{"id":208087,"date":"2019-02-19T15:49:44","date_gmt":"2019-02-19T14:49:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/berlinstartupjobs.com\/?page_id=208087"},"modified":"2022-04-26T09:45:20","modified_gmt":"2022-04-26T07:45:20","slug":"cost-of-living-berlin","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/berlinstartupjobs.com\/de\/moving-to-berlin\/cost-of-living-berlin\/","title":{"rendered":"Cost of Living in Berlin"},"content":{"rendered":"

You\u2019ve heard it all before; Berlin is changing, rents are rising, it isn\u2019t what it used to be blablabla. By this stage you\u2019re probably sick of hearing of days gone by when Berlin was cheap; a rhinestone in Europe\u2019s crown of capital city diamonds.<\/p>\n

And yes, those things are all technically true. But to what extent has the city\u2019s transition from post-reunification squat central to the shiny new tech startup star it\u2019s becoming affected the cost of living in Berlin?<\/p>\n

First things first, it\u2019s important to point out that \u201ccost of living\u201d means a whole lot of different things to different people. Some see a car as a necessity (they obviously haven\u2019t spent enough time in Berlin), or a gym membership, or weekly wining and dining, or regular new clothes as things they couldn\u2019t possibly live without. To others, those things are all total luxuries. Different standards in terms of where you live or what you eat, where you shop or how you socialise will all affect your cost of living.<\/p>\n

What is important, and amazing, about Berlin is that it\u2019s a city where you can live the high life if you can afford to, but you can also live very cheaply if you want or need to, which suits those coming here for the startup scene, the creative side, or whichever aspect of Berlin\u2019s multifaceted character.<\/p>\n

While it is an unfortunate and undeniable fact that rents have risen hugely in the last five years, this is still the homeland of Lidl and Aldi, a place where you can buy a 500ml bottle of beer for a mere 80 cents.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s break down some of the average prices of everyday items or expenses that form part of your cost of living in Berlin.<\/p>\n

Rent in Berlin<\/h3>\n

The reality of rents in Berlin is that they are changing so rapidly it\u2019s hard to pin down an average price. The growing demand has been forcing prices continuously higher and neighbourhoods<\/a> that were once run down and undesirable have seen an influx of new arrivals seeking cheap rent. This has changed the face of a lot of areas, creating unique \u2018scenes\u2019 and cultures that in turn attract more newcomers.<\/p>\n

There are also a lot of factors that influence the price of individual apartments. Aside from the obvious such as location and square metre size, there are also factors such as whether or not it has been renovated, how much the \u201cNebenkosten<\/em>\u201d (building maintenance etc) are, does it have a balcony, built-in kitchen or bathroom?<\/p>\n

Again, it\u2019s hard to say exactly but what follows is an average idea of the monthly rental price:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
85 m\u00b2 in expensive area<\/td>\n1,327 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
85 m\u00b2 in normal area<\/td>\n1,013 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
45 m\u00b2 in expensive area<\/td>\n1,029 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
45 m\u00b2 in normal area<\/td>\n647 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Cost of Food and Drink<\/h3>\n

With plenty of discount supermarkets to choose from it\u2019s easy to eat well while keeping costs low; Lidl, Aldi, Netto and Penny to name a few. There are also slightly higher end shops such as Rewe, Edeka or Karstadt, and organic grocers that will naturally be more expensive such as Bio Company or Denns, as well as fresh produce outdoor markets that occur on a regular basis. Alcohol is in general very reasonably priced in Berlin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Everyday Item<\/th>Average Cost<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Milk (1 Litre)<\/td>0.85 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Loaf fresh bread<\/td>1.50 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Eggs (6)<\/td>1.90 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Onion (1kg)<\/td>1.30 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Potatoes (1kg)<\/td>1.50 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chicken breast (500g)<\/td>3.70 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bottle of red wine (good quality)<\/td>6.00 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Domestic beer (500ml)<\/td>1.10 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

