Paris vs Cologne Cost of Living

Paris (France) · Overall index 68.3Cologne (Germany) · Overall index 55.9

Summary

  • Overall, Cologne is 18% cheaper than Paris.
  • Rent in Cologne is 29% cheaper than in Paris.
  • Transport in Cologne is 20% cheaper than in Paris.
ItemParisCologneDiff
Rent-29%
1-bedroom apartment, city centre (monthly)$2,212$1,510-32%
1-bedroom apartment, outside centre (monthly)$1,295$1,059-18%
3-bedroom apartment, city centre (monthly)$4,571$2,908-36%
3-bedroom apartment, outside centre (monthly)$2,498$1,793-28%
Groceries-15%
Milk (1L)$1.03$0.92-11%
White bread (500g)$3.55$2.89-19%
Rice (1kg)$3.99$3.59-10%
Eggs (12)$4.23$3.82-10%
Local cheese (1kg)$11.6$9.26-20%
Chicken fillets (1kg)$10.3$9.63-7%
Beef round (1kg)$16.2$14.5-10%
Apples (1kg)$4.18$3.8-9%
Bananas (1kg)$1.6$1.46-9%
Oranges (1kg)$3.8$2.95-22%
Tomatoes (1kg)$4.6$3.75-18%
Potatoes (1kg)$2.65$2.16-18%
Onions (1kg)$2.15$1.86-13%
Lettuce (1 head)$2.15$1.88-13%
Water (1.5L bottle)$2.18$1.63-25%
Bottle of wine (mid-range)$12.9$10.8-16%
Transport-20%
Public transport, one-way ticket$2.26$1.62-28%
Public transport, monthly pass$98.6$80.4-18%
Taxi, base fare$3.29$2.3-30%
Taxi, per km$1.48$1.24-16%
Gasoline (1L)$0.75$0.63-16%
New compact car (e.g., VW Golf)$19,642$18,256-7%
Dining out-17%
Meal, inexpensive restaurant$20.4$13.6-33%
Meal for 2, mid-range restaurant (3 courses)$88.4$79.5-10%
Fast food combo meal$9.82$8.72-11%
Cappuccino$4.31$3.9-10%
Coke/Pepsi (0.33L, restaurant)$2.18$1.96-10%
Domestic beer (0.5L, restaurant)$5.62$4.65-17%
Imported beer (0.33L, restaurant)$6.5$5.27-19%
Water (0.33L, restaurant)$1.87$1.42-24%
Telecom-8%
Mobile plan, calls + 10GB+ data (monthly)$54.1$48-11%
Broadband internet 60Mbps+ (monthly)$63.1$44.5-29%
Prepaid mobile tariff (1 min)$0.26$0.28+8%
Video streaming subscription (monthly)$11.8$12.6+7%
Utilities & household-14%
Basic utilities, 85m² apartment (monthly)$149$120-19%
Electricity (1 kWh)$0.19$0.15-21%
Tap water (1m³)$4.41$3.26-26%
Natural gas (1m³)$1.09$1.06-3%
Waste collection (monthly)$19.8$17.7-11%
Fitness club (monthly)$62.1$61.3-1%
Cinema ticket (1 seat)$11.6$10.5-9%
Men's haircut$25.3$24.3-4%
Domestic cleaning (1 hour)$20.7$16.7-19%
Private kindergarten (monthly)$1,900$1,506-21%

3,364 total data points · Price data as of 2026-07-01 · Exchange rates as of 2026-07-15

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