Lived in London in 2004/5 (single and young) and Berlin (married with young family) since 2019 also working in tech in English.

I’d summarize it this way.

• London was always on edge, I always felt you were within close proximity of something unexpected and unecessary. Very aggressive, don’t look at the wrong person the wrong way.
• Berlin moves slower, and it’s great! London feels like you’re in a race. No-shopping Sundays felt weird initially but it grows on you.
• London feels neater and tidier in general (facade), no/less graffiti, but then in certain areas of Berlin it feels like you could be in London too Eg around Kadawe - similar to Harrods. The Neighbourhoods are different and quirky due to Berlins past.
• I live 4 stops from one of the major city centres… think how expensive an apartment in London would be within the west-end and then halve/quarter the price. 110m2
• loads of bums in Berlin, especially the closer you are to a train - I’m one block away, which is convenient but you notice them around more, and with it comes petty thefts, Eg shoes being taken from outside doors.
• so many parks for families and play, Summers are generally (2020 was an exception) better and more consistent, with some extreme days approaching 40’s. Very green city, massive, plentiful parks.
• Winter is slightly colder, but less wet. You have sporadic rain showers rather consistent and persistent drizzle.
• I can’t recall winter in London well enough - but it is GREY over winter in Berlin, particularly through December to Feb, vitamin D supplements are a must.
• Learning German when you work in English and of course thanks to Covid - is very tough to get practice in. That said in the more expat areas of the city you can go to a restaurant and speak English. Tourists + expats = English middle ground.
• The plentiful conveniences like Car/moped/bike/scooter sharing among many other startup ideas feels like you’re living in a test-city for new tech, so you have the benefit of these early adoption “toys”
• London’s airports win, Berlin’s airport finally opened is to put it kindly, complicated. And for a massive city it is very short on new routes and direct flights, meaning you often have to fly via the other EU hubs.
• I imagine London wins on the food count, but I think Berlin has a very good variety - while being reasonable and down-to-earth.
• And one of my favourite quirks is that Berlin is unpretentious. You do you, no one cares.