And it\u2019s not just supermarkets that are affordable – eating and drinking out can be too. Of course you can eat in a Michelin star restaurant if the occasion calls for it, or you can eat from a kebab shop every night of the week for a hell of a lot less than that, but there is a very good middle ground that won\u2019t break the bank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Meal for two in mid-range restaurant (3 courses)<\/td>\n50.00 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Meal for two in fast food restaurant<\/td>\n10.00 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Domestic beer in local pub (500ml)<\/td>\n\u00a03.30 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cocktail in nice bar<\/td>\n\u00a08.00 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cappuccino (expat area)<\/td>\n\u00a03.00 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/h3>\n

Cost of Transport<\/h3>\n

Berlin is a big biking city. There is (mostly) good infrastructure to support it and the generally flat cityscape means the routes are never too strenuous. Invest in a bike and your transport costs are covered in that one payment.<\/p>\n

That being said, the winters are not always cycle-friendly, so sometimes public transport is your best bet. The U-Bahn, S-Bahn and bus system all use the same tickets which is handy if you\u2019re buying a longer pass. AB tickets cover the entire city area and prices are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Single trip<\/td>\n\u00a03.00 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Four trip single tickets<\/td>\n\u00a09.40 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Day ticket<\/td>\n\u00a08.80 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
7-day ticket<\/td>\n36.00 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Monthly ticket<\/td>\n86.00 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/h3>\n

Lifestyle Expenses<\/h3>\n

Again these aspects of your lifestyle can be as expensive or cheap as suits you. You can get a very basic pay-as-you-go phone tariff for \u20ac4.99, and you can get a premium membership to a fitness club for over \u20ac100. The choice is yours but what follows is an average idea of prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Cinema ticket<\/td>\n11.00 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Theatre ticket (best available)<\/td>\n45.00 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Phone bill (pay as you go)<\/td>\n25.00 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Gym membership (monthly)<\/td>\n25.00 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Packet Marlboro cigarettes<\/td>\n\u00a06.00 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Cost of Living in Berlin vs. London and Paris<\/h2>\n

Yes, rents in Berlin today are a lot more than they were five, ten or fifteen years ago, but that isn\u2019t to say they are extortionate now. In historical comparison to itself, the city is more expensive, but by today\u2019s standards it is still very affordable compared to other capital cities.<\/p>\n

