Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamburg and Bonn Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamburg and Bonn

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,396 in Hamburg versus $2,265 in Bonn.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,758 in Hamburg versus $3,393 in Bonn.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,120 in Hamburg versus $4,521 in Bonn.

Living in Hamburg is roughly 6% more expensive than Bonn, driven mainly by Clothing & Footwear.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hamburg 79% above, Bonn 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.30 €16.62

$17.63 €15.18

9.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.8 €79.9

$81.2 €69.9

14.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.15 €12.19

$11.54 €9.93

22.62%

Cappuccino

$4.79 €4.12

$3.38 €2.91

41.72%

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

$3.52 €3.03

$2.67 €2.30

31.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 €2.74

$2.22 €1.91

43.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.72 €4.93

$5.10 €4.39

12.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.52 €4.75

$5.43 €4.67

1.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 €1.22

$1.32 €1.13

7.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.16 €1.86

$2.37 €2.04

-8.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.48 €3.00

$3.35 €2.89

3.88%

Eggs

$3.67 €3.16

$3.90 €3.36

-5.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.43 €12.43

$14.75 €12.70

-2.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.30 €11.45

$16.03 €13.81

-17.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.38 €18.41

$22.61 €19.47

-5.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 €2.83

$3.32 €2.85

-1.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 €1.89

$1.81 €1.56

21.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 €2.07

$2.27 €1.95

5.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.56 €3.93

$5.31 €4.57

-14.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 €1.36

$1.69 €1.45

-6.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 €1.27

$1.65 €1.42

-10.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 €1.79

$2.11 €1.81

-1.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.94

$1.21 €1.04

-9.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.01 €8.62

$9.28 €7.99

7.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.49 €5.59

$5.66 €4.88

14.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €0.99

$1.11 €0.95

3.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 €1.38

$1.77 €1.53

-9.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.02 €3.46

$3.85 €3.31

4.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.7 €58.3

$58.0 €49.92

16.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.86 €5.91

$4.74 €4.08

44.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.74 €2.36

$2.01 €1.73

36.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.13 €38.00

$37.06 €31.91

19.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 €1.75

$2.00 €1.73

2.00%

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

$32.0K €27.5K

$31.1K €26.8K

2.87%

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

$40.2K €34.6K

$38.3K €33.0K

5.03%

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

$365 €315

$372 €320

-1.72%

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

$21.53 €18.54

$27.97 €24.08

-23.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.94 €32.67

$50.9 €43.81

-25.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.22 €40.66

$43.45 €37.42

8.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.24 €20.87

$37.22 €32.05

-34.87%

Cinema Ticket

$16.08 €13.84

$16.26 €14.01

-1.11%

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

$266 €229

$576 €496

-53.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K €23.4K

$14.2K €12.2K

91.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.7 €80.7

$79.6 €68.5

17.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.6 €50.5

$40.39 €34.78

45.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 €104

$97.3 €83.8

24.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$181 €156

$119 €102

52.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,377 €1,186

$976 €840

41.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$941 €810

$807 €695

16.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,366 €2,038

$2,046 €1,762

15.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,766 €1,520

$1,577 €1,358

11.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.4K €8,930

$6,528 €5,621

58.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,260 €4,530

$4,559 €3,926

15.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,661 €3,152

$3,662 €3,154

-0.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.9

3.98

-2.01%

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

Last update for Hamburg: May 31, 2026

Last update for Bonn: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,377 in Hamburg and $976 in Bonn. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bonn pays 0% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $93.0 in Hamburg vs $81.0 in Bonn. Groceries flip the comparison at $351 vs $373, with Hamburg cheaper for home cooking.

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

Hamburg vs Bonn: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bonn wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Hamburg. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bonn the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, Bonn earns 0% less. 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: $1,377 in Hamburg versus $976 in Bonn. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $266 in Hamburg versus $576 in Bonn. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Hamburg pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,265 in Bonn versus $2,396 in Hamburg, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bonn but tight or insufficient in Hamburg. The gap between the two cities makes Bonn the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bonn delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,265 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bonn hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Hamburg and Bonn 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 Bonn gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Hamburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.