Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Friedrichshafen and Hamburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamburg: $2,364 a month against $2,511 in Friedrichshafen, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Friedrichshafen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

120

Cost of Living Index in Friedrichshafen
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Friedrichshafen Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Hamburg
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Hamburg Living Index

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Friedrichshafen

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,511

/mo nomad

Hamburg

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,364

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,511 in Friedrichshafen versus $2,364 in Hamburg.

Friedrichshafen $2,511
Hamburg $2,364

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,121 in Friedrichshafen versus $3,490 in Hamburg.

Friedrichshafen $3,121
Hamburg $3,490

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,731 in Friedrichshafen versus $4,615 in Hamburg.

Friedrichshafen $3,731
Hamburg $4,615

Living in Friedrichshafen is roughly 6% more expensive than in Hamburg.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Friedrichshafen 86% above, Hamburg 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.08 €15.20

$18.17 €16.17

-6.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.6 €64.6

$71.6 €63.7

1.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.28 €10.04

$13.50 €12.01

-16.44%

Cappuccino

$3.93 €3.50

$4.55 €4.05

-13.63%

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

$4.06 €3.62

$4.10 €3.65

-0.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 €2.53

$3.33 €2.97

-14.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.29 €4.71

$5.56 €4.95

-4.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 €4.46

$5.06 €4.50

-0.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.23 €1.09

1.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.70 €2.40

-19.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.74 €2.43

$2.87 €2.56

-4.53%

Eggs

$3.39 €3.02

$4.35 €3.87

-22.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.48 €12.88

$12.37 €11.01

17.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 €10.00

$11.82 €10.52

-4.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.54 €15.61

$18.72 €16.66

-6.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$3.19 €2.84

-5.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.30 €2.05

-19.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.98 €2.65

-27.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.41 €3.92

$4.05 €3.60

8.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.89 €1.68

-25.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.74 €1.55

-30.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.71 €1.53

-12.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.23 €1.09

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.86 €8.78

$10.36 €9.22

-4.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.21 €5.53

$6.55 €5.82

-5.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.18 €1.05

-6.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 €1.41

$1.50 €1.33

6.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 €2.46

$4.29 €3.82

-35.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.3 €63.5

$71.5 €63.6

-0.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 €5.72

$5.41 €4.81

18.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.07 €2.73

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.47 €38.68

$41.82 €37.22

3.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.27 €2.02

-7.49%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$33.6K €29.9K

-0.62%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$38.0K €33.8K

1.30%

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

$217 €193

$401 €357

-46.01%

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

$16.99 €15.12

$19.94 €17.74

-14.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.07 €34.77

$38.88 €34.60

0.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.73 €31.79

$42.28 €37.63

-15.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.73 €25.56

Cinema Ticket

$15.56 €13.84

$16.16 €14.38

-3.71%

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

$873 €777

$512 €456

70.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.1K €19.7K

$18.3K €16.3K

20.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.3 €82.1

$85.1 €75.7

8.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.61 €38.81

$35.94 €31.98

21.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 €88.8

$105 €93.6

-5.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 €102

$118 €105

-2.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,430 €1,272

$1,242 €1,105

15.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 €1,171

$922 €820

42.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,886 €1,678

$2,193 €1,951

-14.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 €962

$1,621 €1,442

-33.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,428 €8,390

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,361 €2,991

$5,259 €4,680

-36.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,037 €2,702

$3,680 €3,275

-17.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.75

2.67%

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

Last update for Friedrichshafen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Hamburg: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Friedrichshafen

$1.3K 52.4%

Hamburg

$922 39% 30% $394

Groceries & Markets

Friedrichshafen

$311 12.4%

Hamburg

$335 14.2% 7.6% $24

Eating Out

Friedrichshafen

$282 11.2%

Hamburg

$308 13% 9.4% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Friedrichshafen

$273 10.9%

Hamburg

$460 19.5% 68.7% $187

Clothing & Footwear

Friedrichshafen

$158 6.3%

Hamburg

$155 6.6% 1.8% $2.9

Getting Around

Friedrichshafen

$104 4.2%

Hamburg

$109 4.6% 5% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Friedrichshafen

$67 2.7%

Hamburg

$75 3.2% 11.6% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,430 in Friedrichshafen and $1,242 in Hamburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hamburg pays 21% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $73 in Friedrichshafen vs $72 in Hamburg. Groceries flip the comparison at $311 vs $335, with Friedrichshafen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Friedrichshafen

🇩🇪 Hamburg

🕒 Local time

15:29 3:29 PM

Same time as Friedrichshafen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,099

1,812,709

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Friedrichshafen Hamburg 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Friedrichshafen
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

Friedrichshafen vs Hamburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,511 in Friedrichshafen and $2,364 in Hamburg, so Hamburg is about 6% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 17% lower in Friedrichshafen. 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: $1,430 in Friedrichshafen versus $1,242 in Hamburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $873 in Friedrichshafen versus $512 in Hamburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,511 per month in Friedrichshafen versus $2,364 in Hamburg – Hamburg is about 6% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

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, Friedrichshafen and Hamburg are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.