Living in Cologne: cost of living, rent and salary
Updated 3 October 2026
In Cologne, a one-bedroom home costs about €590 a month. To keep the lifestyle of someone living in London, you need about €1,480 net a month. Here is the rent by type of home, the month’s budget line by line, and the sources.
Example: the same life, elsewhere
A single person living in London in a one-bedroom home, with the average spending of a similar household, spends about £3,350 a month. To keep the same life in Cologne, they would need about €1,480 net a month locally (−62%), i.e. 0.9 times the Mindestlohn.
For a couple with two children in a two-bedroom home (state school), it would take about €2,740 net a month in Cologne, i.e. 1.6 times the Mindestlohn.
Calculated on 3 October 2026 with the official averages of London and the destination’s prices. Yours depends on your city, home and habits: the calculator works it out in a few minutes, no sign-up.
Rent in Cologne
A one-bedroom home in Cologne costs about 18% more than the median of the 11 other cities tracked in the country.
| Type of home | Outside sought-after areas |
|---|---|
| Studio | €370 |
| 1 bedroom | €590 |
| 2 bedrooms | €850 |
| 3-bedroom house | €1,240 |
Monthly rent in EUR, outside the most sought-after areas. Studio 28 m², 1 bedroom 45 m², 2 bedrooms 65 m², house 95 m² where rent is known per m². Destatis, 2022 census: average rent per m² in each municipality, adjusted to what tenants who moved in since 2019 pay (2022 microcensus), including building charges, updated with the Eurostat rent index (August 2026).
A month’s budget in Cologne, line by line
For a single person renting a one-bedroom home and keeping the average habits of a household in London, here is what each line would cost in Cologne.
| Item | London | Cologne | Cologne (EUR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | £2,550 | £500 | €590 |
| Housing tax | £50 | £20 | €20 |
| Electricity, water, gas | £100 | £130 | €150 |
| Groceries | £200 | £210 | €240 |
| Restaurants and outings | £110 | £110 | €130 |
| Transport | £100 | £70 | €80 |
| Health | £40 | £0 | €0 |
| Phone and internet | £50 | £60 | €70 |
| Sport | £60 | £50 | €60 |
| Clothes | £60 | £60 | €70 |
| Hairdresser and beauty | £40 | £30 | €40 |
| Trips back to London | £0 | £20 | €20 |
| Total per month | £3,350 | £1,260 | €1,470 |
Estimate: lines without an answer take the official average of the departure city, then the destination’s prices. The calculator starts from your real amounts.
Visa, healthcare, school, electricity
These rules are the same across the country: find them on the page Living in Germany.
Frequently asked questions
What salary do you need to live in Cologne?
For a single person keeping the same life as in London: about €1,480 net a month, i.e. 0.9 times the Mindestlohn.
How much is rent in Cologne?
About €590 a month for a one-bedroom home and €850 for a two-bedroom home, according to Destatis, 2022 census.
Is it expensive to live in Cologne?
In London, a single person spends about £3,350 a month; with the same life in Cologne, it would be about £1,260 (−62%).