Cost of Living in Karlsruhe, Germany

Updated On May 10, 2022

How Much Does It Cost to Live In Karlsruhe?

Karlsruhe has a large French community close to the border with France.

Among the communities that you can join in Karlsruhe, there are Italian, Romanian, Turkish, Polish and American communities.

From an economical point of view, Karlsruhe is a convenient destination for business and work.

Perfect city infrastructure, intelligent partners and strong competitors make Karlsruhe a leader in the business relations in Germany.

You will always find a place to work, a space to live, and a picturesque view through your window.

By the way, Karlsruhe is one of the cities where the sun is so often in the sky that you can even forget you are in Germany.

The winters are sunny too, but cold.

Cost of Living Index:
69.26
* Based on Research & User Data
Restaurants

RESTAURANTS

Mid-range and luxurious restaurants in Karlsruhe offer Asian, Greek, African and Italian foods.

Apart from the traditional three-course meals, you can have lunch in a cafe or bistro for a little more than $10.

There is always something to eat for vegetarians, meat-eaters, healthy diet keepers, burger lovers, or seafood seekers.

Markets

MARKETS

To start with, there’s an important notice about the hours of work in the shops and supermarkets in Karlsruhe.

Sunday is a day off for most of the stores and shopping spaces.

Still, you can buy some milk at a gas station or railway station if you need it urgently.

The outdoor food markets are daily, or you can buy basic products in specialty stores like Turkish, Italian, Asian or similar.

Transportation

TRANSPORTATION

Karlsruhe is connected with the neighboring cities and towns by long cycling routes, rails, and air connection.

Locals often use buses, private cars, and special tram-trains, the trams which run on the train rails around the city.

Tourists with legal driving licenses rent cars.

Utilities

UTILITIES (MONTHLY)

One of the best things in Karlsruhe is the sorting of the garbage and management of the waste.

You will have to be like the other locals to use different bins for every sort of products you send to the bin.

A clean city and air are what the citizens pay money here for, not mentioning the electricity, water, and heating/cooling system.

Sports and leisure

SPORTS & LEISURE

Lots of German clubs open their doors to the visitors eager to do sports and recreate in Karlsruhe.

Boys choose boxing, track and field, and football while girls are more interested in gymnastics, fitness, yoga, and dancing.

The last two are extremely popular in Karlsruhe.

Clothing and shoes

CLOTHING & SHOES

For clothing and shoes, you will probably go Monday through Saturday.

As a matter of fact, not only the markets but all the shopping centers and malls are closed on Sunday.

On the other weekday, you can find clothes and shoes in the chain store which are cheaper than Hamburg, Berlin or Heidelberg.

Rent per month

RENT PER MONTH

A shared apartment is the most convenient way to save money yet having a decent space for life.

To find an apartment, you should first ask from your colleagues or friends, then contact the online portals, dial numbers from the estate agents, or use social media to find you a “nest”.

Cost of Living Averages Table for Karlsruhe

*Note: All prices are indicated in USD.
Average Restaurant Prices
Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant)$11.20
Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter)$3.86
Water (0.33 Liter)$1.69
Average Market Prices
Milk (1 Liter)$0.77
Loaf Bread (500g)$1.55
Eggs (12)$1.87
Average Transport Prices
One Way Ticket$2.80
Monthly Pass$68.89
Gasoline$1.59
Average Utilities Prices
Basic (Water, Electricity, Garbage, Heating, Cooling)$212.56
1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local$0.12
Internet (Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)$33.42
Average Leisure Prices
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult$42.71
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour)$18.30
Cinema, 1 Seat, International Release$13.44
Average Clothing Prices
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Comparable)$86.81
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, etc...)$32.67
1 Pair of Adidas Walking Shoes (Mid-Range)$106.41
Average Rent Prices
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Center$625.05
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Center$525.07
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Center$1369.76

How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Karlsruhe?

The average person spends about 31.2% on markets.

There are four or five open-air markets, one of which works on Sunday, too.

Thus, the products are ecologically clean, the prices are affordable low and the Karlsruhe citizens prefer buying fresh farmer products and cooking at home.

The restaurants and markets take respectively 14.1% and 13.4% of the income.

The second place is given to rent per month.

The least is spent on clothes and shoes.

Monthly utilities take only 7.8% of all the income, and sports and leisure time expenses equal 6.4%.

Average Costs Breakdown

14.1%
31.2%
13.4%
7.8%
6.4%
3.3%
23.8%

Karlsruhe: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages

An average employer pays his average employee $3052 in Karlsruhe.

This is more than in any other big city like Hamburg, Berlin, or Dusseldorf.

This is due to the fact that the city is highly developed in technologies, international business relations, foreign company offices, and closeness to the border.

The mortgage interest rate in this German city is low and makes as much as 1.85% annually.

The brokers and the banks usually give housing loans to reliable workers, who are able to cover the expenses for 20 years.

The national minimum wage is fixed all over Germany and keeps at the level of $1782.8 per month.

Hourly rates are possible but they are different for every professional niche.

Average Salary$3052.42
Minimum Wage$1782.8
Mortgage Interest Rate1.85%

Cost of Living by City in Karlsruhe

CityCost of Living Index
Aachen67.33
Berlin67.75
Bonn69.14
Bremen68.93
Cologne67.36
Dresden65.92
Dusseldorf73
Frankfurt71.64
Hamburg72.15
Hanover64.57
Heidelberg70.82
Leipzig66.04
Mannheim68.35
Munich73.79
Nuremberg66.44
Stuttgart67.46

Where to Next?

See these related locations:

Or, browse the country/city indexes:

Cost of Living - Country Index Cost of Living - City Index

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