Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aachen and Hamburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Aachen: $1,948 a month against $2,347 in Hamburg, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Aachen
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Aachen Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Hamburg
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Hamburg Living Index

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Aachen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,948

/mo nomad

Hamburg

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,347

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aachen and in Hamburg

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Aachen and in Hamburg actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,948 per month in Aachen vs $2,347 in Hamburg, rent included.

Aachen $1,948
Hamburg $2,347

A couple spends around $2,888 per month in Aachen vs $3,488 in Hamburg, rent included.

Aachen $2,888
Hamburg $3,488

A family of three spends $3,828 per month in Aachen vs $4,628 in Hamburg, rent included.

Aachen $3,828
Hamburg $4,628

Aachen is about 17% cheaper than Hamburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Aachen and Hamburg sit above the global median – Aachen by 44%, Hamburg by 74%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.53 €13.82

$17.02 €15.14

-8.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 €54.0

$68.5 €61.0

-11.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 €9.90

$13.41 €11.93

-17.00%

Cappuccino

$3.61 €3.21

$4.49 €3.99

-19.60%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$4.20 €3.74

-35.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 €2.69

$3.22 €2.86

-5.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.01 €4.45

$5.51 €4.90

-9.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.42 €4.82

$4.86 €4.32

11.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.26 €1.12

-4.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 €1.72

$2.61 €2.32

-26.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.61 €3.21

$2.79 €2.48

29.39%

Eggs

$3.44 €3.06

$4.19 €3.73

-17.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.83 €13.19

$12.24 €10.89

21.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 €10.00

$12.00 €10.68

-6.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.37 €18.12

$18.58 €16.53

9.63%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 €2.94

$3.12 €2.78

5.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$2.40 €2.14

-7.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.93 €2.60

-30.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.47 €3.09

$4.29 €3.82

-19.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.83 €1.63

-15.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.76 €1.57

-18.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.80 €1.60

-19.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.19 €1.06

5.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.26 €9.13

$10.44 €9.29

-1.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.58 €5.85

$6.76 €6.01

-2.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €1.00

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.29 €1.15

27.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.82 €3.40

$4.46 €3.96

-14.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.3 €61.7

$71.6 €63.7

-3.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.56 €4.95

$6.74 €5.99

-17.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.50 €2.22

$3.08 €2.74

-18.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.79 €32.73

$42.00 €37.36

-12.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 €1.99

$2.28 €2.03

-2.19%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$32.6K €29.0K

$32.9K €29.3K

-1.09%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$38.0K €33.8K

$38.6K €34.3K

-1.35%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$378 €337

$384 €342

-1.58%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$17.10 €15.21

$19.76 €17.58

-13.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.02 €42.72

$39.03 €34.72

23.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.74 €32.68

$45.03 €40.05

-18.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.06 €24.96

$28.80 €25.62

-2.57%

Cinema Ticket

$15.90 €14.14

$16.44 €14.62

-3.28%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$724 €644

$509 €453

42.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.0K €16.9K

$13.5K €12.0K

41.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.8 €83.4

$83.9 €74.6

11.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.55 €36.96

$37.19 €33.08

11.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 €73.6

$94.6 €84.1

-12.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €119

$116 €103

14.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$823 €732

$1,270 €1,129

-35.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$588 €523

$934 €831

-36.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 €1,343

$2,272 €2,021

-33.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,043 €928

$1,692 €1,505

-38.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,530 €4,029

$9,500 €8,450

-52.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,431 €3,052

$5,121 €4,555

-33.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,524 €3,134

$3,647 €3,244

-3.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

3.69

7.32%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Aachen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Hamburg: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Aachen

$588 30.2%

Hamburg

$934 39.8% 58.7% $345

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aachen

$443 22.8%

Hamburg

$443 18.9% 0.1% $0.3

Groceries & Markets

Aachen

$327 16.8%

Hamburg

$335 14.3% 2.3% $7.4

Eating Out

Aachen

$260 13.3%

Hamburg

$297 12.7% 14.3% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Aachen

$158 8.1%

Hamburg

$149 6.4% 5.6% $8.9

Getting Around

Aachen

$103 5.3%

Hamburg

$112 4.8% 8.7% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Aachen

$69 3.5%

Hamburg

$78 3.3% 13.7% $9.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $823 in Aachen versus $1,270 in Hamburg. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 3% higher in Hamburg, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Aachen versus $69.0 in Hamburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $327 vs $335 – making Aachen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Aachen

🇩🇪 Hamburg

🕒 Local time

15:42 3:42 PM

Same time as Aachen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

241,683

1,812,709

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Aachen vs Hamburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,948 in Aachen, $2,347 in Hamburg – roughly 20% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,922 per month in Aachen and $3,521 in Hamburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aachen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Aachen and $69.0 in Hamburg. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,948 in Aachen and $2,347 in Hamburg. That's a gap of about 20%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Aachen, where all-in costs run around $1,948, than in Hamburg at $2,347. In Aachen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hamburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Hamburg has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,948 in Aachen to $2,347 in Hamburg. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Aachen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hamburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.