Cost of Living in Cologne

Summary of cost of living in Cologne, Germany:

Restaurants
Edit Range
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 13.50 € 10.00-25.00
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 65.00 € 50.00-120.00
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 10.00 € 9.00-12.00
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 4.50 € 2.13-5.00
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 4.00 € 3.00-5.46
Cappuccino (regular) 3.71 € 2.24-5.10
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.93 € 2.30-4.00
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.37 € 1.10-5.00
Markets
Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 4.20 € 3.75-5.64
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 1.82 € 1.44-3.18
Rice (white), (1 lb) 1.46 € 1.22-2.08
Eggs (regular) (12) 3.60 € 2.85-4.98
Local Cheese (1 lb) 5.75 € 4.08-11.34
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 6.54 € 3.43-9.07
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 8.34 € 5.90-13.56
Apples (1 lb) 1.18 € 0.68-1.36
Banana (1 lb) 0.67 € 0.59-1.04
Oranges (1 lb) 0.90 € 0.68-1.36
Tomato (1 lb) 2.00 € 1.04-2.26
Potato (1 lb) 0.62 € 0.34-0.86
Onion (1 lb) 0.71 € 0.45-0.91
Lettuce (1 head) 1.67 € 1.00-1.99
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 0.81 € 0.20-1.00
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 5.75 € 4.99-8.00
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 0.91 € 0.65-1.50
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 1.49 € 1.15-1.69
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 8.20 € 8.20-9.00
Transportation
Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 3.20 € 3.00-3.50
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 49.00 € 49.00-98.00
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 5.00 € 4.00-7.00
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 3.30 € 3.06-3.54
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 30.00 € 30.00-34.80
Gasoline (1 gallon) 6.51 € 6.44-6.62
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 27,180.00 € 27,180.00-27,180.00
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 28,333.33 € 30,000.00-30,000.00
Utilities (Monthly)
Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 379.65 € 200.00-566.67
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 26.65 € 10.00-40.00
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 44.71 € 30.00-47.95
Sports And Leisure
Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 32.08 € 20.00-50.00
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 24.00 €
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 12.00 € 11.00-16.00
Childcare
Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 733.33 € 500.00-900.00
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 15,000.00 € 15,000.00-15,000.00
Clothing And Shoes
Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 94.00 € 80.00-100.00
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 37.50 € 25.00-50.00
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 102.33 € 65.00-120.00
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 128.50 € 90.00-180.00
Rent Per Month
Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 1,027.94 € 775.00-1,300.00
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 791.25 € 650.00-950.00
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 2,041.67 € 1,400.00-3,500.00
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 1,311.92 € 1,000.00-1,700.00
Buy Apartment Price
Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 549.67 € 510.96-557.41
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 490.83 € 353.03-520.25
Salaries And Financing
Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 2,923.68 €
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 3.98 3.60-4.00

Prices in Cologne

This city had 983 entries in the past 12 months by 126 different contributors.
Last update: December 2024
Sources and References
Distribution of Expenses Using Our Statistical Model:
Sign Up for Our Newsletter:
Your Email Address:
  
  
Leave a comment:

Your name: Sign In

Your email address (optional):

Your comment (no HTML):

9 Comments so far
Mario on Aug 12, 2024:
Something is completely off with the Net salaries on numbeo. All salaries in german cities jumped to 4k after tax. That's definitely not the case.
Steve on Apr 18, 2024:
@Li Han for those that work in professional fields, disposable income in germany is lower than it is in US, and most german women are also not attractive. They are also more close-minded and less willing to have relationships with men from Chinese or non-european backgrounds compared to US women. Also, the Chinese food options in germany are also much worse and less plentiful than in the States
Steve on Feb 05, 2024:
If you are a black man, consider going to Germany. German women under 30 would do absolutely everything for a black guy. I once lived in a large house with dozens young women (students), and there was a black man there. He slept with every single woman in that house, whereas men of other races were much less successful.
Li Han on Nov 02, 2023:
I'm a chinese man living in Germany since 2015 after living in U.S. for 2 years, and Germany is in many ways better for life/work balance, healthcare costs, affordability, and leisure. The german women are very different from the american ones, self reliant and not fake. I am making good wage and my boss is a very good man who invited me home with family at christmas.
Sarah on Jul 12, 2023:
I may be able to qualify as a bilingual English/German teacher, and may be able to support my family on that salary in the Köln area. Planning and actually getting us there would be a totally different trick.
Anonymous on Aug 09, 2022:
@Massa Asians in US are also way smarter than germans of all backgrounds: https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pisa/pisa2018/pdf/PISA2018_compiled.pdf

Sadly, even white germans are dumber than white americans lol
Anonymous on Aug 09, 2022:
@Massa LA is still has a higher Asian population and is better for Asians than any german city.

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.
Massa on Jan 15, 2022:
Well, about what "Anonymous" said being an Asian in Germany vs. US.

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.
Anonymous on Dec 08, 2020:
Please, how easy is it for a Nigerian with a masters in health safety and environmental management from a UK University and can speak German find a good job in Germany?