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 11.9% higher than in Germany (without rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in United States is 28.8% higher than in Germany
Rent Prices in United States are 83.9% higher than in Germany
Restaurant Prices in United States are 21.0% higher than in Germany
Groceries Prices in United States are 27.3% higher than in Germany
Local Purchasing Power in United States is 15.4% higher than in Germany

Currency: Sticky Currency Switch to metric measurement units

Restaurants	Germany Edit	United States Edit	Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant	15.00 € (15.45 $)	19.41 € (20.00 $)	+29.4 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	65.00 € (66.97 $)	72.80 € (75.00 $)	+12.0 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	10.00 € (10.30 $)	10.68 € (11.00 $)	+6.8 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	4.50 € (4.64 $)	5.82 € (6.00 $)	+29.4 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	4.00 € (4.12 $)	6.79 € (7.00 $)	+69.9 %
Cappuccino (regular)	3.45 € (3.55 $)	5.04 € (5.20 $)	+46.3 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	2.83 € (2.92 $)	2.46 € (2.54 $)	-13.1 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	2.52 € (2.59 $)	2.01 € (2.07 $)	-20.1 %
Markets	Germany Edit	United States Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	4.16 € (4.28 $)	3.87 € (3.99 $)	-6.9 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	1.73 € (1.79 $)	3.18 € (3.27 $)	+83.4 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	1.33 € (1.37 $)	2.02 € (2.08 $)	+51.8 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	3.22 € (3.31 $)	3.69 € (3.80 $)	+14.7 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	5.77 € (5.94 $)	5.69 € (5.86 $)	-1.4 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	5.76 € (5.94 $)	5.29 € (5.45 $)	-8.2 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	7.81 € (8.04 $)	7.08 € (7.30 $)	-9.3 %
Apples (1 lb)	1.23 € (1.26 $)	2.31 € (2.38 $)	+88.4 %
Banana (1 lb)	0.68 € (0.70 $)	0.74 € (0.76 $)	+8.6 %
Oranges (1 lb)	0.91 € (0.94 $)	1.98 € (2.03 $)	+116.0 %
Tomato (1 lb)	1.95 € (2.01 $)	2.16 € (2.22 $)	+10.3 %
Potato (1 lb)	0.64 € (0.66 $)	1.29 € (1.33 $)	+101.7 %
Onion (1 lb)	0.67 € (0.69 $)	1.35 € (1.39 $)	+101.2 %
Lettuce (1 head)	1.66 € (1.71 $)	2.13 € (2.20 $)	+28.1 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	0.83 € (0.86 $)	2.15 € (2.21 $)	+157.3 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	5.99 € (6.17 $)	14.56 € (15.00 $)	+143.1 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	0.92 € (0.94 $)	1.86 € (1.92 $)	+103.2 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	1.49 € (1.54 $)	3.44 € (3.54 $)	+130.5 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	8.20 € (8.45 $)	9.71 € (10.00 $)	+18.4 %
Transportation	Germany Edit	United States Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	3.10 € (3.19 $)	2.43 € (2.50 $)	-21.7 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	49.00 € (50.48 $)	63.09 € (65.00 $)	+28.8 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	4.50 € (4.64 $)	3.64 € (3.75 $)	-19.1 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	3.54 € (3.65 $)	2.72 € (2.80 $)	-23.2 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	30.00 € (30.91 $)	29.12 € (30.00 $)	-2.9 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	6.58 € (6.78 $)	3.42 € (3.53 $)	-48.0 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	27,180.00 € (28,002.20 $)	29,119.14 € (30,000.00 $)	+7.1 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	32,159.93 € (33,132.77 $)	25,124.37 € (25,884.38 $)	-21.9 %
Utilities (Monthly)	Germany Edit	United States Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	302.47 € (311.62 $)	200.19 € (206.24 $)	-33.8 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	25.35 € (26.12 $)	55.10 € (56.77 $)	+117.4 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	44.96 € (46.32 $)	68.84 € (70.92 $)	+53.1 %
Sports And Leisure	Germany Edit	United States Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	34.74 € (35.79 $)	45.42 € (46.80 $)	+30.8 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	21.17 € (21.81 $)	20.71 € (21.34 $)	-2.2 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	12.00 € (12.36 $)	13.59 € (14.00 $)	+13.2 %
Childcare	Germany Edit	United States Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	417.51 € (430.14 $)	1,341.63 € (1,382.21 $)	+221.3 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	12,945.34 € (13,336.94 $)	22,270.58 € (22,944.27 $)	+72.0 %
Clothing And Shoes	Germany Edit	United States Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	79.99 € (82.41 $)	50.23 € (51.75 $)	-37.2 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	37.70 € (38.84 $)	41.28 € (42.53 $)	+9.5 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	87.45 € (90.09 $)	86.24 € (88.85 $)	-1.4 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	114.87 € (118.34 $)	109.77 € (113.09 $)	-4.4 %
Rent Per Month	Germany Edit	United States Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	889.26 € (916.16 $)	1,698.33 € (1,749.71 $)	+91.0 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	670.96 € (691.26 $)	1,400.07 € (1,442.42 $)	+108.7 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	1,664.32 € (1,714.67 $)	2,833.35 € (2,919.06 $)	+70.2 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	1,265.04 € (1,303.30 $)	2,323.97 € (2,394.27 $)	+83.7 %
Buy Apartment Price	Germany Edit	United States Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	520.84 € (536.60 $)	289.81 € (298.58 $)	-44.4 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	415.35 € (427.91 $)	243.66 € (251.04 $)	-41.3 %
Salaries And Financing	Germany Edit	United States Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	2,850.56 € (2,936.79 $)	4,236.00 € (4,364.14 $)	+48.6 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	3.98	6.57	+65.1 %
Last update:	January 2025	January 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:	2443	8877

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