Cost of Living Comparison Between Germany and United States

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City in Germany:
City in United States:

Indices Difference
Cost of Living in United States is 2.4% higher than in Germany (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in United States is 17.6% higher than in Germany
Rent Prices in United States are 67.7% higher than in Germany
Restaurant Prices in United States are 10.0% higher than in Germany
Groceries Prices in United States are 17.4% higher than in Germany
Local Purchasing Power in United States is 14.5% higher than in Germany

Currency: Sticky Currency Switch to metric measurement units

Restaurants	Germany Edit	United States Edit	Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant	15.00 € (17.01 $)	17.64 € (20.00 $)	+17.6 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	65.00 € (73.71 $)	66.14 € (75.00 $)	+1.8 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	10.00 € (11.34 $)	9.89 € (11.21 $)	-1.1 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	4.50 € (5.10 $)	5.29 € (6.00 $)	+17.6 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	4.00 € (4.54 $)	6.17 € (7.00 $)	+54.3 %
Cappuccino (regular)	3.49 € (3.95 $)	4.61 € (5.23 $)	+32.3 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	2.88 € (3.27 $)	2.26 € (2.56 $)	-21.5 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	2.60 € (2.95 $)	1.84 € (2.09 $)	-29.1 %
Markets	Germany Edit	United States Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	4.18 € (4.74 $)	3.53 € (4.00 $)	-15.7 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	1.75 € (1.98 $)	2.90 € (3.29 $)	+65.9 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	1.32 € (1.50 $)	1.84 € (2.09 $)	+39.3 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	3.33 € (3.77 $)	3.73 € (4.23 $)	+12.2 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	5.81 € (6.59 $)	5.17 € (5.86 $)	-11.1 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	5.56 € (6.31 $)	4.87 € (5.52 $)	-12.5 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	7.79 € (8.83 $)	6.51 € (7.38 $)	-16.4 %
Apples (1 lb)	1.26 € (1.43 $)	2.11 € (2.39 $)	+67.8 %
Banana (1 lb)	0.72 € (0.81 $)	0.67 € (0.76 $)	-6.6 %
Oranges (1 lb)	0.90 € (1.02 $)	1.80 € (2.04 $)	+100.5 %
Tomato (1 lb)	1.90 € (2.16 $)	1.97 € (2.23 $)	+3.3 %
Potato (1 lb)	0.62 € (0.71 $)	1.17 € (1.33 $)	+88.6 %
Onion (1 lb)	0.63 € (0.72 $)	1.23 € (1.40 $)	+94.3 %
Lettuce (1 head)	1.63 € (1.85 $)	1.94 € (2.20 $)	+19.0 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	0.93 € (1.06 $)	1.96 € (2.23 $)	+110.8 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	5.00 € (5.67 $)	13.23 € (15.00 $)	+164.6 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	0.93 € (1.05 $)	1.72 € (1.95 $)	+84.9 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	1.44 € (1.63 $)	3.17 € (3.59 $)	+120.2 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	8.20 € (9.30 $)	8.82 € (10.00 $)	+7.5 %
Transportation	Germany Edit	United States Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	3.10 € (3.52 $)	2.20 € (2.50 $)	-28.9 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	50.00 € (56.70 $)	57.32 € (65.00 $)	+14.6 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	4.65 € (5.27 $)	3.31 € (3.75 $)	-28.9 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	4.02 € (4.56 $)	2.47 € (2.80 $)	-38.6 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	32.50 € (36.85 $)	26.46 € (30.00 $)	-18.6 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	6.57 € (7.44 $)	3.09 € (3.51 $)	-52.9 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	27,180.00 € (30,820.28 $)	26,456.61 € (30,000.00 $)	-2.7 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	32,302.92 € (36,629.32 $)	22,896.66 € (25,963.26 $)	-29.1 %
Utilities (Monthly)	Germany Edit	United States Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	302.62 € (343.16 $)	183.50 € (208.08 $)	-39.4 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	24.24 € (27.49 $)	50.47 € (57.23 $)	+108.2 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	44.83 € (50.83 $)	63.04 € (71.49 $)	+40.6 %
Sports And Leisure	Germany Edit	United States Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	34.89 € (39.56 $)	41.01 € (46.50 $)	+17.5 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	21.41 € (24.28 $)	19.32 € (21.91 $)	-9.8 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	12.00 € (13.61 $)	12.67 € (14.36 $)	+5.6 %
Childcare	Germany Edit	United States Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	411.58 € (466.70 $)	1,214.04 € (1,376.64 $)	+195.0 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	12,807.70 € (14,523.06 $)	19,934.65 € (22,604.54 $)	+55.6 %
Clothing And Shoes	Germany Edit	United States Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	81.49 € (92.41 $)	45.96 € (52.12 $)	-43.6 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	38.33 € (43.47 $)	37.54 € (42.57 $)	-2.1 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	88.73 € (100.62 $)	79.03 € (89.62 $)	-10.9 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	115.27 € (130.71 $)	99.80 € (113.17 $)	-13.4 %
Rent Per Month	Germany Edit	United States Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	884.52 € (1,002.99 $)	1,537.12 € (1,742.99 $)	+73.8 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	670.22 € (759.98 $)	1,268.90 € (1,438.85 $)	+89.3 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	1,659.95 € (1,882.27 $)	2,563.43 € (2,906.75 $)	+54.4 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	1,251.95 € (1,419.62 $)	2,122.89 € (2,407.22 $)	+69.6 %
Buy Apartment Price	Germany Edit	United States Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	514.96 € (583.93 $)	266.97 € (302.72 $)	-48.2 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	405.90 € (460.26 $)	222.21 € (251.97 $)	-45.3 %
Salaries And Financing	Germany Edit	United States Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	2,838.78 € (3,218.99 $)	3,824.42 € (4,336.64 $)	+34.7 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	3.98	6.51	+63.7 %
Last update:	April 2025	April 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:	2895	10759