Germany price guide
Short answer: expensive, even at local prices. Fair prices sit 79% above the 60-country median, and tourist prices are about 2.2× the fair price.
29 prices checked May – Aug 2026 11 verified and 18 estimates How I check
All 29 prices are also in the free app for iPhone and Android, and they work offline. Get it
About $44 or $90 a day.
The first number is what locals pay, the second what tourist spots charge for exactly the same day.
Same day, same things: the tourist version costs 2.1× as much.
Restaurant meal alone: €36.50, or 46% of the tourist-trap day.
+€41 (about $46) for the same day
| Item | Fair (€) | Trap (€) |
|---|---|---|
| Street food meal | 6.75 | 12 |
| Restaurant meal | 16 | 36.50 |
| Coffee (espresso) | 2.30 | 4.25 |
| Water 1.5 L | 0.85 | 2.75 |
| Local beer | 4.25 | 7.50 |
| Public transit ticket 2 rides | 6.80 | 12.50 |
| Short taxi ride about 1 km | 2.40 | 4.25 |
| Total | 39 | 80 |
Tourist-trap price compared with the fair price, using the middle of each range.
Pick what you are buying, type the price, and see where it lands.
about $5.60
Tourist-trap price
€5 is 2.1× the middle of the fair range (€2.00 – €2.80).
Tourists often get charged €3.50 – €5.00. From €3.50 you are paying the tourist-trap price.
In the app, every expense you log on a trip gets the same check, offline.
What 29 everyday things should cost, and what tourists often pay instead. Typical for Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Cologne, Frankfurt, and Dresden.
Bars run from zero to each item's top tourist-trap price.
Restaurant meal: fair is €12 – €20. From €28 you are on the tourist menu.
Bottled, convenience store
Verified ·Cafe or street vendor
Verified ·Draft, at bar or restaurant
Verified ·Tourist area, main course
Verified ·Local market or stand
Estimate, reviewedMixed drink, bar
Estimate, reviewedHouse wine, restaurant
Estimate, reviewedCafe or street stall
Estimate, reviewedAirport taxi to the center: fair is €50 – €70. At €80 or more, walk away.
Standard route
Verified ·Metered or typical fare
Verified ·Single ride
Verified ·Grab / Bolt / Uber
Verified ·Fridge magnet: fair is €1.50 – €4.00. From €5 you are paying the souvenir-stall markup.
Tourist shop
Estimate, reviewedTourist shop
Estimate, reviewedCeramics, textiles, etc.
Estimate, reviewedTourist SIM: fair is €10 – €20. From €25 it is the tourist-kiosk price.
Data package
Estimate, reviewedPharmacy or shop
Estimate, reviewedSupermarket
Verified ·Pack of 20
Verified ·Pack of 20 tablets
Estimate, reviewedSpray or lotion
Estimate, reviewedOne-hour massage: fair is €45 – €75. From €90 you are paying for the address.
Local barbershop
Estimate, reviewedLaundry service
Estimate, reviewedStandard full-body massage
Estimate, reviewedBasic cut, salon
Estimate, reviewedTop museum or attraction: fair is €12 – €20. From €25, check that you are not buying through a reseller.
Entrance ticket
Verified ·Organized excursion
Estimate, reviewedOrganized excursion 6-8h
Estimate, reviewedLocal cuisine cooking class
Estimate, reviewedConverted at 1 USD = 0.8888 EUR, the rate on October 3, 2026. Approximate.
Currency
Euro (EUR)
Quick converter, EUR to USD
When a card terminal or ATM offers to charge you in your home currency, choose EUR. The rate it offers is almost always worse.
Tipping is modest in Germany: round up or add 5-10% for good service. When paying, tell the server the total you want to pay (e.g. '20' for an €18 bill) as they take the card or cash; do not leave coins on the table. Service is included in the menu price.
Prices in Germany are fixed almost everywhere; haggling in shops or restaurants is not done and seen as rude. The exception is flea markets (Flohmarkt), where polite bargaining is normal, especially near closing time. Berlin's Mauerpark and Boxhagener Platz markets are popular spots.
What tourists actually run into, from overcharging tricks to local laws. Open any item for the details.
