Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamburg and Bonn

For one person, living costs are similar in Hamburg and in Bonn: $2,332 and $2,313 a month, rent and utilities included.

113

Cost of Living Index in Hamburg
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Hamburg Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Bonn
Learn more

Bonn Living Index

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Hamburg

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,332

/mo nomad

Bonn

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,313

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hamburg and in Bonn

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Hamburg and in Bonn actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,332 in Hamburg versus $2,313 in Bonn.

Hamburg $2,332
Bonn $2,313

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,481 in Hamburg versus $3,463 in Bonn.

Hamburg $3,481
Bonn $3,463

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,631 in Hamburg versus $4,614 in Bonn.

Hamburg $4,631
Bonn $4,614

Monthly costs are close between Hamburg and Bonn; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hamburg 71% above, Bonn 70% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.03 €15.26

$18.55 €16.63

-8.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.6 €66.0

$77.5 €69.4

-5.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.65 €12.24

$12.15 €10.89

12.35%

Cappuccino

$4.67 €4.19

$4.21 €3.77

10.93%

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

$4.18 €3.75

$3.11 €2.78

34.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 €2.90

$2.47 €2.21

31.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.96 €5.34

$5.67 €5.08

5.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 €4.47

$4.27 €3.82

16.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.45 €1.30

-17.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 €2.33

$2.81 €2.52

-7.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.79 €2.50

$4.01 €3.60

-30.42%

Eggs

$4.24 €3.80

$4.17 €3.73

1.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.36 €11.08

$13.76 €12.33

-10.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.02 €10.77

$10.65 €9.54

12.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.94 €16.97

$27.08 €24.27

-30.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.24 €2.90

$3.45 €3.09

-6.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.65 €2.38

-12.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 €2.65

$2.26 €2.03

30.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.12 €3.69

$5.24 €4.70

-21.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.64

$2.24 €2.00

-18.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.71 €1.53

2.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.65 €1.48

4.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.05

$1.31 €1.18

-10.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.07 €9.02

$9.51 €8.52

5.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.61 €5.92

$5.97 €5.35

10.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.02

$1.26 €1.13

-10.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.79 €1.60

-16.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.43 €3.97

$4.59 €4.11

-3.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.4 €62.2

$71.1 €63.8

-2.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.79 €6.08

$2.95 €2.64

130.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.98 €2.67

$1.97 €1.77

51.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.72 €37.39

$31.22 €27.98

33.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.29 €2.05

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

$33.0K €29.6K

$33.3K €29.8K

-0.92%

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

$38.9K €34.9K

$37.9K €34.0K

2.72%

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

$383 €343

$332 €297

15.40%

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

$19.47 €17.45

$24.57 €22.01

-20.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.79 €34.76

$39.59 €35.48

-2.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.26 €37.87

$42.47 €38.06

-0.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.37 €25.43

$32.47 €29.10

-12.63%

Cinema Ticket

$15.46 €13.85

$15.74 €14.11

-1.78%

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

$502 €450

$690 €618

-27.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.8K €12.3K

$13.9K €12.5K

-1.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.6 €77.6

$75.3 €67.4

15.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.18 €32.42

$37.43 €33.54

-3.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €90.2

$103 €92.5

-2.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 €105

$113 €101

3.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,212 €1,086

$1,072 €960

13.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$919 €823

$925 €828

-0.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 €1,931

$2,113 €1,894

1.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,667 €1,494

$1,601 €1,434

4.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,358 €8,385

$6,131 €5,494

52.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,163 €4,627

$4,368 €3,914

18.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,622 €3,245

$3,480 €3,119

4.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.69

3.96

-6.82%

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

Last update for Hamburg: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bonn: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamburg

$919 39.4%

Bonn

$925 40% 0.6% $5.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamburg

$441 18.9%

Bonn

$396 17.1% 10.2% $45

Groceries & Markets

Hamburg

$335 14.3%

Bonn

$374 16.2% 11.8% $39

Eating Out

Hamburg

$303 13%

Bonn

$295 12.7% 2.7% $8.1

Clothing & Footwear

Hamburg

$153 6.6%

Bonn

$148 6.4% 3.5% $5.4

Getting Around

Hamburg

$109 4.7%

Bonn

$102 4.4% 6% $6.5

Sport & Entertainment

Hamburg

$73 3.1%

Bonn

$74 3.2% 1.1% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,212 in Hamburg and $1,072 in Bonn. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hamburg pays 4% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $74 in Hamburg vs $77 in Bonn for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $335 vs $374 per month, with Hamburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Hamburg

🇩🇪 Bonn

🕒 Local time

02:54 2:54 AM

Same time as Hamburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,812,709

335,913

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Hamburg Bonn 370 km

From you

Hamburg
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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

Hamburg vs Bonn: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 4% higher in Hamburg, 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: $1,212 in Hamburg versus $1,072 in Bonn. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Hamburg pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Hamburg – a meal for two runs $74 versus $77 in Bonn. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Bonn 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, Hamburg and Bonn are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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