✦ Compare
Berlin vs
Cologne
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Berlin, DE vs Cologne, DE at a glance — Cologne, DE is 4% cheaper than Berlin, DE overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $1,050/mo versus $1,400/mo. The top national income-tax rate is 45%.
To keep the same standard of living in Cologne, DE, you'd need
$72,071 / year
Cologne, DE is 4% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (Cologne, DE vs Berlin, DE)
- Housing-8%
- Food & groceries-3%
- Transport-1%
- Utilities-5%
- Healthcare0%
- Goods & services-1%
◎ How Berlin, DE and Cologne, DE compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Berlin, DE | Cologne, DE | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 110 | 106 |
| Housing | 122 | 112 |
| Food | 108 | 105 |
| Transport | 85 | 84 |
| Utilities | 132 | 126 |
| Healthcare | 95 | 95 |
| Goods & services | 106 | 105 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,400/mo | $1,050/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $1,000/mo | $780/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $2,800/mo | $2,000/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $8,500 | $6,500 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $910 | $947 |
| Inexpensive meal | $15 | $14 |
| Monthly transit pass | $55 | $115 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 45% | 45% |
| VAT / sales tax | 19% | 19% |
| Social security (employee) | 20% | 20% |
| Corporate tax | 30% | 30% |
| Capital gains | 26.4% | 26.4% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $2,900/mo | $2,900/mo |
| Minimum wage | $2,200/mo | $2,200/mo |
| GDP per capita | $60,496 | $60,496 |
| Inflation (annual) | 2.2% | 2.2% |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | No |
| English proficiency | High | High |
| Coworking spaces | 120 | 35 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+1 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Safety index | 60 | 66 |
| Healthcare index | 78 | 84 |
| Pollution index | 55 | 40 |
| Internet speed | 120 Mbps | 150 Mbps |
| Walkability | 88 | 78 |
| Public transport | 90 | 80 |
| Family-friendly | 68 | 72 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Life expectancy | 81 yr | 81 yr |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +1 °C | +3 °C |
| July avg | +19 °C | +19 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 60 | 105 |
| Rainfall / year | 570 mm | 800 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1.5 h | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Germany vs Germany. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
Good to know before you move to Berlin
Germany's creative and startup magnet — still the cheapest major Western-European capital, though rents are climbing fast.
- Currency
- Euro (€ EUR)
- Languages
- German
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 120 Mbps
- English
- Widely spoken
- Safety
- 60/100
- Climate
- ❄ 1°C · ☀ 19°C · 60 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- F · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Kreuzberg · Mitte · Neukölln
Good to know before you move to Cologne
An easy-going media and culture city on the Rhine, crowned by its Gothic cathedral and famous for carnival and a warm, open crowd. More affordable and less corporate than Munich or Frankfurt, with a lively creative and startup scene.
- Currency
- Euro (€ EUR)
- Languages
- German
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 150 Mbps
- English
- Widely spoken
- Safety
- 66/100
- Climate
- ❄ 3°C · ☀ 19°C · 105 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- F · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Ehrenfeld · Belgisches Viertel · Südstadt · Nippes
Plan your move to Berlin
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsNH Hotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
Sponsored
Plan your move to Cologne
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsNH Hotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Berlin to Cologne: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Berlin to Cologne, your cost of living will be roughly 4% cheaper. Cologne’s cost-of-living index is 106 versus 110 for Berlin (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Berlin cheaper than Cologne?
Cologne is about 4% cheaper than Berlin overall — its cost-of-living index is 106 versus 110 for Berlin.
How much do you need to earn in Cologne to live like in Berlin?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Berlin is worth about $72,071 in Cologne. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Berlin or Cologne?
Both cities are in the same country, so national income tax (45%) and VAT are identical; only local cost of living differs.
◷ More comparisons from Berlin
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.