Cost of Living Comparison Between Germany and United States

For major cities in those countries you get more relevant data by specifying cities.

City in Germany:
City in United States:

Indices Difference
Cost of Living in United States is 3.4% higher than in Germany (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in United States is 18.6% higher than in Germany
Rent Prices in United States are 68.8% higher than in Germany
Restaurant Prices in United States are 11.4% higher than in Germany
Groceries Prices in United States are 18.3% higher than in Germany
Local Purchasing Power in United States is 13.2% higher than in Germany

Currency: Sticky Currency Switch to metric measurement units

Restaurants	Germany Edit	United States Edit	Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant	15.00 € (16.86 $)	17.80 € (20.00 $)	+18.6 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	65.00 € (73.05 $)	66.74 € (75.00 $)	+2.7 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	10.00 € (11.24 $)	10.23 € (11.50 $)	+2.3 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	4.50 € (5.06 $)	5.34 € (6.00 $)	+18.6 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	4.00 € (4.50 $)	6.23 € (7.00 $)	+55.7 %
Cappuccino (regular)	3.50 € (3.93 $)	4.66 € (5.24 $)	+33.2 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	2.88 € (3.24 $)	2.28 € (2.56 $)	-20.9 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	2.59 € (2.91 $)	1.86 € (2.09 $)	-28.1 %
Markets	Germany Edit	United States Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	4.18 € (4.70 $)	3.56 € (4.01 $)	-14.8 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	1.75 € (1.97 $)	2.93 € (3.29 $)	+67.5 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	1.33 € (1.49 $)	1.86 € (2.09 $)	+40.2 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	3.33 € (3.74 $)	3.81 € (4.28 $)	+14.3 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	5.81 € (6.53 $)	5.22 € (5.87 $)	-10.2 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	5.56 € (6.25 $)	4.92 € (5.53 $)	-11.5 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	7.80 € (8.77 $)	6.58 € (7.40 $)	-15.6 %
Apples (1 lb)	1.26 € (1.42 $)	2.13 € (2.39 $)	+69.1 %
Banana (1 lb)	0.72 € (0.81 $)	0.68 € (0.76 $)	-5.7 %
Oranges (1 lb)	0.90 € (1.01 $)	1.82 € (2.04 $)	+102.4 %
Tomato (1 lb)	1.90 € (2.14 $)	1.98 € (2.23 $)	+4.2 %
Potato (1 lb)	0.62 € (0.70 $)	1.18 € (1.33 $)	+91.1 %
Onion (1 lb)	0.63 € (0.71 $)	1.24 € (1.39 $)	+95.7 %
Lettuce (1 head)	1.63 € (1.84 $)	1.96 € (2.20 $)	+19.9 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	0.94 € (1.05 $)	1.99 € (2.23 $)	+111.6 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	5.00 € (5.62 $)	13.35 € (15.00 $)	+167.0 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	0.93 € (1.05 $)	1.74 € (1.95 $)	+86.8 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	1.44 € (1.62 $)	3.20 € (3.60 $)	+122.5 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	8.40 € (9.44 $)	8.90 € (10.00 $)	+5.9 %
Transportation	Germany Edit	United States Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	3.20 € (3.60 $)	2.22 € (2.50 $)	-30.5 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	51.50 € (57.88 $)	57.84 € (65.00 $)	+12.3 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	4.90 € (5.51 $)	3.34 € (3.75 $)	-31.9 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	4.02 € (4.52 $)	2.49 € (2.80 $)	-38.1 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	32.00 € (35.96 $)	26.70 € (30.00 $)	-16.6 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	6.56 € (7.37 $)	3.12 € (3.50 $)	-52.5 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	27,180.00 € (30,544.89 $)	26,695.14 € (30,000.00 $)	-1.8 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	32,302.42 € (36,301.46 $)	23,108.98 € (25,969.88 $)	-28.5 %
Utilities (Monthly)	Germany Edit	United States Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	301.76 € (339.12 $)	185.56 € (208.53 $)	-38.5 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	23.99 € (26.96 $)	50.96 € (57.27 $)	+112.4 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	44.73 € (50.26 $)	63.75 € (71.64 $)	+42.5 %
Sports And Leisure	Germany Edit	United States Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	35.05 € (39.38 $)	41.15 € (46.25 $)	+17.4 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	21.43 € (24.08 $)	19.50 € (21.91 $)	-9.0 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	12.00 € (13.49 $)	12.88 € (14.47 $)	+7.3 %
Childcare	Germany Edit	United States Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	409.94 € (460.69 $)	1,221.84 € (1,373.10 $)	+198.1 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	12,886.73 € (14,482.11 $)	20,073.50 € (22,558.60 $)	+55.8 %
Clothing And Shoes	Germany Edit	United States Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	80.75 € (90.74 $)	46.40 € (52.14 $)	-42.5 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	38.04 € (42.75 $)	37.81 € (42.49 $)	-0.6 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	88.52 € (99.48 $)	79.99 € (89.89 $)	-9.6 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	114.84 € (129.06 $)	100.94 € (113.44 $)	-12.1 %
Rent Per Month	Germany Edit	United States Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	889.99 € (1,000.17 $)	1,552.46 € (1,744.66 $)	+74.4 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	670.20 € (753.17 $)	1,280.09 € (1,438.56 $)	+91.0 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	1,656.08 € (1,861.11 $)	2,577.18 € (2,896.24 $)	+55.6 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	1,253.82 € (1,409.04 $)	2,137.48 € (2,402.11 $)	+70.5 %
Buy Apartment Price	Germany Edit	United States Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	509.21 € (572.25 $)	266.92 € (299.97 $)	-47.6 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	398.39 € (447.71 $)	224.48 € (252.27 $)	-43.7 %
Salaries And Financing	Germany Edit	United States Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	2,869.21 € (3,224.42 $)	3,851.72 € (4,328.56 $)	+34.2 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	3.98	6.51	+63.6 %
Last update:	19 May 2025	19 May 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:	2984	11119

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