Locals Talk About The Cost Of Living In Berlin In 2021 – It seems that just about everyone wants to move to Berlin these days. People come for all sorts of reasons, like working at a startup, experiencing the epic party scene, or joining the thriving creative community. Berlin’s especially welcoming to newcomers from any background, with demographics telling us that almost half a million non-Germans from approximately 180 countries live in the city.
The hype is real and the current population of 3.5 million people has grown by 0.31% annually since 2015. While immigration has obviously slowed down during the pandemic, Berlin continues to remain popular, and is one of Europe’s most affordable cities when compared to the likes of London or Paris.
Recommended reading: How Much Does It Cost To Move To Germany? Use Our Calculator!
Locals Talk About The Cost Of Living In Berlin In 2021
This report is a personal account of my cost of living in Berlin. By no means, am I attempting to depict my situation as typical. I’m simply hoping this glimpse into my expenses will help you figure out how much it might cost for you to live in Berlin as well.
To put things into perspective before we get started:
- I’m unmarried and have no children (but I do embrace clichés and live with a very cute cat)
- I live on my own
- All expenses listed are assumed by me
- I’ve a full time job and receive additional income from this site and my travel blog
In November 2021, we informally surveyed about 60 Berliners about their costs of living. To make the data featured here more real, I’ve included the anecdotal results of the survey for each section as an additional reference point beyond my own.
We learned some interesting insights from the start:
Coming out on top was Mitte at 28.1%, with Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg coming in at 26.3%, and Pankow (which includes Prenzlauer Berg) at 15.8%.
33.3% of people live with a partner or spouse and no children, 31.6% live alone, 22.8% reported living with a partner or spouse and their children, and only 10.5% said they shacked up with roommates.
Cost Of Living In Berlin: Fixed Monthly Expenses
1) Rent: €825 per month (warm)
I live in a 53 square meter apartment in Berlin’s Eastern district, Lichtenberg. It’s located just outside the city center (and the Ring) in a ninth story Plattenbau. It offers plenty of light with large windows on both sides of the apartment, a bathroom with a bathtub, a large bedroom and living room, and a fully equipped kitchen with stove, washing machine, and refrigerator. The place also came furnished with some basics like a dining room table, couch, and bed. It’s located directly beside an S-Bahn station, an Edeka, Apotheke, and more. I can be in Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg, Prenzlauer Berg, or Neukölln within 30 minutes. The lease for my flat is in my name and my name also appears on the front door — it’s not a short term rental accommodation.
The only things lacking are a balcony, dishwasher, and convenience of living in an area where things are within close proximity like when I lived at Prenzlauer Berg’s Helmholtzplatz. There are still some treasures within the district worth travelling to, like Gardens Of The World, Dong Xuan Center, and Schlosspark Biesdorf.
Some information we learned from our survey participants:
- The smallest flat size reported was 20 square meters and the largest flat size reported was a whopping 180 square meters! The average flat size was 69 square meters.
- Our results revealed that some lucky people were only paying €250 a month for cold rent while the richer among us were paying up to €2,200. On average, people were paying €664 per month for cold rent in different parts of the city.
For cold hard data, view the Miet-Map which shows the average cold rent for different areas across Berlin.
Services we recommend to help with your Berlin flat:
- Lyght Living – Do you need to furnish your flat quickly and easily? During those first months after you move in, we know it’s tough to find the time and money to shop for furniture while you’re paying for your rent deposit and other things. Lyght Living eliminates the burden of owning furniture by providing a subscription service for a “lighter way of living”. They offer a simple way for you to get the stylish furniture you want, for the length of time you need it, and on a pricing model you can afford. You don’t need to worry about buying, assembling, or owning any furniture and when you no longer need it, you can swap, buy it, or send it back. You can rent a single piece of furniture like a couch or choose from room packages like a living room one, starting for €30 a month.
- Nestpick – Are you looking for a flat in Berlin? We all know that finding a place to live in Berlin is one of the toughest things to do when you move here. So if you happen to be on the hunt for a new apartment or are just looking for a room to rent, check out Nestpick. They have the largest search engine for furnished apartments, rooms, and co-operative housing worldwide. To find apartments in Berlin, go to their website, type Berlin, and hit search. Different properties will be listed and you can browse through their offerings to find your new home.
