Cost of Living in Cologne
Summary of cost of living in Cologne, Germany:
- The estimated monthly costs for a family of four are 4,010.6$ (3,575.9€), excluding rent (using our estimator).
- The estimated monthly costs for a single person are 1,185.9$ (1,057.3€), excluding rent.
- Cologne is 33.7% less expensive than New York (excluding rent, see our cost of living index).
- Rent in Cologne is, on average, 73.2% lower than in New York.
Restaurants |  Edit |
Range |
|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant | 14.00 € | |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course | 70.00 € | |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) | 10.00 € | |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) | 4.50 € | |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) | 4.00 € | |
| Cappuccino (regular) | 3.77 € | |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) | 2.82 € | |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) | 2.59 € | |
Markets | Edit |
|
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) | 4.17 € | |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) | 1.82 € | |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) | 1.41 € | |
| Eggs (regular) (12) | 3.65 € | |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) | 5.82 € | |
| Chicken Fillets (1 lb) | 6.31 € | |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) | 8.31 € | |
| Apples (1 lb) | 1.23 € | |
| Banana (1 lb) | 0.74 € | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | 0.88 € | |
| Tomato (1 lb) | 1.88 € | |
| Potato (1 lb) | 0.61 € | |
| Onion (1 lb) | 0.64 € | |
| Lettuce (1 head) | 1.65 € | |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) | 0.97 € | |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) | 5.00 € | |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) | 0.94 € | |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) | 1.43 € | |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) | 8.20 € | |
Transportation | Edit |
|
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) | 3.30 € | |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) | 54.00 € | |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) | 4.90 € | |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) | 3.62 € | |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) | 30.00 € | |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | 6.45 € | |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) | 27,180.00 € | |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) | 30,336.00 € | |
Utilities (Monthly) | Edit |
|
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment | 344.34 € | |
| Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data | 21.40 € | |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | 43.64 € | |
Sports And Leisure | Edit |
|
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | 35.33 € | |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) | 28.00 € | |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat | 12.00 € | |
Childcare | Edit |
|
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child | 825.00 € | |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child | 16,666.67 € | |
Clothing And Shoes | Edit |
|
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) | 86.50 € | |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) | 39.28 € | |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) | 103.17 € | |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes | 126.67 € | |
Rent Per Month | Edit |
|
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre | 1,052.94 € | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre | 807.14 € | |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre | 1,811.11 € | |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre | 1,295.45 € | |
Buy Apartment Price | Edit |
|
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre | 558.74 € | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre | 484.42 € | |
Salaries And Financing | Edit |
|
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) | 2,676.58 € | |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 3.93 |
Prices in Cologne
This city had 885 entries in the past 12 months by 102 different contributors.
Last update: May 2025
Last update: May 2025
Sources and References
Moving to Cologne? Explore:
Distribution of Expenses Using Our Statistical Model:
Nearby Cities:| Cost of Living in Bonn | 19.29 miles |
| Cost of Living in Solingen | 20.23 miles |
| Cost of Living in Dusseldorf | 27.01 miles |
| Cost of Living in Jülich, Nordrhein-Westfalen | 34.11 miles |
| Cost of Living in Krefeld | 39.06 miles |
| Cost of Living in Essen | 43.21 miles |
| Cost of Living in Oberhausen | 44.79 miles |
| Cost of Living in Hagen | 45.17 miles |
| Cost of Living in Aachen | 46.04 miles |
| Cost of Living in Bochum | 49.64 miles |
This Page in Other Languages:
 DeutschLebenshaltungskosten in Köln
|
 PortuguêsCusto de Vida em Colônia
|
 ItalianoCosto della Vita a Colonia
|
 FrançaisCoût de la Vie à Cologne
|
 EspañolCosto de Vida en Colonia
|
Sadly, even white germans are dumber than white americans lol
You didn't stay in germany long enough. All the Asian Germans who I met online and in real life who visited US have mentioned that the social climate in US is much better for asians.
I had zero problems in Germany during my whole stay there. Back in Los Angeles I am greeted as if I invented Covid myself and got racial slurs yelled at me in the streets.
Besides that: Housing prices here for Cologne are very very off. For a city center apartment expect 7000 EUR / sqm or up.
I don't know why these prices are so low here.