Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bremen and Freiburg im Breisgau

For one person, living is cheaper in Bremen: $2,002 a month against $2,169 in Freiburg im Breisgau, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Bremen
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Bremen Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Freiburg im Breisgau
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Freiburg im Breisgau Living Index

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Bremen

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,002

/mo nomad

Freiburg im Breisgau

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,169

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bremen and in Freiburg im Breisgau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,002 in Bremen versus $2,169 in Freiburg im Breisgau.

Bremen $2,002
Freiburg im Breisgau $2,169

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,091 in Bremen versus $3,406 in Freiburg im Breisgau.

Bremen $3,091
Freiburg im Breisgau $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,180 in Bremen versus $4,643 in Freiburg im Breisgau.

Bremen $4,180
Freiburg im Breisgau $4,643

Living in Bremen costs roughly 8% less than in Freiburg im Breisgau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bremen 48% above, Freiburg im Breisgau 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.05 €16.05

$16.72 €14.87

7.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.6 €73.5

$77.0 €68.5

7.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.86 €10.55

$11.10 €9.87

6.85%

Cappuccino

$4.05 €3.60

$4.01 €3.57

1.00%

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

$3.42 €3.04

$3.82 €3.40

-10.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 €2.51

$3.33 €2.97

-15.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.65 €5.03

$5.65 €5.02

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 €3.95

$4.54 €4.03

-2.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.40 €1.24

1.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 €1.77

$2.04 €1.81

-2.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.85 €3.43

$3.74 €3.32

2.94%

Eggs

$3.81 €3.39

$3.43 €3.05

11.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.09 €11.64

$18.38 €16.35

-28.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.52 €10.25

$10.42 €9.27

10.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.57 €23.63

$25.74 €22.89

3.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 €3.04

$3.18 €2.83

7.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.17 €1.93

1.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$2.00 €1.77

11.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.06 €3.61

$3.95 €3.52

2.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 €1.42

$1.09 €0.97

46.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 €1.33

$1.10 €0.98

36.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 €1.47

$1.47 €1.31

12.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.21 €1.08

11.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.68 €8.61

$9.86 €8.77

-1.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.65 €5.02

$6.87 €6.11

-17.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.18 €1.05

-7.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.68 €1.50

-7.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.44 €3.06

$3.19 €2.83

7.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.7 €63.7

$68.4 €60.9

4.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.97 €2.64

$4.55 €4.05

-34.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.08 €2.74

$3.22 €2.87

-4.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.96 €38.22

$44.43 €39.52

-3.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.09 €1.86

9.09%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$33.1K €29.5K

0.32%

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

$38.1K €33.9K

$38.5K €34.3K

-1.03%

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

$315 €280

$233 €207

35.26%

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

$31.57 €28.08

$38.39 €34.14

-17.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.66 €30.83

$52.7 €46.86

-34.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.85 €33.67

$41.89 €37.26

-9.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.44 €23.52

$12.91 €11.49

104.80%

Cinema Ticket

$14.69 €13.07

$14.89 €13.25

-1.34%

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

$406 €361

$484 €431

-16.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K €17.4K

$15.9K €14.2K

22.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 €101

$101 €89.7

12.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$75.9 €67.6

$44.68 €39.74

69.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.6 €79.7

$99.3 €88.3

-9.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 €112

$172 €153

-26.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$873 €776

$1,093 €972

-20.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 €556

$849 €756

-26.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,588 €1,413

$2,182 €1,941

-27.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 €1,028

$1,717 €1,527

-32.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,005 €4,452

$7,428 €6,607

-32.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,284 €3,810

$4,713 €4,192

-9.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,299 €2,935

$3,245 €2,886

1.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.92

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

Last update for Bremen: October 19, 2026

Last update for Freiburg im Breisgau: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bremen

$626 31.3%

Freiburg im Breisgau

$849 39.2% 35.8% $224

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bremen

$381 19.1%

Freiburg im Breisgau

$324 14.9% 15% $57

Groceries & Markets

Bremen

$351 17.6%

Freiburg im Breisgau

$353 16.3% 0.5% $1.8

Eating Out

Bremen

$291 14.5%

Freiburg im Breisgau

$281 13% 3.3% $9.5

Clothing & Footwear

Bremen

$182 9.1%

Freiburg im Breisgau

$187 8.6% 3% $5.5

Getting Around

Bremen

$104 5.2%

Freiburg im Breisgau

$102 4.7% 1.9% $2

Sport & Entertainment

Bremen

$67 3.4%

Freiburg im Breisgau

$72 3.3% 6.6% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $873 in Bremen and $1,093 in Freiburg im Breisgau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bremen pays 2% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $83.0 in Bremen vs $77.0 in Freiburg im Breisgau. Groceries flip the comparison at $351 vs $353, with Bremen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Bremen

🇩🇪 Freiburg im Breisgau

🕒 Local time

13:41 1:41 PM

Same time as Bremen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

551,767

230,219

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Bremen Freiburg im Breisgau 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Bremen
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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

Bremen vs Freiburg im Breisgau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bremen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 8% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 2% higher in Bremen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $873 in Bremen versus $1,093 in Freiburg im Breisgau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bremen – a meal for two runs $83.0 versus $77.0 in Freiburg im Breisgau. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,002 per month in Bremen versus $2,169 in Freiburg im Breisgau – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,002 in Bremen versus $2,169 in Freiburg im Breisgau, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Bremen but tight or insufficient in Freiburg im Breisgau. The gap between the two cities makes Bremen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Bremen and Freiburg im Breisgau are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bremen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Freiburg im Breisgau. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.