Cost of living in Germany: monthly costs by city
Pick a city and see what rent, bills, food and travel cost each month.
- Free, no sign-up
- Chart and table
One adult in Berlin
One adult in Berlin
€1,555a month
Monthly planning estimate. Your rent, bills and spending will vary.
- Rent€995
- Utilities€182
- Food€254
- Transport€63
- Phone and internet€61
| Cost | A month | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Rent | €995 | 64% |
| Utilities | €182 | 12% |
| Food | €254 | 16% |
| Transport | €63 | 4% |
| Phone and internet | €61 | 4% |
| Total | €1,555 | 100% |
How we estimate this
- One person in a one-bedroom flat outside the city centre. Rent and bill figures are estimates shared by people who live in each city.
- Utilities are scaled from Numbeo's 85 square metre benchmark to an assumed 45 square metre flat. Actual bills depend on the building and usage.
- Food uses official 2023 household spending, including beverages and tobacco, without inflation adjustment.
- One Deutschlandticket and mobile plan per adult, with one shared internet connection.
- Excludes the deposit, moving costs, furniture, leisure, broadcasting contribution and other personal spending.
- For employees, health insurance is usually deducted from gross salary. It is not added again here. Students and other residents may pay separately.
Ten cities, same household
One adult, total a month. Berlin is highlighted.
| City | Total |
|---|---|
| Munich | €1,649 |
| Berlin (you are here) | €1,555 |
| Frankfurt | €1,540 |
| Hamburg | €1,397 |
| Duesseldorf | €1,321 |
| Cologne | €1,305 |
| Stuttgart | €1,256 |
| Hanover | €1,126 |
| Nuremberg | €1,116 |
| Leipzig | €1,044 |
Ready to plan your move?
Get a free profile evaluation. A counsellor will call you back.
We call you back within 5 minutes. Prefer chat?Message us on WhatsApp
What this tool shows
Pick one of ten German cities and choose one adult or a couple. The tool adds rent, utilities, food, transport, and phone and internet into one monthly total, then shows the same household in all ten cities, from the most expensive to the least.
Rent is for a one-bedroom flat outside the city centre. A couple shares that flat, so rent and utilities stay the same, while food, tickets and mobile plans are counted for two.
Rent makes most of the difference between cities. For the same flat it runs from €522.09 a month in Leipzig to €1,115.15 in Munich, so pick the city first and compare the totals below.
Health insurance is not in the total: employees pay it from their salary, and the net salary tool shows it. The deposit, moving, furniture and leisure are not included either, so plan your arrival costs separately.
At a glance
- Ten cities from Munich to Leipzig
- One adult or a couple
- Rent, bills, food, travel and phone
How we work out the costs
- Rent, utilities, phone and internet from Numbeo city pages
- Utilities scaled from an 85 m² flat to a 45 m² flat
- Food from the German statistics office's 2023 household survey: €254 a month for one adult, €480 for a couple
- One Deutschlandticket per adult at €63 a month in 2026
Numbeo figures are estimates from people who live in each city, and the food figures are not adjusted for inflation. Treat the total as a planning figure, not a quote.
Where do these numbers come from?
Rent and bills from Numbeo city data, food from the German statistics office (2023), and the Deutschlandticket price.
Does this include health insurance?
No. Employees pay health insurance from their salary, so it is not added again here. The net salary tool shows how much is taken each month.
Does the Deutschlandticket cover long-distance trains?
No. It covers local and regional transport only. It costs €63 a month in 2026, and the tool counts one ticket per adult.
Can I use this for a student budget?
Yes, as a start. DAAD estimates €900 to €1,200 a month for students' living costs. Choose one adult and compare the total with that range.
Why is my rent quote different?
These are averages of rents that people report. Rents change by street and building, so use a real housing quote as soon as you have one.