Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bochum and Hamburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Bochum: $1,806 a month against $2,347 in Hamburg, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Bochum
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Bochum Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Hamburg
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Hamburg Living Index

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Bochum

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,806

/mo nomad

Hamburg

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,347

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,806 per month in Bochum vs $2,347 in Hamburg, rent included.

Bochum $1,806
Hamburg $2,347

A couple spends around $2,869 per month in Bochum vs $3,488 in Hamburg, rent included.

Bochum $2,869
Hamburg $3,488

A family of three spends $3,933 per month in Bochum vs $4,628 in Hamburg, rent included.

Bochum $3,933
Hamburg $4,628

Bochum is about 23% cheaper than Hamburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Bochum and Hamburg sit above the global median – Bochum by 34%, Hamburg by 74%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.55 €14.72

$17.02 €15.14

-2.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.2 €70.4

$68.5 €61.0

15.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 €11.05

$13.41 €11.93

-7.31%

Cappuccino

$4.16 €3.70

$4.49 €3.99

-7.35%

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

$3.17 €2.82

$4.20 €3.74

-24.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 €2.67

$3.22 €2.86

-6.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.73 €5.09

$5.51 €4.90

3.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.15 €4.58

$4.86 €4.32

5.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.26 €1.12

-3.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 €2.10

$2.61 €2.32

-9.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.65 €3.25

$2.79 €2.48

30.82%

Eggs

$3.67 €3.26

$4.19 €3.73

-12.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.61 €12.99

$12.24 €10.89

19.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.42 €11.05

$12.00 €10.68

3.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.25 €20.68

$18.58 €16.53

25.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 €2.95

$3.12 €2.78

6.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.79

$2.40 €2.14

-15.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$2.93 €2.60

-27.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 €3.58

$4.29 €3.82

-6.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.83 €1.63

-27.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.76 €1.57

-30.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.80 €1.60

-13.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.19 €1.06

-9.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.67 €8.60

$10.44 €9.29

-7.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.54 €5.82

$6.76 €6.01

-3.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.81

$1.12 €1.00

-18.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.29 €1.15

26.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.80 €3.38

$4.46 €3.96

-14.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.0 €57.8

$71.6 €63.7

-9.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.55 €4.93

$6.74 €5.99

-17.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.72 €2.42

$3.08 €2.74

-11.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.12 €30.35

$42.00 €37.36

-18.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.28 €2.03

-9.65%

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

$32.2K €28.7K

$32.9K €29.3K

-2.22%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$38.6K €34.3K

-0.07%

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

$324 €289

$384 €342

-15.60%

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

$30.22 €26.88

$19.76 €17.58

52.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.16 €32.17

$39.03 €34.72

-7.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.24 €26.89

$45.03 €40.05

-32.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.57 €23.63

$28.80 €25.62

-7.74%

Cinema Ticket

$16.45 €14.64

$16.44 €14.62

0.06%

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

$400 €356

$509 €453

-21.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K €19.4K

$13.5K €12.0K

62.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 €79.2

$83.9 €74.6

6.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.59 €37.00

$37.19 €33.08

11.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.7 €85.2

$94.6 €84.1

1.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €120

$116 €103

15.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 €716

$1,270 €1,129

-36.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$463 €411

$934 €831

-50.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,290 €1,148

$2,272 €2,021

-43.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 €902

$1,692 €1,505

-40.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,951 €3,515

$9,500 €8,450

-58.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,240 €3,772

$5,121 €4,555

-17.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,674 €2,379

$3,647 €3,244

-26.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.83

3.69

3.79%

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

Last update for Bochum: 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

Bochum

$463 25.6%

Hamburg

$934 39.8% 102% $471

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bochum

$391 21.6%

Hamburg

$443 18.9% 13.4% $52

Groceries & Markets

Bochum

$345 19.1%

Hamburg

$335 14.3% 2.9% $10

Eating Out

Bochum

$283 15.7%

Hamburg

$297 12.7% 4.9% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Bochum

$162 9%

Hamburg

$149 6.4% 8% $13

Getting Around

Bochum

$99 5.5%

Hamburg

$112 4.8% 12.3% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Bochum

$63 3.5%

Hamburg

$78 3.3% 23.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Bochum 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 36% 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 $79.0 in Bochum versus $69.0 in Hamburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $345 vs $335 – making Hamburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Bochum

🇩🇪 Hamburg

🕒 Local time

17:51 5:51 PM

Same time as Bochum

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

371,075

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

Bochum vs Hamburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,806 in Bochum, $2,347 in Hamburg – roughly 30% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,709 per month in Bochum 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 Bochum, 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 $79.0 in Bochum 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 $1,806 in Bochum and $2,347 in Hamburg. That's a gap of about 30%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Bochum, where all-in costs run around $1,806, than in Hamburg at $2,347. In Bochum 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 $1,806 in Bochum 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 Bochum. 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.