2) Health Insurance: €400 per month
Healthcare’s a significant expense for all of us, but well worth it considering it covers so many things like sick days, doctor’s visits, surgeries, basic dental, etc. The amount you contribute to healthcare depends on your income level – expect to pay out 14.6% to 15.6% of your gross monthly income whether you’re employed full time or a freelancer. For those employed full time, your employer will cover half the costs, leaving you to pay about 7%. Worth noting – if you make more than €54,450 per year, the cost of health insurance is capped and stops rising. For full time employees, this works out to be about €400 per month and for freelancers, this works out to be €800 per month.
I have public insurance with TK and pay around €400 per month. As I’m employed in a permanent position, my employer covers the other half.
Why have I listed healthcare as a cost of living? Although employees may not think twice about healthcare as an expense because it’s deducted from their monthly salary, we’ve explicitly included it here for people coming outside of the European Union. For example, if you’re Canadian like me, you won’t be used to seeing such a massive deduction from your monthly salary. I’m telling you in advance so you won’t be surprised when you get that first pay cheque. I also list it here so that freelancers are aware they have to pay out of pocket and assume the costs themselves.
3) Electricity: €44 per month
When I first moved into my flat, I started paying €52 per month to Vattenfall as my fees were calculated based on the previous tenant’s average consumption. After one year, it was adjusted to €27 per month and stayed at that price until this year. One year of working from home and ongoing lockdowns saw my monthly cost for electricity rise by €17.
Our lovely survey respondents reported paying anywhere from €15 per month, all the way to €150. I’m not sure whether or not the latter were trying to grow marijuana at home, but on average people were spending €50 a month for electricity.
Sometimes electricity is included in your monthly rent. Be sure to inquire with your landlord before you sign your lease.
Note – Electricity prices in Germany are among the highest in the world and expected to increase significantly in 2022. Shop around for the best prices at CHECK24. Some electricity providers may decline your business if you’re new to the country and don’t have an established credit history (this happened to me). If all else fails, go with Vattenfall and switch providers at a later date.
4) Internet: €44 per month
Unfortunately, one provider controls Internet in my building so I’m held hostage by PYUR. During the first year in my flat, it cost €20 per month and the price doubled to €40 per month after one year when my first contract expired. After I started to work remotely full time, I upgraded to a higher speed and now pay about €44 a month.
62% of our survey respondents reported that they pay for Internet, while the remainder have it included in the cost of their rent. They also paid anywhere from €15 – €60 per month for Internet, which for some, also included cable TV or home phone (some people still have landlines!). On average, they were paying €30 per month.
5) Mobile Phone Provider: €15 per month
I currently don’t have a contract with a mobile phone provider and have a sim card with Alditalk. For this, I pay €10 per month for 5 GB of data and another €5.00 for texts and calls. I was actually able to downgrade my mobile plan over this past year as staying home so much has me using less data. That makes €5 a month in savings.
Our survey respondents were divided evenly down the middle, with the half of the group having contracts with companies like Vodafone and other half paying as they go. People said they were paying anywhere from €10 – €65 per month which includes various things like data, texting, calls, and more. On average, people claimed they were paying €25 per month.
6) Bank Account: €3 per month
I have a basic account with Sparkasse which costs me €3 per month. This has remain unchanged since I opened the account in November 2014.
61% of those who took part in our survey about the cost of living in Berlin stated they don’t pay any monthly fees to their bank. Others reported paying anywhere from €2 – 11 per month, with the average cost for a bank account per month costing €6 per month.
7) Insurance: €27 per month
My insurance with Sparkasse includes home insurance, personal liability insurance, and life insurance. It’s €81 every three months or about €27 a month. My cost of insurance actually went up at the end of 2020 from €64, an increase of €17.
57% of our survey respondents indicated they have other forms of insurance, with the remaining choosing to risk an insurance free life. People are paying anywhere from €5 – €60 per month, with people paying €20 on average.
8) ARD: €17.50 per month
Even though I don’t have a television or radio, I still grin and bear it by paying the controversial “TV tax” which is not really a tax but a fee that everyone must pay to fund public broadcasting in Germany (i.e. including publications like Deutsche Welle). I pay €52.50 every three months, which works out to be €17.50 a month. This cost has remain unchanged since I moved into my flat in 2016.
Cost Of Living In Berlin: Variable Monthly Expenses
1) Groceries: €400 per month
Another cost of living in Berlin is food, glorious food. Although I order takeout once or twice a week to help support local businesses, I’m cooking more at home since the pandemic started. As a result, my monthly groceries cost went up since last year and I tend to spend about €400 per month.
