Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bremerhaven and Hamburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Bremerhaven: $1,986 a month against $2,332 in Hamburg, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Bremerhaven
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Bremerhaven Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Hamburg
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Hamburg Living Index

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Bremerhaven

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,986

/mo nomad

Hamburg

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,332

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,986 in Bremerhaven versus $2,332 in Hamburg.

Bremerhaven $1,986
Hamburg $2,332

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,994 in Bremerhaven versus $3,481 in Hamburg.

Bremerhaven $2,994
Hamburg $3,481

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,001 in Bremerhaven versus $4,631 in Hamburg.

Bremerhaven $4,001
Hamburg $4,631

Living in Bremerhaven costs roughly 15% less than in Hamburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bremerhaven 46% above, Hamburg 71% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.93 €15.21

$17.03 €15.29

-0.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.9 €61.0

$73.6 €66.1

-7.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.31 €11.06

$13.65 €12.27

-9.82%

Cappuccino

$3.79 €3.41

$4.67 €4.20

-18.84%

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

$3.06 €2.75

$4.18 €3.75

-26.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 €2.55

$3.24 €2.91

-12.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 €5.05

$5.96 €5.36

-5.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.08 €4.56

$4.98 €4.48

2.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.20 €1.08

10.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.24 €2.01

$2.60 €2.33

-13.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.87 €3.48

$2.79 €2.51

38.71%

Eggs

$3.69 €3.32

$4.24 €3.81

-12.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.46 €13.89

$12.36 €11.11

25.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.16 €10.03

$12.02 €10.80

-7.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.52 €21.12

$18.94 €17.01

24.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 €2.93

$3.24 €2.91

0.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 €2.05

$2.33 €2.09

-2.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.90

$2.95 €2.65

-28.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 €3.72

$4.12 €3.70

0.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.83 €1.64

-28.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 €1.39

$1.75 €1.57

-12.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.73 €1.55

-9.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.17 €1.05

-5.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.92 €8.91

$10.07 €9.04

-1.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.45 €4.90

$6.61 €5.94

-17.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.13 €1.02

0.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.51

$1.50 €1.34

12.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.39 €3.04

$4.43 €3.98

-23.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.0 €53.9

$69.4 €62.4

-13.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.16 €4.64

$6.79 €6.10

-24.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.78 €2.49

$2.98 €2.68

-6.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.16 €32.48

$41.72 €37.48

-13.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.90

$2.29 €2.06

-7.86%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$33.0K €29.6K

0.55%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$38.9K €35.0K

-0.69%

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

$322 €289

$383 €344

-15.97%

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

$10.11 €9.08

$19.47 €17.49

-48.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.60 €41.86

$38.79 €34.84

20.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.86 €34.91

$42.26 €37.96

-8.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.78 €26.75

$28.37 €25.49

4.97%

Cinema Ticket

$13.53 €12.16

$15.46 €13.88

-12.48%

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

$411 €369

$502 €451

-18.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.7K

$13.8K €12.4K

10.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.7 €82.4

$86.6 €77.8

5.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.6 €46.32

$36.18 €32.50

42.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.2 €78.3

$101 €90.4

-13.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$169 €152

$117 €105

43.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$806 €724

$1,212 €1,088

-33.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$646 €580

$919 €825

-29.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,496 €1,344

$2,155 €1,935

-30.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,144 €1,028

$1,667 €1,498

-31.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,769 €4,284

$9,358 €8,406

-49.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,335 €2,996

$5,163 €4,638

-35.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,984 €2,681

$3,622 €3,253

-17.60%

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 Bremerhaven: October 25, 2026

Last update for Hamburg: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bremerhaven

$646 32.5%

Hamburg

$919 39.4% 42.3% $273

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bremerhaven

$378 19.1%

Hamburg

$441 18.9% 16.6% $63

Groceries & Markets

Bremerhaven

$344 17.3%

Hamburg

$335 14.3% 2.8% $9.6

Eating Out

Bremerhaven

$280 14.1%

Hamburg

$303 13% 8.2% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Bremerhaven

$180 9%

Hamburg

$153 6.6% 14.6% $26

Getting Around

Bremerhaven

$93 4.7%

Hamburg

$109 4.7% 17.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Bremerhaven

$66 3.3%

Hamburg

$73 3.1% 11% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $806 in Bremerhaven and $1,212 in Hamburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hamburg pays 21% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Bremerhaven vs $74 in Hamburg. Groceries flip the comparison at $344 vs $335, with Hamburg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Bremerhaven

🇩🇪 Hamburg

🕒 Local time

21:36 9:36 PM

Same time as Bremerhaven

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,281

1,812,709

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 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

Bremerhaven vs Hamburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,986 in Bremerhaven and $2,332 in Hamburg, so Bremerhaven is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 18% lower in Bremerhaven. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $806 in Bremerhaven versus $1,212 in Hamburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bremerhaven – a meal for two runs $68 versus $74 in Hamburg. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,986 per month in Bremerhaven versus $2,332 in Hamburg – Bremerhaven is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Bremerhaven gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Bremerhaven and Hamburg are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Bremerhaven wins on affordability, Hamburg on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.