A Breakdown Guide For The Cost of Living in Europe

We just spent 8 months in developing Asian countries living quite cheaply. Before leaving, I wrote that we were somewhat anxious about our impending move to Europe; partly due to cost, but also in dealing with undesirable weather and straight-laced Europeans.

Now, after a full week in Germany, I can safely say I was wrong on all accounts (except maybe the weather). Food is surprisingly cheap, the property is shockingly cheap, and guess what, Germans are anything but straight-laced.

Renting an Apartment

• Renting an apartment in Thailand is unbelievably cheap; we paid US$300/month
• In Berlin (Germany) we’re paying about $1,100/month
• Granted, we’re in the center of Berlin in a gorgeous period apartment
• If we rented a similar apartment, it would be about $700/month
• In Thailand, utilities are extra, so the cost went to about $450/month
• So the difference is about $250/month

Buying an Apartment

• Let’s use Lauren’s apartment in Sydney as a base, which is worth about $400k
• In Montreal (Canada), a similar apartment in an equally desirable location would be $250k
• In Bangalore (India), as above, the apartment would be about $200k
• In Chiang Mai (Thailand), the apartment would be $50-100k
• In Berlin, it’s about $60-120k

The lady we just rented our apartment from said you’d be crazy to rent in Berlin, before quickly suggesting it’s okay for short term. I think she’s right, a property is super cheap to buy, but not-so-cheap to rent.

Food Glorious Food

• A German sandwich starts at 0.80 Euro, about US$1.10, but most are about 2 Euro, so $2.80
• Pizza across the road from us (in Berlin) starts at 2.50 Euro, which is $3.50
• I bought a 500ml beer last night for 0.80 Euro, which is $1.10
• We’re yet to do proper grocery shopping, but so far food looks reasonably cheap
• Our preferred breakfast (muesli) is cheaper in Germany compared to Thailand
• Lunch is about the same price, but dinner costs a lot more here
• On average, for us, food is 30% more expensive in Germany

Transport

• For the record, we love cities that don’t require public transport (or have cheap taxis)
• In Chiang Mai (Thailand), a shared taxi is 20 Baht, so about $0.70
• In Berlin, the metro is 2.30 Euro each way, which is about $3.20
• Public transport here can get expensive and taxis are way too expensive
• It’s easy to walk in Berlin, but distances can be far
• We much preferred the pervasiveness of cheap taxis in Asia, easy and no fuss
• Berlin transport is on average 5 times more expensive

Anomalies

• Bicycles seem very expensive here: minimum 500 Euro for a new bike
• Property manager commissions are very high: 20 to 30% (5-8% in other countries)
• Beer is about the same price as most of Asia; South America is the cheapest so far
• I love the idea of pizza for $3.50