Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cologne and Hamburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Cologne: $2,233 a month against $2,332 in Hamburg, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Cologne
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Cologne Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Hamburg
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Hamburg Living Index

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Cologne

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,233

/mo nomad

Hamburg

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,332

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,233 in Cologne versus $2,332 in Hamburg.

Cologne $2,233
Hamburg $2,332

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,388 in Cologne versus $3,481 in Hamburg.

Cologne $3,388
Hamburg $3,481

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,543 in Cologne versus $4,631 in Hamburg.

Cologne $4,543
Hamburg $4,631

Living in Cologne costs roughly 4% less than in Hamburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cologne 64% above, Hamburg 71% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.02 €15.29

$17.03 €15.29

-0.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.7 €75.2

$73.6 €66.1

13.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.82 €10.61

$13.65 €12.27

-13.41%

Cappuccino

$4.02 €3.61

$4.67 €4.20

-13.92%

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

$3.74 €3.36

$4.18 €3.75

-10.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.80

$3.24 €2.91

-3.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 €4.90

$5.96 €5.36

-8.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.90

$4.98 €4.48

9.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.14

$1.20 €1.08

5.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 €2.30

$2.60 €2.33

-1.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 €2.78

$2.79 €2.51

10.75%

Eggs

$3.71 €3.33

$4.24 €3.81

-12.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.64 €11.35

$12.36 €11.11

2.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.08 €10.85

$12.02 €10.80

0.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.79 €20.48

$18.94 €17.01

20.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 €2.73

$3.24 €2.91

-6.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.82

$2.33 €2.09

-12.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.95 €2.65

-12.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 €3.39

$4.12 €3.70

-8.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.83 €1.64

-22.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.75 €1.57

-34.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.73 €1.55

-12.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.17 €1.05

-5.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.84 €8.84

$10.07 €9.04

-2.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.54 €5.88

$6.61 €5.94

-1.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.13 €1.02

11.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.52

$1.50 €1.34

12.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.90 €3.50

$4.43 €3.98

-11.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.5 €64.2

$69.4 €62.4

3.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 €4.81

$6.79 €6.10

-21.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.74 €2.46

$2.98 €2.68

-8.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.45 €30.05

$41.72 €37.48

-19.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 €2.00

$2.29 €2.06

-3.06%

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

$33.1K €29.8K

$33.0K €29.6K

0.48%

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

$38.0K €34.1K

$38.9K €35.0K

-2.40%

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

$301 €270

$383 €344

-21.36%

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

$12.17 €10.93

$19.47 €17.49

-37.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.02 €32.35

$38.79 €34.84

-7.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.99 €37.72

$42.26 €37.96

-0.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.28 €31.69

$28.37 €25.49

24.36%

Cinema Ticket

$15.90 €14.29

$15.46 €13.88

2.85%

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

$1,103 €991

$502 €451

119.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K €19.7K

$13.8K €12.4K

59.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.4 €78.5

$86.6 €77.8

1.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.11 €36.93

$36.18 €32.50

13.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €91.1

$101 €90.4

0.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €120

$117 €105

13.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,223 €1,099

$1,212 €1,088

0.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$917 €824

$919 €825

-0.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,340 €2,102

$2,155 €1,935

8.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,628 €1,463

$1,667 €1,498

-2.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,324 €6,579

$9,358 €8,406

-21.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,056 €4,542

$5,163 €4,638

-2.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,562 €3,200

$3,622 €3,253

-1.64%

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 Cologne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Hamburg: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cologne

$917 41.1%

Hamburg

$919 39.4% 0.2% $1.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cologne

$349 15.6%

Hamburg

$441 18.9% 26.3% $92

Groceries & Markets

Cologne

$337 15.1%

Hamburg

$335 14.3% 0.8% $2.9

Eating Out

Cologne

$285 12.8%

Hamburg

$303 13% 6% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Cologne

$164 7.3%

Hamburg

$153 6.6% 6.3% $10

Getting Around

Cologne

$106 4.8%

Hamburg

$109 4.7% 2.5% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Cologne

$74 3.3%

Hamburg

$73 3.1% 0.9% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,223 in Cologne and $1,212 in Hamburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $84 in Cologne vs $74 in Hamburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $337 vs $335 per month, with Hamburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Cologne

🇩🇪 Hamburg

🕒 Local time

22:07 10:07 PM

Same time as Cologne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,095,520

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

Cologne vs Hamburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,233 in Cologne and $2,332 in Hamburg, so Cologne is about 4% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,349 in Cologne and $3,499 in Hamburg to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,223 in Cologne versus $1,212 in Hamburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,103 in Cologne versus $502 in Hamburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Hamburg – a meal for two runs $74 versus $84 in Cologne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Cologne 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, Cologne and Hamburg are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.