I mainly shop at the Edeka next to my apartment building and sometimes, at more upscale chains like Biocompany or Frischeparadies when I need higher quality ingredients to cook something more special. You can, of course, be more thrifty and do your shopping at Turkish markets or places like Aldi and Lidl.
All of the local supermarkets now offer online shopping options, which really helps for placing bulk orders and/or getting heavy items like cases of water or beer delivered. I place an online order for delivery with Rewe once per month. New startup in Berlin, Gorillas and Flink, promises to deliver groceries to your door in 10 minutes! Some people also use companies like HelloFresh to get boxes of pre-planned meals delivered.
People’s spend on groceries varied, with many reporting they spend anywhere from €50 – €600 per month on food. On average, people were coming in at €200 per month.
2) Eating Out: €150 per month
If you’re happy to eat a simple a Döner, you’ll only pay €3 – 4 at most spots around the city (even the trendy ones). If you want a basic meal out – pizza, pasta, a burger, ramen, or some form of Asian or Indian, most mains will be around €10. Dining at a more popular or upscale place will typically run you between €15-20 for a main. Berlin is filled with plenty of upscale eateries as well, with Restaurant Tim Raue being a prime example.
You can buy basic beers from any Späti (convenience store) or supermarket for €1 – 3. Buying a typical German beer in a bar or club will start at around €3 – 4, with craft beers typically starting at €5. A bottle of wine at super markets will fetch you anywhere from €3 – €12 while wine in upscale speciality shops will be more. In a bar, a glass of nicht so gut wine will start at €3 , where a decent glass of wine will start around €6.
A coffee from a bakery is usually start around €2 and fancier coffees like flat whites will fetch you around €5 at a hipster hot spot. You can also buy a decent package of coffee in the supermarket for €6 – 7 and course fork out around €20 for a high end coffee from a specialty shop like The Barn. I’ve taken order higher quality coffees online at roastmarket.de.
A great thing about Berlin is that eating out is very affordable and you can easily have a decent meal (including a glass of wine!) for €20 or so. Note, drinking alcohol, or even ordering water, will significantly add to your meal expenses.
As I work from home and go out less due to the pandemic, I’m saving a lot on eating out. I now spend about €150 a month on takeout. As I have a full time job, I’m really happy to support the restaurants who’ve suffered a lot in recent years. I tend to order out at least twice per week, sometimes three if I’m feeling lazy.
I use Lieferando to have food delivered. People who live in central areas of the city tend to favour Wolt or UberEats. When I visit other parts of the city, I order from local venues and pick-up from the restaurant directly.
People who took part in our survey said they spent anywhere from €30 – €600 per month on eating out. On average, they reported spending at least €200 enjoying Berlin’s culinary scene. Note – we never specifically asked people how much they spent on partying, so this figure would probably be higher had we asked this question.
3) BVG Tickets: €27 per month
Prior to the pandemic, I had a monthly pass which cost me €63 a month. This allowed for unlimited travel within Berlin’s A/B zone. Obviously, the pandemic placed a lot of us home and have seen us seek alternative transit options. I now walk, ride a bike, take taxis, even scooters, and very rarely, use public transit.
I use the BVG app to purchase tickets when needed. To get the most value for my money, I purchase a 4-single trip ticket for €9 about three times a month.
Our survey participants seemed to prefer public transit and riding a bike. No one talked about how often they used taxis or Uber. Very few people reported owning – or even renting cars via a car sharing program like SHARENOW. On average people were spending anywhere from €60-80 per month on public transit.
Cost Of Living In Berlin: Other Monthly Expenses
To share a comprehensive picture of how much things cost in Berlin, I’m also sharing some other common expenses that people have, even though I’m not personally paying for these particular things at this time.
1) Fitness Studios
Fitness studios have been closed during the corona times, so I cancelled my contract just this year and workout at home or outside.
Most studios offer memberships for €20 – €30 a month if you sign-up for a long term contract. In the past, I’ve held memberships at FitX and Lady Company and paid about €20 a month. If you want more flexibility and access to different types of classes and facilities, you can always signup for Urban Sports Club which has plans which range from €29,99 – €129,99 per month.
