# Cost of living in Cologne

What it costs to live in Cologne, Germany — $2,203/month for one person renting a 1-bedroom in the centre, all-in.

## Monthly budgets by household

| Household | Total USD / month |
| --- | --- |
| Single | $2,203 |
| Couple | $2,806 |
| Family (4) | $6,282 |
| Retirees | $2,806 |

Each total is rent plus food, utilities, transport, and the usual recurring costs — not a bare rent figure.

## Where the money goes (Single)

| Category | USD / month | Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Rent | $1,171 | 1BR |
| Groceries & eating out | $516 |  |
| Transport | $72 |  |
| Utilities & phones | $444 |  |

## Rent

| Apartment | USD / month |
| --- | --- |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre | $871 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre | $1,171 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre | $1,630 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre | $2,307 |

## Groceries

| Item | USD |
| --- | --- |
| Milk (1L) | $1.36 |
| Bread (loaf) | $2.26 |
| Eggs (12) | $3.92 |
| Rice (1kg) | $3.67 |
| Chicken (1kg) | $11 |
| Apples (1kg) | $2.97 |
| Tomatoes (1kg) | $3.95 |
| Potatoes (1kg) | $1.28 |
| Water (1.5L) | $1.12 |
| Wine (mid-range) | $5.73 |
| Beer (0.5L) | $1.24 |

## Eating out

| Item | USD |
| --- | --- |
| Cheap meal | $17 |
| Mid-range dinner for 2 | $87 |
| Cappuccino | $4.16 |
| Beer (draught) | $5.73 |
| Coke (0.33L) | $3.76 |

## Getting around

| Item | USD |
| --- | --- |
| Monthly pass | $72 |
| Single ride | $4.10 |
| Taxi start | $5.62 |
| Taxi per km | $2.75 |
| Gasoline (1L) | $2.10 |

## Income and short stays

- **Average net salary (after tax):** $3,150/month
- **30-day trial stay (short-let, eating out, transport, SIM):** $3,174
- **Local currency:** EUR (1 USD ≈ 0.91 EUR)

## Cities with comparable costs

| City | Rent (1-bed, centre) | Monthly total | Page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Stuttgart | $1,157 | $2,194 | /cost-of-living/stuttgart |
| Nice | $1,142 | $2,039 | /cost-of-living/nice |
| Helsinki | $1,210 | $1,945 | /cost-of-living/helsinki |
| Bologna | $1,130 | $2,163 | /cost-of-living/bologna |
| Tenerife | $1,217 | $2,042 | /cost-of-living/tenerife |

## Related pages

- Full city profile: /cities/cologne

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Source: [Townleap](https://www.townleap.com/cost-of-living/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.