Cost of living comparison
Berlin is 15.6% cheaper than Chicago.
- Restaurants
-
pay 5.1% less in Berlin
- Groceries
-
pay 25.5% less in Berlin
- Transportation
-
pay 36.5% more in Berlin
- Housing
-
pay 0.3% more in Berlin
- Childcare
-
pay 82.4% less in Berlin
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 34.1% less in Berlin
- Clothing
-
pay 1.0% more in Berlin
The cost of transportation, clothing, and housing in Berlin are more expensive than in Chicago. Expenses including childcare, entertainment and sports, groceries, and restaurants are lower in Berlin.
If you lived in Berlin instead of Chicago, you would:
pay 5.1% less for restaurants
|
Chicago
|
Berlin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$16.08
€14.73
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.34
|
$11.79
€10.80
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.02
|
$2.88
€2.64
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.44
|
$2.84
€2.60
|
|
pay 25.5% less for groceries
|
Chicago
|
Berlin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.19
|
$1.96
€1.79
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.87
|
$6.66
€6.10
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.94
|
$4.57
€4.19
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.75
|
$3.28
€3.00
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.63
|
$5.41
€4.95
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.44
|
$1.34
€1.23
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.90
|
$0.83
€0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.19
|
$1.00
€0.92
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.27
|
$1.85
€1.69
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.16
|
$0.83
€0.76
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.37
|
$0.80
€0.73
|
|
pay 36.5% more for transportation
|
Chicago
|
Berlin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.16
|
$7.19
€6.58
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$75.00
|
$52.52
€48.11
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,965.00
|
$31,799.21
€29,129.51
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.43
|
$29.37
€26.90
|
|
pay 0.3% more for housing
|
Chicago
|
Berlin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$58.52
|
$44.99
€41.21
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,360.96
|
$1,278.77
€1,171.41
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,512.92
|
$938.86
€860.04
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$126.63
|
$263.55
€241.42
|
|
pay 82.4% less for childcare
|
Chicago
|
Berlin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,475.00
|
$306.98
€281.21
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$42,300.00
|
$9,639.17
€8,829.91
|
|
pay 34.1% less for entertainment and sports
|
Chicago
|
Berlin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.50
|
$4.29
€3.93
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.30
|
$3.98
€3.65
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$17.00
|
$9.11
€8.35
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$72.00
|
$37.89
€34.70
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.00
|
$13.66
€12.52
|
|
pay 1.0% more for clothing
|
Chicago
|
Berlin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$64.98
|
$85.49
€78.32
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$51.67
|
$40.99
€37.55
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$97.00
|
$95.49
€87.47
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$146.00
|
$138.30
€126.69
|
|
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
Help us improve these prices
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Berlin or Chicago. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.