Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamburg and Braunschweig

For one person, living is cheaper in Braunschweig: $1,738 a month against $2,364 in Hamburg, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Hamburg
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Hamburg Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Braunschweig
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Braunschweig Living Index

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Hamburg

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,364

/mo nomad

Braunschweig

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hamburg and in Braunschweig

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 Braunschweig actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,364 per month in Hamburg vs $1,738 in Braunschweig, rent included.

Hamburg $2,364
Braunschweig $1,738

A couple spends around $3,490 per month in Hamburg vs $2,809 in Braunschweig, rent included.

Hamburg $3,490
Braunschweig $2,809

A family of three spends $4,615 per month in Hamburg vs $3,879 in Braunschweig, rent included.

Hamburg $4,615
Braunschweig $3,879

Hamburg costs about 36% more than Braunschweig, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Hamburg and Braunschweig sit above the global median – Hamburg by 75%, Braunschweig by 29%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.17 €16.14

$16.73 €14.86

8.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.6 €63.6

$79.0 €70.2

-9.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.50 €11.99

$11.11 €9.87

21.51%

Cappuccino

$4.55 €4.04

$4.15 €3.69

9.64%

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

$4.10 €3.64

$3.35 €2.98

22.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 €2.96

$2.77 €2.46

20.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.56 €4.94

$4.52 €4.01

23.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 €4.50

$3.74 €3.33

35.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.09

$1.26 €1.12

-2.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 €2.40

$2.33 €2.07

15.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$4.44 €3.95

-35.36%

Eggs

$4.35 €3.87

$4.11 €3.65

5.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.37 €10.99

$14.29 €12.69

-13.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.82 €10.50

$10.30 €9.15

14.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.72 €16.63

$25.44 €22.60

-26.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 €2.84

$3.38 €3.00

-5.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 €2.04

$2.14 €1.90

7.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$1.90 €1.69

56.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 €3.60

$3.81 €3.39

6.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.20 €1.07

57.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.32 €1.18

31.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.40 €1.24

22.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 €1.09

$0.88 €0.78

39.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.36 €9.20

$9.80 €8.71

5.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.55 €5.81

$6.24 €5.54

4.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.16 €1.03

1.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.33

$1.57 €1.39

-4.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.29 €3.82

$3.82 €3.40

12.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.5 €63.5

$69.3 €61.5

3.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 €4.80

$5.51 €4.90

-1.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.07 €2.73

$2.80 €2.49

9.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.82 €37.15

$31.30 €27.80

33.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.27 €2.01

$2.15 €1.91

5.58%

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

$33.6K €29.9K

$32.9K €29.2K

2.22%

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

$38.0K €33.8K

$39.0K €34.7K

-2.61%

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

$401 €356

$196 €174

104.46%

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

$19.94 €17.71

$29.45 €26.16

-32.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.88 €34.54

$51.1 €45.35

-23.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.28 €37.56

$39.47 €35.06

7.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.73 €25.52

$13.52 €12.01

112.50%

Cinema Ticket

$16.16 €14.36

$13.45 €11.95

20.15%

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

$512 €455

$390 €347

31.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K €16.3K

$14.0K €12.5K

30.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.1 €75.6

$82.4 €73.2

3.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.94 €31.93

$38.46 €34.16

-6.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.4

$99.5 €88.3

5.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$121 €107

-2.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 €1,103

$662 €588

87.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$922 €819

$525 €466

75.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,193 €1,948

$1,292 €1,148

69.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 €1,440

$1,119 €994

44.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,428 €8,375

$4,464 €3,966

111.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,259 €4,672

$2,066 €1,835

154.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,680 €3,269

$4,289 €3,810

-14.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.75

3.76

-0.27%

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

Last update for Hamburg: November 1, 2026

Last update for Braunschweig: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamburg

$922 39%

Braunschweig

$525 30.2% 43.1% $397

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamburg

$460 19.5%

Braunschweig

$277 15.9% 39.8% $183

Groceries & Markets

Hamburg

$335 14.2%

Braunschweig

$341 19.6% 1.7% $5.8

Eating Out

Hamburg

$308 13%

Braunschweig

$272 15.6% 11.8% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Hamburg

$155 6.6%

Braunschweig

$154 8.8% 0.9% $1.4

Getting Around

Hamburg

$109 4.6%

Braunschweig

$104 6% 4.8% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Hamburg

$75 3.2%

Braunschweig

$66 3.8% 11% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,242 in Hamburg versus $662 in Braunschweig. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 17% higher in Braunschweig, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $72 in Hamburg versus $79 in Braunschweig. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $335 vs $341 – making Hamburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Hamburg

🇩🇪 Braunschweig

🕒 Local time

22:55 10:55 PM

Same time as Hamburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,812,709

253,167

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 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

Hamburg vs Braunschweig: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,364 in Hamburg, $1,738 in Braunschweig – Braunschweig comes out roughly 26% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,546 per month in Hamburg and $2,607 in Braunschweig. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Braunschweig, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $662 there versus $1,242 in Hamburg.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $72 in Hamburg and $79 in Braunschweig. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 3% less in Braunschweig. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,364 in Hamburg and $1,738 in Braunschweig, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Braunschweig – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.