People posing as plainclothes police claim there are counterfeit notes nearby and ask to inspect your cash or ID, then palm money or cards. Real German police in plain clothes will show a badge and never need to handle your money. Ask for uniformed officers or call 110.
Crowded transport hubs and squares (Berlin Alexanderplatz, Cologne Hauptbahnhof, U-Bahn platforms, Christmas markets) attract pickpockets who work in teams and use distractions. Keep your phone and wallet in a front pocket or zipped bag, and stay alert when boarding crowded trains.
Someone ties a bracelet on your wrist or hands you a flower 'for free' then demands payment, while petition signers crowd in and distract you for an accomplice. Keep your hands to yourself, say a firm 'nein', and walk on. These cluster around the Brandenburg Gate and other big sights.
Some BER airport drivers quote a fixed price or 'forget' the meter, then charge well above the usual €58-70 to central Berlin. By law the meter (Taxameter) must run; insist on it or agree a price in writing first. The S-Bahn or regional train into the city is about €5.
112 is the free EU-wide number for medical emergencies and fire, reachable from any phone without credit. Dial 110 for police. Operators in cities usually speak English.
Many bakeries, bars and small shops are cash-only, so keep euros on you. Bottles and cans carry a Pfand deposit (€0.08-0.25) you reclaim at supermarket machines. Crossing on a red pedestrian light is frowned upon, especially with children around. Most shops close on Sundays, so stock up on Saturday.
Generic magnets and T-shirts near landmarks are marked up heavily. For everyday goods, sunscreen and snacks, drugstores like dm and Rossmann are cheap and everywhere. For real keepsakes look for Christmas-market crafts, Erzgebirge woodwork or a proper beer stein from an established shop.
Cars use the Autobahn toll-free (no vignette needed). But many city centres are low-emission zones (Umweltzone) that require a green Umweltplakette sticker on the windscreen, or you risk a fine. Fuel is priced per litre and is cheaper away from motorway service stations.
The prices on this page are typical for these cities and the tourist areas around them.
The TruePrice Index for Germany, next to the countries people weigh it against and its nearest neighbors, all on one scale. 100 is the median of the 60 countries I track.
Poland 121 Prices about 32% lower than in Germany 
Hungary 141 Prices about 21% lower than in Germany 
Croatia 154 Prices about 14% lower than in Germany 
Czech Republic 157 Prices about 12% lower than in Germany Germany 179 This page 
France 193 Prices about 8% higher than in Germany 
Switzerland 315 Prices about 76% higher than in Germany Short answer: expensive, even at local prices. Fair prices sit 79% above the 60-country median, and tourist prices are about 2.2× the fair price. On the TruePrice Index, Germany scores 179, the 6th most expensive of the 60 countries I track.
Roughly €39 (about $44) a day at fair prices, or €80 (about $90) at tourist prices. That covers two meals, a coffee, a bottle of water, a beer, two transit rides and a short taxi ride. Sightseeing comes on top (€12 – €20 for a top museum or attraction), and accommodation is not included.
Tipping is modest in Germany: round up or add 5-10% for good service. When paying, tell the server the total you want to pay (e.g. '20' for an €18 bill) as they take the card or cash; do not leave coins on the table. Service is included in the menu price.
The euro (EUR). On October 3, 2026, 1 USD was worth 0.8888 EUR. Card terminals and ATMs that offer to charge you in your home currency usually give a worse rate, so pay in EUR.
A restaurant main course is €12 – €20 (about $14 – $23) at fair prices, while tourist menus charge €28 – €45. A street food meal runs €5.00 – €8.50. A local beer is €3.50 – €5.00 (about $3.90 – $5.60), or €6 – €9 in tourist bars.
Budget roughly €39 (about $44) a day for food, drinks and getting around at local prices, or about €80 (about $90) at tourist prices. Add €12 – €20 for each major sight, plus your accommodation.
Call 112, the general emergency number. Use it for ambulance and fire brigade. Direct lines: police 110.
Where these numbers come from, and how sure I am about each one.
How to cite
TruePrice Index, October 2026, truepriceapp.com/en/trueprice-index/
Spotted a price that looks off? Email me at [email protected] and I will check it.
Check the fair price at the market stall or in the taxi, before you pay. Free on iPhone and Android.