60% of people who responded to our survey say they don’t go to the gym and other 40% who do go to the gym said they paid anywhere from €10 – €110 per month. 49% of people who go to a gym, use a company like Gympass, or take special lessons have a long-term contract. On average, people are paying €37 per month.
2) Cigarettes
I’m no longer a smoker and and now two years smoke free (yeah!). Unfortunately, Berlin’s a smoking city and there are smokers everywhere. A pack of 20 cigarettes will run you about €7. Most people opt to save money and buy tobacco, papers, and filters to roll the cigarettes themselves. Others stock up when visiting other countries like Poland where cigarettes are way cheaper.
Cost Of Living In Berlin: Summary
So what is my cost of living in Berlin:
- My fixed expenses come to about €975 per month (I didn’t count health insurance as it’s automatically deducted from my gross salary).
- My variable expenses are an additional €575 per month, which I can adjust at any given time if I want to save more money. I still put aside money every month too.
- In total, my expenses come to €1,550 per month.
Our FREE Berlin Cost Of Living Calculator!
To help you figure out your monthly living expenses, use our free Berlin cost of living calculator. For added convenience, save your quote and have it emailed to you as a PDF.
Be sure to use the Email Quote feature to get a summary of the costs emailed to you.
Have we missed anything? Are there other cost of living in Berlin details you’re interested in knowing about? Let us know in the comments below.
How The Berlin Life Can Help You
1) If you like this post, check out some of our other free Berlin guides:
- Best Berlin Meetup Groups For Meeting New People – New to Berlin & looking to connect? A long veteran looking for the same? Join any of these 42 Berlin Meetup groups for meeting new people.
- Companies In Berlin Hiring Right Now – Are you looking for a job in Berlin? Then check out this ever growing list of companies in Berlin who are hiring right now.
- The Most Detailed Moving To Berlin Guide Out There – This moving to Berlin guide is the most comprehensive guide out there. Find where to learn German, find a job, secure a flat, & more.
2) If you’re looking to jumpstart your career in Berlin, check out some of our helpful resources ranging from our e-books, CV and cover letter coaching services, exclusive events, and more.
Share or save this post on Pinterest.
Hi Cheryl,
Thanks for the great post and lots of good insights. Question, since the inflation has arrived in Germany too (and not sure if we need to be concerned about this in the months to come w/ same fixed income) but wanted to ask:
how much net income one single person should make in order to live without financial worries ? Like NOT pay check to pay check…
Well, I know this is a very broad question because it depends where you want to live and how much you spend on a monthly bases; however, i checked at numbeo.com and avg net income has kept increasing since i checked a couple a months ago and I am wondering mine is fallen short? One friend said, if you want to live comfortably in berlin 4k€ net (monthly) is perfect. So if you make 3k € is it good or should i ask for a raise?
Just to give you a hint— i am staying at a temp place (furnished, everything included (bills) in Mitte. and i’m looking for a place near by or in Prenzlauer berg (1bed or studio + furnished )— the rentals range from 1200-1400 or even higher) I was told it’s difficult to find apt for 1400€ even by a real estator.
What would your take be? (I am a senior level employee)
Hi Zooey! Thanks for your kind words and of course, for stopping by our website and reading this article. We’re always thrilled to hear when people find our content helpful. <3
What you friend suggested as the ideal monthly net amount to live comfortably, is frankly beyond the reach of most Berliners. I can't tell you how many people would just dream of reaching that income level in their lifetimes. As you mentioned, providing an exact figure to live comfortably is actually impossible because the situation differs so much for each person. Even the notion of "live comfortably" can have wildly different interpretations as to what that really means. For me, I could tell you that €3,000 netto monthly is actually a very comfortable amount for most single people to live on but for others, you may think it's too little.
Because of that, we purposely avoid answering this question and leave it to you. To make things easier, we added a calculator feature to help you figure out your approximate monthly budget and plan from there. Sometimes, something as simple as expanding your desired living area or choosing a different electricity provider can make a huge difference in costs.
I'd further suggest reading our article about how much if costs to move to Germany (https://theberlinlife.com/cost-to-move-to-germany/). We get really deep into the rental costs for new flats and how it all works. For people coming from abroad, these costs are often a big surprise!
As for asking for a raise? Most (good) German companies will automatically offer all employees annual salary adjustments to take into account inflation and other factors. I’d suggest talking with your manager or your People team to find out the company’s overall policy/plans and what they can do for you individually, if anything.
Hope this helps and best of luck finding a new home! 🙂