Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bielefeld and Hamburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Bielefeld: $1,928 a month against $2,383 in Hamburg, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Bielefeld
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Bielefeld Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Hamburg
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Hamburg Living Index

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Bielefeld

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,928

/mo nomad

Hamburg

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,383

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bielefeld 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 Bielefeld and in Hamburg actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,928 per month in Bielefeld vs $2,383 in Hamburg, rent included.

Bielefeld $1,928
Hamburg $2,383

A couple spends around $2,941 per month in Bielefeld vs $3,529 in Hamburg, rent included.

Bielefeld $2,941
Hamburg $3,529

A family of three spends $3,954 per month in Bielefeld vs $4,675 in Hamburg, rent included.

Bielefeld $3,954
Hamburg $4,675

Bielefeld is about 19% cheaper than Hamburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bielefeld and Hamburg sit above the global median – Bielefeld by 42%, Hamburg by 76%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.68 €12.17

$16.59 €14.76

-17.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$70.6 €62.8

-4.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.40 €13.70

$13.60 €12.10

13.24%

Cappuccino

$3.91 €3.47

$4.65 €4.14

-15.91%

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

$2.93 €2.60

$4.28 €3.80

-31.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 €2.68

$3.34 €2.97

-9.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.25 €4.67

$5.68 €5.05

-7.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.67 €4.15

$4.71 €4.19

-0.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.10

$1.19 €1.06

4.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.61 €2.32

-20.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.70 €3.29

$2.88 €2.56

28.47%

Eggs

$3.59 €3.20

$4.34 €3.86

-17.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.64 €12.13

$12.37 €11.00

10.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.65 €9.47

$12.17 €10.83

-12.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.47

$18.59 €16.53

5.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 €2.84

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.88

$2.35 €2.09

-9.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.95 €2.62

-27.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.16 €4.59

$4.14 €3.68

24.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.91 €1.69

-38.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.75 €1.56

-24.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 €1.47

$1.80 €1.60

-7.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 €0.91

$1.09 €0.97

-6.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.68 €8.61

$10.52 €9.35

-7.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.76 €5.12

$6.56 €5.83

-12.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.18 €1.05

-11.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 €1.41

$1.30 €1.16

22.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.54 €3.15

$4.41 €3.93

-19.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 €56.9

$71.0 €63.2

-9.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.56 €4.05

$6.67 €5.94

-31.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.05 €2.71

$3.04 €2.71

0.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.42 €29.73

$42.16 €37.51

-20.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.28 €2.03

-3.95%

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

$33.6K €29.9K

$32.9K €29.2K

2.25%

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

$39.2K €34.8K

$39.4K €35.0K

-0.58%

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

$300 €267

$380 €338

-21.06%

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

$29.93 €26.63

$20.60 €18.32

45.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.89 €39.04

$38.98 €34.67

12.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.95 €30.19

$45.63 €40.59

-25.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.33 €34.10

$28.67 €25.50

33.69%

Cinema Ticket

$13.75 €12.23

$16.05 €14.28

-14.33%

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

$665 €591

$512 €455

29.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.9K €27.5K

$13.5K €12.0K

129.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 €88.1

$82.4 €73.3

20.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.95 €35.54

$37.74 €33.57

5.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 €113

$97.1 €86.4

31.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 €124

$118 €105

17.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$689 €613

$1,317 €1,171

-47.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 €557

$972 €865

-35.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 €1,068

$2,327 €2,070

-48.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,162 €1,034

$1,731 €1,540

-32.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,696 €4,177

$9,875 €8,784

-52.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,244 €1,996

$5,007 €4,454

-55.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,815 €2,504

$3,616 €3,216

-22.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

3.69

7.05%

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

Last update for Bielefeld: October 20, 2026

Last update for Hamburg: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bielefeld

$627 32.5%

Hamburg

$972 40.8% 55.2% $346

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bielefeld

$374 19.4%

Hamburg

$440 18.4% 17.6% $66

Groceries & Markets

Bielefeld

$323 16.8%

Hamburg

$334 14% 3.3% $11

Eating Out

Bielefeld

$262 13.6%

Hamburg

$298 12.5% 13.7% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Bielefeld

$183 9.5%

Hamburg

$151 6.3% 17.3% $32

Getting Around

Bielefeld

$98 5.1%

Hamburg

$111 4.6% 12.9% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Bielefeld

$61 3.2%

Hamburg

$78 3.3% 26.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $689 in Bielefeld versus $1,317 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 28% 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 $68.0 in Bielefeld versus $71.0 in Hamburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $323 vs $334 – making Bielefeld the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Bielefeld

🇩🇪 Hamburg

🕒 Local time

18:05 6:05 PM

Same time as Bielefeld

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

328,012

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

Bielefeld vs Hamburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Hamburg is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,891 per month in Bielefeld and $3,575 in Hamburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 3% more in Hamburg, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Bielefeld and $71.0 in Hamburg. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Bielefeld, where all-in costs run around $1,928, than in Hamburg at $2,383. In Bielefeld it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hamburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bielefeld – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Bielefeld. 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.