Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Frankfurt and Hamburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamburg: $2,332 a month against $2,510 in Frankfurt, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Frankfurt
Learn more

Frankfurt Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Hamburg
Learn more

Hamburg Living Index

Jump to prices

Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,510

/mo nomad

Hamburg

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,332

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,510 in Frankfurt versus $2,332 in Hamburg.

Frankfurt $2,510
Hamburg $2,332

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,732 in Frankfurt versus $3,481 in Hamburg.

Frankfurt $3,732
Hamburg $3,481

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,954 in Frankfurt versus $4,631 in Hamburg.

Frankfurt $4,954
Hamburg $4,631

Living in Frankfurt is roughly 8% more expensive than in Hamburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Frankfurt 84% above, Hamburg 71% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €15.12

$17.03 €15.30

-1.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.1 €79.1

$73.6 €66.1

19.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.93

$13.65 €12.27

-2.71%

Cappuccino

$4.54 €4.08

$4.67 €4.20

-2.78%

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

$3.68 €3.30

$4.18 €3.76

-11.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 €3.25

$3.24 €2.91

11.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.71 €5.13

$5.96 €5.36

-4.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.15

$4.98 €4.48

15.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.20 €1.08

9.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.60 €2.34

-15.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 €2.78

$2.79 €2.51

10.75%

Eggs

$3.65 €3.28

$4.24 €3.81

-13.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.55 €12.18

$12.36 €11.11

9.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.86 €10.65

$12.02 €10.80

-1.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.79 €19.58

$18.94 €17.02

15.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 €2.79

$3.24 €2.91

-4.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$2.33 €2.09

-10.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 €1.74

$2.95 €2.65

-34.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.83 €3.44

$4.12 €3.70

-7.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.60

$1.83 €1.64

-2.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.75 €1.57

6.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.73 €1.56

-9.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.94

$1.17 €1.05

-10.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.49 €8.53

$10.07 €9.04

-5.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$6.61 €5.94

-15.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €1.01

$1.13 €1.02

-0.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.31

$1.50 €1.34

-3.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.29 €3.86

$4.43 €3.98

-3.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.3 €62.3

$69.4 €62.4

-0.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 €3.97

$6.79 €6.10

-34.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 €2.04

$2.98 €2.68

-23.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.89 €21.47

$41.72 €37.49

-42.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 €1.99

$2.29 €2.06

-3.06%

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

$33.7K €30.3K

$33.0K €29.6K

2.10%

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

$39.2K €35.2K

$38.9K €35.0K

0.57%

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

$385 €346

$383 €344

0.53%

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

$19.76 €17.75

$19.47 €17.49

1.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.58 €41.85

$38.79 €34.85

20.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.4 €56.9

$42.26 €37.97

49.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.55 €26.55

$28.37 €25.49

4.16%

Cinema Ticket

$16.84 €15.13

$15.46 €13.89

8.93%

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

$1,097 €985

$502 €451

118.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K €20.3K

$13.8K €12.4K

64.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 €77.6

$86.6 €77.8

-0.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.24 €29.86

$36.18 €32.51

-8.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.5 €74.1

$101 €90.4

-18.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €96.8

$117 €105

-8.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,418 €1,274

$1,212 €1,089

17.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,092 €981

$919 €826

18.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,713 €2,437

$2,155 €1,936

25.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 €1,725

$1,667 €1,498

15.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,738 €6,953

$9,358 €8,408

-17.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,482 €4,027

$5,163 €4,639

-13.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,024 €3,616

$3,622 €3,254

11.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.64

3.69

-1.36%

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

Last update for Frankfurt: 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

Frankfurt

$1.1K 43.5%

Hamburg

$919 39.4% 15.8% $173

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Frankfurt

$451 18%

Hamburg

$441 18.9% 2.2% $10

Groceries & Markets

Frankfurt

$330 13.2%

Hamburg

$335 14.3% 1.4% $4.6

Eating Out

Frankfurt

$298 11.9%

Hamburg

$303 13% 1.5% $4.6

Clothing & Footwear

Frankfurt

$139 5.6%

Hamburg

$153 6.6% 10% $14

Getting Around

Frankfurt

$102 4.1%

Hamburg

$109 4.7% 6.4% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Frankfurt

$97 3.9%

Hamburg

$73 3.1% 24.6% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,418 in Frankfurt and $1,212 in Hamburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Frankfurt pays 11% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $88 in Frankfurt vs $74 in Hamburg. Groceries flip the comparison at $330 vs $335, with Frankfurt cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Hamburg

🕒 Local time

12:05 12:05 PM

Same time as Frankfurt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

701,350

1,812,709

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Frankfurt Hamburg 390 km

From you

Frankfurt
Hamburg

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Frankfurt vs Hamburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamburg is cheaper overall, especially in leisure and utilities. The 8% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 11% higher in Frankfurt, 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: $1,418 in Frankfurt 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 Hamburg – a meal for two runs $74 versus $88 in Frankfurt. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $1,097 in Frankfurt versus $502 in Hamburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Hamburg is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

Safety-wise, Frankfurt 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.

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