Here are a few comparisons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
<\/td>Berlin<\/strong><\/th>London<\/strong><\/th>Paris<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
85 m\u00b2 in expensive area<\/td>1,327 \u20ac<\/td>2,797 \u20ac<\/td>2,586 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
85 m\u00b2 in normal area<\/td>1,016 \u20ac<\/td>1,981 \u20ac<\/td>2,212 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Milk (1 litre)<\/td>0.85 \u20ac<\/td>1.07 \u20ac<\/td>1.23 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chicken breast (500g)<\/td>3.70 \u20ac<\/td>4.64 \u20ac<\/td>6,00 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cocktail in bar<\/td>8.00 \u20ac<\/td>14.00 \u20ac<\/td>13.00 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Beer in local pub (500ml)<\/td>3.30 \u20ac<\/td>06.04 \u20ac<\/td>7.00 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Monthly transport ticket<\/td>81.00 \u20ac<\/td>158.30 \u20ac<\/td>74.00 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Packet brand cigarettes<\/td>6.00 \u20ac<\/td>12.44 \u20ac<\/td>8.00 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You\u2019ve heard it all before; Berlin is changing, rents are rising, it isn\u2019t what it used to be blablabla. By this stage you\u2019re probably sick of hearing of days gone by when Berlin was cheap; a rhinestone in Europe\u2019s crown of capital city diamonds. And yes, those things are all technically true. But to what…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":131149,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-208087","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"translation":{"provider":"WPGlobus","version":"2.12.2","language":"de","enabled_languages":["en","de"],"languages":{"en":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"de":{"title":false,"content":false,"excerpt":false}}},"yoast_head":"\nCost of Living in Berlin (2022) - Berlin Startup Jobs<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/berlinstartupjobs.com\/moving-to-berlin\/cost-of-living-berlin\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"de_DE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cost of Living in Berlin - Berlin Startup Jobs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/berlinstartupjobs.com\/moving-to-berlin\/cost-of-living-berlin\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Berlin Startup Jobs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/berlinstartupjobs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-04-26T07:45:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/berlinstartupjobs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/BSJ-logo-OG-feb2016.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"602\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"315\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@berlin_startups\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Gesch\u00e4tzte Lesezeit\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 Minuten\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/berlinstartupjobs.com\\\/moving-to-berlin\\\/cost-of-living-berlin\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/berlinstartupjobs.com\\\/moving-to-berlin\\\/cost-of-living-berlin\\\/\",\"name\":\"Cost of Living in Berlin (2022) - Berlin Startup Jobs\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/berlinstartupjobs.com\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2019-02-19T14:49:44+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-04-26T07:45:20+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/berlinstartupjobs.com\\\/moving-to-berlin\\\/cost-of-living-berlin\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"de-DE\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/berlinstartupjobs.com\\\/moving-to-berlin\\\/cost-of-living-berlin\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/berlinstartupjobs.com\\\/moving-to-berlin\\\/cost-of-living-berlin\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"The Ultimate Guide to Moving and Living in Berlin\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/berlinstartupjobs.com\\\/moving-to-berlin\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Cost of Living in Berlin\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/berlinstartupjobs.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/berlinstartupjobs.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Berlin Startup Jobs\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/berlinstartupjobs.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/berlinstartupjobs.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"de-DE\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/berlinstartupjobs.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Berlin Startup Jobs\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/berlinstartupjobs.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"de-DE\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/berlinstartupjobs.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/berlinstartupjobs.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/bsj-logo-160.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/berlinstartupjobs.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/bsj-logo-160.png\",\"width\":160,\"height\":66,\"caption\":\"Berlin Startup Jobs\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/berlinstartupjobs.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/berlinstartupjobs\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/berlin_startups\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Cost of Living in Berlin (2022) - Berlin Startup Jobs","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/berlinstartupjobs.com\/moving-to-berlin\/cost-of-living-berlin\/","og_locale":"de_DE","og_type":"article","og_title":"Cost of Living in Berlin - Berlin Startup Jobs","og_url":"https:\/\/berlinstartupjobs.com\/moving-to-berlin\/cost-of-living-berlin\/","og_site_name":"Berlin Startup Jobs","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/berlinstartupjobs","article_modified_time":"2022-04-26T07:45:20+00:00","og_image":[{"width":602,"height":315,"url":"https:\/\/berlinstartupjobs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/BSJ-logo-OG-feb2016.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@berlin_startups","twitter_misc":{"Gesch\u00e4tzte Lesezeit":"5 Minuten"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/berlinstartupjobs.com\/moving-to-berlin\/cost-of-living-berlin\/","url":"https:\/\/berlinstartupjobs.com\/moving-to-berlin\/cost-of-living-berlin\/","name":"Cost of Living in Berlin (2022) - Berlin Startup Jobs","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/berlinstartupjobs.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2019-02-19T14:49:44+00:00","dateModified":"2022-04-26T07:45:20+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/berlinstartupjobs.com\/moving-to-berlin\/cost-of-living-berlin\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"de-DE","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/berlinstartupjobs.com\/moving-to-berlin\/cost-of-living-berlin\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/berlinstartupjobs.com\/moving-to-berlin\/cost-of-living-berlin\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"The Ultimate Guide to Moving and Living in Berlin","item":"https:\/\/berlinstartupjobs.com\/moving-to-berlin\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Cost of Living in Berlin"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/berlinstartupjobs.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/berlinstartupjobs.com\/","name":"Berlin Startup Jobs","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/berlinstartupjobs.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/berlinstartupjobs.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"de-DE"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/berlinstartupjobs.com\/#organization","name":"Berlin Startup Jobs","url":"https:\/\/berlinstartupjobs.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"de-DE","@id":"https:\/\/berlinstartupjobs.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/berlinstartupjobs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/bsj-logo-160.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/berlinstartupjobs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/bsj-logo-160.png","width":160,"height":66,"caption":"Berlin Startup Jobs"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/berlinstartupjobs.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/berlinstartupjobs","https:\/\/x.com\/berlin_startups"]}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/berlinstartupjobs.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/208087","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/berlinstartupjobs.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/berlinstartupjobs.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/berlinstartupjobs.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/berlinstartupjobs.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=208087"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/berlinstartupjobs.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/208087\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/berlinstartupjobs.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/131149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/berlinstartupjobs.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=208087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}