# Cologne — relocation profile

Cologne, Germany · Full democracy · livability 83/100

## At a glance

- **Country:** Germany
- **Region:** Europe
- **Estimated monthly cost of living (solo, renting in the centre):** $3,165/month
- **Livability score:** 83 / 100 (rank 4 of 132 Townleap cities)
- **Settler safety score:** 85 / 100 (rank 34 of 132)
- **Cost vs New York City:** 65% cheaper
- **Also appears in:** Remote Workers, Lowest Crime, Budget Maximizers, European Dream, Fresh Start Cities, Hidden Gems, Family-Friendly Cities, English-Friendly Cities, Retire Abroad, Warm & Affordable Europe, Young Professionals, Free Societies, Strong Democracy, Queer Settlers, Leaving the UK, Freelance-Friendly

## Cost of living

| Item | USD / month |
| --- | --- |
| Rent — 1-bed, city centre | $1,171 |
| Rent — 1-bed, outside centre | $871 |
| Rent — 3-bed, city centre | $2,307 |
| Average net salary (after tax) | $3,150 |
| **Total monthly cost (solo, rent included)** | **$3,165** |

Reference point: 27% cheaper than Munich.

## Settling

- **Democracy index (EIU, 0–10):** 8.7
- **Regime type:** Full democracy
- **Homicide rate:** 1.0 per 100,000/year
- **Time to permanent residency:** 5 years
- **Time to citizenship:** 5 years
- **English proficiency:** Very High (EF EPI 615)
- **Main languages:** German

## Day to day

- **Summer (low–high):** 15–24°C
- **Winter (low–high):** 2–7°C
- **Internet speed:** 189.26 Mbps
- **Healthcare index (0–100):** 84.1

## Economy

- **GDP per capita:** $73,552 (2024, country-level)
- **Inflation:** 2.3% (2024)
- **Unemployment:** 3.7% (2025)
- **Population:** 1,087,353

## Similar cities

| City | Country | Rent (1-bed, centre) | Monthly cost | Page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Salzburg | Austria | $1,537 | $3,773 | /cities/salzburg |
| Vienna | Austria | $1,303 | $3,410 | /cities/vienna |
| Prague | Czech Republic | $1,228 | $2,981 | /cities/prague |
| Bilbao | Spain | $1,259 | $3,036 | /cities/bilbao |
| Porto | Portugal | $1,297 | $2,862 | /cities/porto |

## Related pages

- Cost of living breakdown: /cost-of-living/cologne
- Compare with another city: /cities/compare
- Visa and residency paths: /cities/cologne/visa

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Source: [Townleap](https://www.townleap.com/cities/cologne) — permanent-relocation data for people picking a country to actually live in, not visit.

Cost figures are Numbeo-derived and in USD unless labelled otherwise. Economics are World Bank. Every number on this page is also on the HTML page at the same URL — this variant exists so you do not have to parse a React app to read a rent figure.