Cost of Living Comparison Between Cologne and Hamburg Cost of Living Comparison Between Cologne and Hamburg

πŸ™‚ Solo nomad: Cologne is 3.8% cheaper than Hamburg without rent, and 1.6% cheaper with rent.
πŸ™‚ Family of 3: Cologne is 7.1% cheaper than Hamburg without rent, and 5.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cologne
Hamburg
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.15 €13.95
$20.03 €17.3
-19.37%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$81.3 €70.2
$94.2 €81.4
-13.75%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.59 €10.01
$13.78 €11.89
-15.89%
Cappuccino
$4.26 €3.67
$4.65 €4.02
-8.39%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.29 €2.84
$3.65 €3.15
-9.86%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.06 €2.64
$3.19 €2.76
-4.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.34 €4.61
$5.74 €4.96
-6.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.69 €4.05
$5.51 €4.76
-14.88%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Cologne
Hamburg
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.3 €1.12
$1.39 €1.2
-6.47%
White Bread (500g)
$2.36 €2.04
$2.13 €1.84
10.80%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.5 €3.03
$3.43 €2.96
2.04%
Eggs
$4.15 €3.58
$3.71 €3.2
11.86%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.08 €13.02
$14.51 €12.53
3.93%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$15.97 €13.79
$13.3 €11.48
20.08%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.96 €18.1
$21.59 €18.64
-2.92%
Apples (1kg)
$3.09 €2.67
$3.41 €2.94
-9.38%
Banana (1kg)
$1.84 €1.59
$2.26 €1.95
-18.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.26 €1.95
$2.38 €2.06
-5.04%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.9 €4.23
$4.67 €4.03
4.93%
Potato (1kg)
$1.56 €1.34
$1.57 €1.36
-0.64%
Onion (1kg)
$1.68 €1.45
$1.55 €1.34
8.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.92 €1.66
$1.96 €1.7
-2.04%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 €0.99
$1.03 €0.89
11.65%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.57 €8.26
$9.51 €8.21
0.63%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.81 €5.88
$6.95 €6
-2.01%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.06 €0.91
$1.14 €0.98
-7.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 €1.46
$1.56 €1.34
8.33%
🚌 Getting Around
Cologne
Hamburg
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.79 €3.27
$4.15 €3.58
-8.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$61.7 €53.3
$66.9 €57.7
-7.73%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.58 €4.82
$7.07 €6.1
-21.07%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.09 €1.8
$2.82 €2.43
-25.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$35.21 €30.4
$44.12 €38.09
-20.19%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.02 €1.74
$1.98 €1.71
2.02%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.2K €26.9K
$31.2K €27K
-0.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.4K €30.6K
$39.9K €34.4K
-11.19%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cologne
Hamburg
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$400 €345
$369 €318
8.40%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.14 €21.7
$21.31 €18.4
17.97%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$51.2 €44.17
$38.79 €33.49
31.89%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Cologne
Hamburg
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.58 €35.04
$47.71 €41.19
-14.94%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$32.2 €27.81
$24 €20.72
34.17%
Cinema Ticket
$13.77 €11.89
$15.95 €13.77
-13.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cologne
Hamburg
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$960 €829
$258 €223
272.37%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.9K €16.3K
$26.6K €23K
-28.85%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Cologne
Hamburg
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$100 €86.5
$92.9 €80.2
7.80%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.62 €39.39
$58.7 €50.7
-22.28%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$121 €104
$124 €107
-2.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$148 €128
$187 €161
-20.79%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cologne
Hamburg
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 €1,043
$1,385 €1,195
-12.73%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$932 €804
$959 €828
-2.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,061 €1,780
$2,403 €2,075
-14.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,518 €1,310
$1,801 €1,555
-15.73%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,976 €6,023
$9,448 €8,157
-26.17%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,075 €5,245
$6,171 €5,328
-1.55%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Cologne
Hamburg
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,261 €2,816
$3,664 €3,164
-10.99%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.93
3.9
0.77%

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

Last update for Cologne: October 29, 2025

Last update for Hamburg: October 28, 2025

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