Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dusseldorf and Hamburg

For one person, living costs are similar in Dusseldorf and in Hamburg: $2,285 and $2,347 a month, rent and utilities included.

111

Cost of Living Index in Dusseldorf
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Dusseldorf Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Hamburg
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Hamburg Living Index

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Dusseldorf

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,285

/mo nomad

Hamburg

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,347

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,285 in Dusseldorf versus $2,347 in Hamburg.

Dusseldorf $2,285
Hamburg $2,347

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,476 in Dusseldorf versus $3,488 in Hamburg.

Dusseldorf $3,476
Hamburg $3,488

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,668 in Dusseldorf versus $4,628 in Hamburg.

Dusseldorf $4,668
Hamburg $4,628

Living in Dusseldorf costs roughly 3% less than in Hamburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dusseldorf 69% above, Hamburg 74% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.41 €14.60

$17.02 €15.14

-3.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.4 €62.6

$68.5 €61.0

2.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.03

$13.41 €11.93

0.89%

Cappuccino

$4.23 €3.76

$4.49 €3.99

-5.79%

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

$3.09 €2.75

$4.20 €3.74

-26.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 €2.59

$3.22 €2.86

-9.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.12 €4.55

$5.51 €4.90

-7.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 €3.91

$4.86 €4.32

-9.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.26 €1.12

4.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.39 €2.13

$2.61 €2.32

-8.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$2.79 €2.48

7.17%

Eggs

$4.33 €3.85

$4.19 €3.73

3.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.10 €13.43

$12.24 €10.89

23.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.05 €11.61

$12.00 €10.68

8.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.49 €20.00

$18.58 €16.53

21.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.18 €2.83

$3.12 €2.78

1.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.40 €2.14

-9.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 €1.90

$2.93 €2.60

-26.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.23 €3.76

$4.29 €3.82

-1.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.83 €1.63

-34.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 €1.07

$1.76 €1.57

-31.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.80 €1.60

-8.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.19 €1.06

5.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.42 €8.38

$10.44 €9.29

-9.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.65 €5.91

$6.76 €6.01

-1.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.12 €1.00

-0.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.29 €1.15

31.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.01 €3.57

$4.46 €3.96

-10.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.6 €61.9

$71.6 €63.7

-2.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.46 €4.86

$6.74 €5.99

-18.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.04 €2.71

$3.08 €2.74

-1.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$47.97 €42.67

$42.00 €37.36

14.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.02

$2.28 €2.03

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

$32.6K €29.0K

$32.9K €29.3K

-1.16%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$38.6K €34.3K

-0.77%

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

$339 €302

$384 €342

-11.72%

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

$19.47 €17.32

$19.76 €17.58

-1.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.64 €37.04

$39.03 €34.72

6.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.15 €38.38

$45.03 €40.05

-4.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.20 €31.31

$28.80 €25.62

22.22%

Cinema Ticket

$15.91 €14.15

$16.44 €14.62

-3.22%

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

$1,070 €952

$509 €453

110.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K €17.5K

$13.5K €12.0K

46.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$83.9 €74.6

22.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.11 €36.57

$37.19 €33.08

10.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €100

$94.6 €84.1

18.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$167 €149

$116 €103

44.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,077 €958

$1,270 €1,129

-15.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$878 €781

$934 €831

-5.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,358 €2,097

$2,272 €2,021

3.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,669 €1,485

$1,692 €1,505

-1.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,943 €7,955

$9,500 €8,450

-5.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,892 €4,351

$5,121 €4,555

-4.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,778 €3,360

$3,647 €3,244

3.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.91

3.69

5.96%

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

Last update for Dusseldorf: October 13, 2026

Last update for Hamburg: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dusseldorf

$878 38.4%

Hamburg

$934 39.8% 6.3% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dusseldorf

$400 17.5%

Hamburg

$443 18.9% 10.7% $43

Groceries & Markets

Dusseldorf

$353 15.5%

Hamburg

$335 14.3% 5.2% $18

Eating Out

Dusseldorf

$281 12.3%

Hamburg

$297 12.7% 5.7% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Dusseldorf

$191 8.3%

Hamburg

$149 6.4% 21.6% $41

Getting Around

Dusseldorf

$106 4.7%

Hamburg

$112 4.8% 4.9% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Dusseldorf

$75 3.3%

Hamburg

$78 3.3% 3.9% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,077 in Dusseldorf and $1,270 in Hamburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dusseldorf pays 4% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $70.0 in Dusseldorf vs $69.0 in Hamburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $353 vs $335 per month, with Hamburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Dusseldorf

🇩🇪 Hamburg

🕒 Local time

18:17 6:17 PM

Same time as Dusseldorf

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

618,128

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

Dusseldorf vs Hamburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dusseldorf is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and leisure. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 4% higher in Dusseldorf, 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: $1,077 in Dusseldorf versus $1,270 in Hamburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Dusseldorf – a meal for two runs $70.0 versus $69.0 in Hamburg. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,285 per month in Dusseldorf versus $2,347 in Hamburg – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,285 in Dusseldorf versus $2,347 in Hamburg, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Dusseldorf but tight or insufficient in Hamburg. The gap between the two cities makes Dusseldorf the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Dusseldorf is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Hamburg, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Dusseldorf 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 Dusseldorf gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Hamburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.