Cost of Living Comparison Between Germany and United States

For major cities in those countries you get more relevant data by specifying cities.

City in Germany:
City in United States:

Indices Difference
Cost of Living in United States is 7.0% higher than in Germany (without rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in United States is 22.7% higher than in Germany
Rent Prices in United States are 74.1% higher than in Germany
Restaurant Prices in United States are 14.9% higher than in Germany
Groceries Prices in United States are 22.8% higher than in Germany
Local Purchasing Power in United States is 14.9% higher than in Germany

Currency: Sticky Currency Switch to metric measurement units

Restaurants	Germany Edit	United States Edit	Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant	15.00 € (16.25 $)	18.46 € (20.00 $)	+23.1 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	65.00 € (70.43 $)	69.22 € (75.00 $)	+6.5 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	10.00 € (10.83 $)	10.15 € (11.00 $)	+1.5 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	4.50 € (4.88 $)	5.54 € (6.00 $)	+23.1 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	4.00 € (4.33 $)	6.46 € (7.00 $)	+61.5 %
Cappuccino (regular)	3.47 € (3.76 $)	4.82 € (5.22 $)	+38.8 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	2.87 € (3.11 $)	2.36 € (2.55 $)	-17.8 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	2.58 € (2.79 $)	1.92 € (2.08 $)	-25.4 %
Markets	Germany Edit	United States Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	4.17 € (4.51 $)	3.69 € (4.00 $)	-11.4 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	1.75 € (1.90 $)	3.04 € (3.29 $)	+73.5 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	1.32 € (1.43 $)	1.92 € (2.08 $)	+45.4 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	3.33 € (3.60 $)	3.84 € (4.16 $)	+15.4 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	5.81 € (6.30 $)	5.42 € (5.88 $)	-6.6 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	5.61 € (6.08 $)	5.09 € (5.51 $)	-9.3 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	7.73 € (8.37 $)	6.79 € (7.36 $)	-12.1 %
Apples (1 lb)	1.25 € (1.36 $)	2.21 € (2.39 $)	+76.4 %
Banana (1 lb)	0.71 € (0.77 $)	0.70 € (0.76 $)	-1.6 %
Oranges (1 lb)	0.90 € (0.97 $)	1.88 € (2.04 $)	+109.2 %
Tomato (1 lb)	1.91 € (2.07 $)	2.06 € (2.23 $)	+7.4 %
Potato (1 lb)	0.62 € (0.67 $)	1.23 € (1.33 $)	+96.9 %
Onion (1 lb)	0.64 € (0.69 $)	1.29 € (1.39 $)	+102.3 %
Lettuce (1 head)	1.64 € (1.78 $)	2.03 € (2.20 $)	+24.1 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	0.92 € (1.00 $)	2.05 € (2.22 $)	+122.0 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	5.00 € (5.42 $)	13.84 € (15.00 $)	+176.9 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	0.93 € (1.01 $)	1.79 € (1.94 $)	+93.0 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	1.44 € (1.56 $)	3.31 € (3.59 $)	+129.9 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	8.20 € (8.88 $)	9.23 € (10.00 $)	+12.6 %
Transportation	Germany Edit	United States Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	3.10 € (3.36 $)	2.31 € (2.50 $)	-25.6 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	50.00 € (54.17 $)	59.99 € (65.00 $)	+20.0 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	4.70 € (5.09 $)	3.46 € (3.75 $)	-26.4 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	4.02 € (4.36 $)	2.58 € (2.80 $)	-35.8 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	33.00 € (35.75 $)	27.69 € (30.00 $)	-16.1 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	6.58 € (7.12 $)	3.24 € (3.51 $)	-50.7 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	27,180.00 € (29,448.95 $)	27,688.59 € (30,000.00 $)	+1.9 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	32,223.98 € (34,914.00 $)	23,965.29 € (25,965.89 $)	-25.6 %
Utilities (Monthly)	Germany Edit	United States Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	302.00 € (327.21 $)	191.89 € (207.91 $)	-36.5 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	24.46 € (26.50 $)	52.81 € (57.21 $)	+115.9 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	44.89 € (48.64 $)	65.99 € (71.49 $)	+47.0 %
Sports And Leisure	Germany Edit	United States Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	34.99 € (37.92 $)	42.98 € (46.57 $)	+22.8 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	21.55 € (23.35 $)	20.14 € (21.82 $)	-6.6 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	12.00 € (13.00 $)	13.10 € (14.19 $)	+9.1 %
Childcare	Germany Edit	United States Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	415.62 € (450.32 $)	1,269.88 € (1,375.88 $)	+205.5 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	12,785.03 € (13,852.30 $)	20,885.32 € (22,628.80 $)	+63.4 %
Clothing And Shoes	Germany Edit	United States Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	81.55 € (88.36 $)	48.02 € (52.03 $)	-41.1 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	38.12 € (41.30 $)	39.32 € (42.61 $)	+3.2 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	88.17 € (95.53 $)	82.62 € (89.52 $)	-6.3 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	115.38 € (125.02 $)	104.54 € (113.27 $)	-9.4 %
Rent Per Month	Germany Edit	United States Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	885.78 € (959.72 $)	1,610.79 € (1,745.26 $)	+81.8 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	676.13 € (732.57 $)	1,327.85 € (1,438.70 $)	+96.4 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	1,671.33 € (1,810.85 $)	2,687.68 € (2,912.04 $)	+60.8 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	1,270.53 € (1,376.60 $)	2,215.36 € (2,400.30 $)	+74.4 %
Buy Apartment Price	Germany Edit	United States Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	515.53 € (558.56 $)	277.84 € (301.03 $)	-46.1 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	409.38 € (443.55 $)	232.63 € (252.05 $)	-43.2 %
Salaries And Financing	Germany Edit	United States Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	2,840.48 € (3,077.60 $)	4,003.88 € (4,338.12 $)	+41.0 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	3.98	6.57	+65.3 %
Last update:	March 2025	March 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:	2820	10391

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