Cost of living in various cities in Germany

I live in NYC and I know the cost of living here varies on where you live. NYC is obviously ten times more expensive than living in place like Columbus, OH for instance.

I was curious to how the cities in Germany compare:

Düsseldorf
Koln
Munich
Berlin
Frakfurt
Stuttgart
Hamburg

Of course I realize some areas in these cities are also more expensive than other areas... I mean I know living in Soho or Tribeca is more expensive than living in Astoria or Forest Hills in NYC.

Rent + Utilities + Subway (Ubahn) = ?

What is the average I can expect in those cities?

I guess it's safe to say that Berlin is the cheapest, followed by Köln/Düsseldorf.

It's only really rent that varies to any great extent. A loaf of bread costs pretty much the same wherever you are. Munich and environs is the most expensive region to rent in because it's where all the jobs are.

And depends on your lifestyle.
You can get a six pack of beer cheaper to drink at home than one beer in a bar.
And the price of a beer in a bar can vary a lot.

Very true - however its not just the beer. What do you expect to do in any spare time you have? If you are in Munich you have the Alps with Skiing in the Winter on your doorstep - but that costs a certain amount! Other places offer other activities - at varying costs...

So you have to look at the whole picture - and there is a certain amount of guesswork involved.

I am surprised to hear that Berlin is cheaper than Köln or Düsseldorf. I wouldn't have expected that.

I did do some searching on here... but its nice to hear from others. Its interesting to hear new people's opinions, plus they may add something new to the topic that could be of help to more people than just me.

Have you read these Wiki pages: Apartment rental - Germany, Apartments in Berlin, Apartments in Munich? (The last two have a section on rental prices.)

You can also (if you haven't done so already) look through the regional classifieds on this site to get an idea of rents in different parts of the country.

Mietspiegel of rents in 325 German towns/cities for average flats of 65 square meters ...

Don't assume that apartments come with kitchens. You'll have to add that into the moving costs unless you're lucky enough to find one with a kitchen installed. And of course, closets and ceiling lights.

Hmm...I don't really understand why a kitchen wouldn't already be installed. Why take the kitchen with you when you leave? Or do people mostly manage without installed kitchens, sort of like dorm rooms?

Just my 2cents: It costs additional money to install a kitchen in a newly built house. The company or person who buys the apartment will try to avoid the costs. If they install a cheap kitchen possible renters might say that they would like to rent, but the kitchen looks too cheap. If they install an expensive kitchen the rent will be higher. So they leave the kitchen empty and the first renter can buy a kitchen he likes. If he has to (wants) move to another town he has two options. 1. selling the kitchen to his successor - and getting only 20% of the costs of the kitchen or nothing if they already have a kitchen. (+ buying a new kitchen of course) 2. take the kitchen to the new apartment and adopt it. Normally you can still buy parts for a kitchen if it is less than 5 years old. Option 2 will definitely be cheaper.
In 2002 we moved into a new apartment (without kitchen) so we bought an Ikea kitchen. In 2004 we moved into a larger apartment with a horrible dark kitchen. We asked the landlord to remove it (using a sledgehammer it took less than 30mins) installed the parts from our old kitchen and bought additional cabinets.
If you only live in Germany for a short time it can be fairly expensive. However, remember that expats are only a minority in Germany.