Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Duisburg and Hamburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Duisburg: $2,033 a month against $2,383 in Hamburg, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Hamburg outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

99

Cost of Living Index in Duisburg
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Duisburg Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Hamburg
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Hamburg Living Index

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Duisburg

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,033

/mo nomad

Hamburg

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,383

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,033 in Duisburg versus $2,383 in Hamburg.

Duisburg $2,033
Hamburg $2,383

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,004 in Duisburg versus $3,529 in Hamburg.

Duisburg $3,004
Hamburg $3,529

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,974 in Duisburg versus $4,675 in Hamburg.

Duisburg $3,974
Hamburg $4,675

Living in Duisburg costs roughly 15% less than in Hamburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Duisburg 50% above, Hamburg 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.28 €11.81

$16.59 €14.76

-19.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.6 €64.6

$70.6 €62.8

2.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 €11.45

$13.60 €12.10

-5.29%

Cappuccino

$4.37 €3.89

$4.65 €4.14

-6.02%

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

$3.88 €3.45

$4.28 €3.80

-9.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 €2.78

$3.34 €2.97

-6.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.47 €4.87

$5.68 €5.05

-3.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.58 €4.96

$4.71 €4.19

18.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.19 €1.06

14.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.61 €2.32

-18.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.76 €3.35

$2.88 €2.56

30.56%

Eggs

$3.46 €3.07

$4.34 €3.86

-20.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.16 €12.60

$12.37 €11.00

14.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.79 €9.60

$12.17 €10.83

-11.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.49 €22.67

$18.59 €16.53

37.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 €2.97

$3.19 €2.84

4.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 €2.00

$2.35 €2.09

-4.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.95 €2.62

-19.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 €3.80

$4.14 €3.68

3.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 €1.32

$1.91 €1.69

-21.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.75 €1.56

-30.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.80 €1.60

-3.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.09 €0.97

-4.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.53 €9.37

$10.52 €9.35

0.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.80 €6.05

$6.56 €5.83

3.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.18 €1.05

-5.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.30 €1.16

6.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.52 €4.02

$4.41 €3.93

2.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.7 €60.2

$71.0 €63.2

-4.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 €4.37

$6.67 €5.94

-26.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.30 €2.05

$3.04 €2.71

-24.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.21 €30.43

$42.16 €37.51

-18.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.28 €2.03

-4.39%

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

$33.2K €29.5K

$32.9K €29.2K

1.07%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$39.4K €35.0K

-2.36%

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

$454 €404

$380 €338

19.49%

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

$25.59 €22.76

$20.60 €18.32

24.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.63 €37.03

$38.98 €34.67

6.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.61 €28.11

$45.63 €40.59

-30.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.94 €25.74

$28.67 €25.50

0.94%

Cinema Ticket

$13.64 €12.14

$16.05 €14.28

-15.02%

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

$168 €149

$512 €455

-67.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.9K €23.1K

$13.5K €12.0K

92.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.1 €87.2

$82.4 €73.3

19.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.63 €42.37

$37.74 €33.57

26.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 €101

$97.1 €86.4

17.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$199 €177

$118 €105

67.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$690 €614

$1,317 €1,171

-47.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$535 €476

$972 €865

-44.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,398 €1,244

$2,327 €2,070

-39.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$908 €808

$1,731 €1,540

-47.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,730 €5,986

$9,875 €8,784

-31.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,363 €2,991

$5,007 €4,454

-32.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,793 €2,484

$3,616 €3,216

-22.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

3.69

7.32%

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

Last update for Duisburg: October 19, 2026

Last update for Hamburg: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Duisburg

$535 26.3%

Hamburg

$972 40.8% 81.8% $437

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Duisburg

$521 25.6%

Hamburg

$440 18.4% 15.7% $82

Groceries & Markets

Duisburg

$346 17%

Hamburg

$334 14% 3.4% $12

Eating Out

Duisburg

$264 13%

Hamburg

$298 12.5% 12.8% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Duisburg

$206 10.1%

Hamburg

$151 6.3% 26.7% $55

Getting Around

Duisburg

$102 5%

Hamburg

$111 4.6% 8.2% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Duisburg

$59 2.9%

Hamburg

$78 3.3% 32% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $690 in Duisburg and $1,317 in Hamburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hamburg pays 29% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $73.0 in Duisburg vs $71.0 in Hamburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $334 per month, with Hamburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Duisburg

🇩🇪 Hamburg

🕒 Local time

14:31 2:31 PM

Same time as Duisburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

486,855

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

Duisburg vs Hamburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Duisburg wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Hamburg. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Duisburg the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 29% lower in Hamburg. 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: $690 in Duisburg versus $1,317 in Hamburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $168 in Duisburg versus $512 in Hamburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Hamburg pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,033 in Duisburg versus $2,383 in Hamburg, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Duisburg but tight or insufficient in Hamburg. The gap between the two cities makes Duisburg the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Duisburg delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,033 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Duisburg hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Duisburg and Hamburg 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 Duisburg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Hamburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.