
Oklahoma City
$1832
681K
Baltimore
$2287
586K
Oakland
$2968
441K
Sacramento
$2813
525K