City comparison
Berlin vs Amsterdam: which is better to live in?
Quick verdict
Berlin is the cheaper of the two — our estimate for a single person is about €700 a month less than Amsterdam, mostly because of rent. Amsterdam has the milder winter (about 7°C vs 4°C average highs in Dec–Feb). They’re in different countries, so visa routes, taxes and healthcare differ too — see below.
Choose Berlin for
- Affordability
- Public transport
- Nightlife
- Remote-work scene
- Lower living costs
Choose Amsterdam for
- Flights home
- English-friendliness
- Safety
- Walkability
Berlin vs Amsterdam at a glance
| Berlin | Amsterdam | |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Germany | Netherlands |
| Single budget / month | €2,400 | €3,100 |
| Couple budget / month | €3,550 | €4,500 |
| 1-bed rent, center | €1,250 | €1,900 |
| Winter highs (Dec–Feb) | 4°C / 39°F | 7°C / 44°F |
| Summer highs (Jun–Aug) | 24°C / 76°F | 22°C / 71°F |
| Sunshine (hours/yr) | 1,759 | 1,780 |
| City size | Capital / metropolis | Capital / metropolis |
| Coastal | No | No |
| Direct flights to the US | Yes | Yes |
| Affordability | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Sunny, warm climate | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| English-friendliness | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Safety | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Walkability | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Public transport | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Nature & green space | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Beach life | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Mountains nearby | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Culture | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Nightlife | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Family life | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Remote-work scene | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Expat community | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Flights home | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Calm, slower pace | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
Cost of living: Berlin or Amsterdam?
By our estimates, a comfortable mid-range life costs about €2,400 a month for one person in Berlin and €3,100 in Amsterdam, rent included. For a couple it’s €3,550 vs €4,500, and for a family of four €4,800 vs €5,850.
Rent drives most of the gap: a one-bedroom in the center runs about €1,250 in Berlin against €1,900 in Amsterdam, while a monthly transit pass costs €63 vs €100. Want to plug in your own lifestyle? Use the cost of living calculator.
Climate and weather
Winters average highs of about 4°C (39°F) in Berlin and 7°C (44°F) in Amsterdam. In summer it’s roughly 24°C vs 22°C. Berlin gets about 1,759 hours of sunshine a year and Amsterdam about 1,780.
1,759 hours of sunshine a year · 532 mm of rain a year · Source: DWD 1991-2020 normals (Berlin station), via the Wikipedia climate table
Monthly temperatures in °C and °F
| Month | Avg high | Avg low |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3°C / 38°F | -2°C / 28°F |
| Feb | 5°C / 41°F | -2°C / 29°F |
| Mar | 9°C / 48°F | 0°C / 33°F |
| Apr | 15°C / 59°F | 4°C / 39°F |
| May | 20°C / 67°F | 8°C / 47°F |
| Jun | 23°C / 73°F | 12°C / 53°F |
| Jul | 25°C / 77°F | 14°C / 57°F |
| Aug | 25°C / 77°F | 14°C / 56°F |
| Sep | 20°C / 68°F | 10°C / 50°F |
| Oct | 14°C / 57°F | 6°C / 42°F |
| Nov | 8°C / 46°F | 2°C / 35°F |
| Dec | 4°C / 39°F | -1°C / 30°F |
1,780 hours of sunshine a year · 850 mm of rain a year · Source: KNMI 1991-2020 normals (Amsterdam Schiphol), via the Wikipedia climate table
Monthly temperatures in °C and °F
| Month | Avg high | Avg low |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6°C / 43°F | 1°C / 34°F |
| Feb | 7°C / 44°F | 1°C / 34°F |
| Mar | 10°C / 50°F | 3°C / 37°F |
| Apr | 14°C / 58°F | 5°C / 41°F |
| May | 18°C / 64°F | 9°C / 47°F |
| Jun | 20°C / 69°F | 11°C / 52°F |
| Jul | 23°C / 73°F | 14°C / 56°F |
| Aug | 22°C / 72°F | 13°C / 56°F |
| Sep | 19°C / 67°F | 11°C / 52°F |
| Oct | 15°C / 58°F | 8°C / 46°F |
| Nov | 10°C / 50°F | 5°C / 40°F |
| Dec | 7°C / 44°F | 2°C / 35°F |
Daily life
Berlin is a capital / metropolis; Amsterdam is a capital / metropolis. Berlin is Germany's cheapest big city by a margin, with a huge creative, startup and freelancer scene and the best nightlife in our set. Bureaucracy, slow landlords and a tight rental market are the price of admission, and you can get a long way in English but not everywhere. Amsterdam is the most international city in our set: English works nearly everywhere, the cycling is easy, and Schiphol connects you to almost anywhere. The cost is housing: rent is among the highest we cover and finding a flat is competitive.
Living in Berlin: the upsides and downsides
- Large freelance, startup and creative community with a Freelance (Freiberufler) visa route
- Fast, cheap public transit with the EUR 63 national ticket
- Lakes, parks and cycling within the city
- Downside: Finding an apartment is hard and competitive; expect paperwork like Schufa credit reports
- Downside: Dark, grey winters with highs around 3 degrees in January
Living in Amsterdam: the upsides and downsides
- English works in shops, offices and most municipal services
- Flat, bike-first, compact
- Schiphol nonstops to many US and Canadian cities
- Downside: Rent and housing scarcity, with long waits for mid-priced rentals
- Downside: Rainy, windy, mild weather with limited sunshine
Visas and residency
Berlin is in Germany and Amsterdam is in Netherlands. The main routes for each:
- Germany EU Blue Card — Work permit, open, €4,225/mo income
- Germany Freelance Visa (Freiberufler) — Freelance visa, open
- Germany Opportunity Card — Work permit, open, €1,091/mo income
- Netherlands DAFT Visa (Dutch American Friendship Treaty) — Entrepreneur route, open, €4,500 investment
- Netherlands Highly Skilled Migrant Permit — Work permit, open, €5,942/mo income
Read the full guides: living in Berlin and living in Amsterdam.
Related comparisons
- Berlin vs Munich
- Amsterdam vs Rotterdam
- Dublin vs Amsterdam
- Berlin vs Dublin
- Amsterdam vs Cork
- Amsterdam vs Geneva
- Amsterdam vs Munich
- Berlin vs Rotterdam
- Amsterdam vs Zurich
- Berlin vs Budapest
Costs are our estimates for a comfortable mid-range lifestyle; scores are editorial, relative to the 40 cities we cover. Methodology.