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Germany is represented by Berlin, Frankfurt, and Munich on the UBS Prices and Earnings Report for 2009. Here you will be able to see differences a country can have in its cost of living depending on what city you live in within that country. From the start it is important to know that Germany may be one of the worst countries to work in when it comes to taxes. The cost of Apartments in Germany are little on the high side with food prices coming out a little higher than average. Whith the cost of living and high tax rates make sure you know what you are getting into before you take a job in Germany.
Apartment Prices:
In Berlin you will find a furnished four room apartment for between $3,100 to $1320 and a unfurnished 3 room apartment between $1390 and $710. Frankfurt is a bit more expensive with a furnished four room apartment running you between $3,610 and $2,090 and a unfurnished three room apartment running you between $2,480 and $1,110. Munich has a higher price associated with its more expensive apartments but at the low end it has a price range lower than Frankfurt. In Munich you will find a furnished four room apartment will run you between $3,770 and $1,920 and a unfurnished three room apartment will run you between $2,500 and $1,090. You can see that Munich may have more expensive apartments than both Berlin and Frankfurt but you can still find an apartment in Munich cheaper than an apartment in Frankfurt because on the low end of the scale Munich prices droop to $1,920 for a four room furnished apartment compared to Frankfurt’s low end of $2,090. The same goes with the three room unfurnished apartments were Munich as a low end of $1,090 and Frankfurt has a low end of $1,110. By far an apartment in Berlin is much cheaper than both Frankfurt and Munich. The farther you get from the city the cheaper your accommodations will be. There are other cities in Germany as well and you may find the cost of an apartment much more manageable if you decide to take a job in one of them.
Food Prices
Prices for food in Germany varies depending on what city you live in. Berlin and Frankfurt are pretty close price wise with Berlin being a little cheaper. In Munich you will pay about 10% more on groceries than in Berlin and little under 14% more than in Frankfurt. It may not sound like to much more but 10% - 14% adds up fast considering Frankfurt is already slightly higher than the average price for groceries compared to the other cities on the UBS Prices and Earnings 2009 report.
Transportation Prices
Public transportation in Berlin is cheaper than both Frankfurt and Munich with the exception of train travel. A bus, tram or metro transit of 10Km or at least ten stops will run you around $2.75 in Berlin and $3.01 in both Frankfurt and Munich. Frankfurt becomes a little more expensive when it comes to taking a taxi or train. A taxi ride of 5km within city limits will cost you about $15.36 in Frankfurt compared to $14.34 in Munich and $11.77 in Berlin. If you buy a second class ticket for the train for a journey of about 200Km you are looking at a price of $71.26 in Frankfurt and $66.24 in Berlin. Munich however is cheaper than both Berlin and Frankfurt if you are buying a ticket for the train with a price of $64.07 for a 200km trip with a second class ticket.
The costs of owning your own car in these cities are very similar to each other. In Berlin you are looking at a price of $1.55 a liter and in both Frankfurt and Munich you will pay about $0.03 more per liter. A popular car in Berlin is a VW Passat 2.0 TDI and including sales taxes it will run you about $32,100. An Audi A4 1.8 TFSI in Frankfurt and Munich will run you about $34,600. When it comes to annual vehicle tax and registration fees Berlin comes out much hither than Frankfurt and Munich with $242 a year. If you are in Frankfurt expect to pay about $158 and in Munich expect to pay about $199 a year on the above mentioned vehicles.
Services
The cost of services like phone charges, DSL, dry cleaning, movie tickets and restaurant meals in Berlin falls slightly below the Average found around the world in the cities in the UBS report but Frankfurt and Munich come out much higher putting Munich at number 22 and Frankfurt at number 17 of the most expensive cities for these services on the UBS report that covers 73 cities around the world.
Germany individual income tax rates for 2009 in (EUR)
0% 7,834
14% 7,835 – 52,552
42% 52,553 – 250,400
45% 250,401 and over
Tax rates from www.worldwide-tax.com
Advice from an Expat:
It is important to take into account how much of your gross income will be paid in taxes so you know how much net income you will have left to cover your living expenses. If your company is providing you housing and a vehicle you need to find out if you are liable for any of the taxes because it may be considered as a form of income. Many expats who make a living of living and working overseas flock to Germany to work because they love to live in Germany. If you are considering a move to Germany though you need to make sure you know how much tax you will be liable for when it comes to the German government and your own government. Do not forget to take into account how much you need to pay monthly in bills you already have.
To find a job in Germany go to the Expat Water Cooler Germany Job page and if you cannot find what you are looking for there try out the Job Search page.
Singapore (prices between March – April 2009)
Prices are in USD
Prices are from the UBS Prices and Earnings 2009 report. The UBS Prices and Earnings Reports are something we recomend all expats to take a look at. It is full of great information on the cost of living in variouse cities around the world. The cities that they cover give you a good base line for the cost of living in different areas around the world.
Tax rates from www.worldwide-tax.com
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