Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamburg and Bremerhaven

For one person, living is cheaper in Bremerhaven: $1,986 a month against $2,332 in Hamburg, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
95

Cost of Living Index in Bremerhaven
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Bremerhaven Living Index

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Hamburg

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,332

/mo nomad

Bremerhaven

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hamburg and in Bremerhaven

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,332 in Hamburg versus $1,986 in Bremerhaven.

Hamburg $2,332
Bremerhaven $1,986

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,481 in Hamburg versus $2,994 in Bremerhaven.

Hamburg $3,481
Bremerhaven $2,994

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,631 in Hamburg versus $4,001 in Bremerhaven.

Hamburg $4,631
Bremerhaven $4,001

Living in Hamburg is roughly 17% more expensive than in Bremerhaven, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hamburg 71% above, Bremerhaven 46% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.03 €15.29

$16.93 €15.21

0.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.6 €66.1

$67.9 €61.0

8.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.65 €12.27

$12.31 €11.06

10.89%

Cappuccino

$4.67 €4.20

$3.79 €3.41

23.22%

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

$4.18 €3.75

$3.06 €2.75

36.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 €2.91

$2.84 €2.55

14.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.96 €5.36

$5.62 €5.05

6.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 €4.48

$5.08 €4.56

-1.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.08

$1.32 €1.18

-9.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 €2.33

$2.24 €2.01

16.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.79 €2.51

$3.87 €3.48

-27.91%

Eggs

$4.24 €3.81

$3.69 €3.32

14.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.36 €11.11

$15.46 €13.89

-20.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.02 €10.80

$11.16 €10.03

7.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.94 €17.01

$23.52 €21.12

-19.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.24 €2.91

$3.26 €2.93

-0.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.28 €2.05

2.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 €2.65

$2.12 €1.90

39.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.12 €3.70

$4.14 €3.72

-0.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.30 €1.16

40.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 €1.57

$1.54 €1.39

13.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.57 €1.41

10.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.05

$1.10 €0.99

6.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.07 €9.04

$9.92 €8.91

1.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.61 €5.94

$5.45 €4.90

21.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.02

$1.14 €1.02

-0.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.68 €1.51

-10.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.43 €3.98

$3.39 €3.04

30.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.4 €62.4

$60.0 €53.9

15.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.79 €6.10

$5.16 €4.64

31.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.98 €2.68

$2.78 €2.49

7.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.72 €37.48

$36.16 €32.48

15.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.29 €2.06

$2.11 €1.90

8.53%

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

$33.0K €29.6K

$33.2K €29.8K

-0.55%

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

$38.9K €35.0K

$38.7K €34.7K

0.70%

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

$383 €344

$322 €289

19.00%

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

$19.47 €17.49

$10.11 €9.08

92.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.79 €34.84

$46.60 €41.86

-16.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.26 €37.96

$38.86 €34.91

8.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.37 €25.49

$29.78 €26.75

-4.73%

Cinema Ticket

$15.46 €13.88

$13.53 €12.16

14.26%

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

$502 €451

$411 €369

22.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.8K €12.4K

$15.2K €13.7K

-9.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.6 €77.8

$91.7 €82.4

-5.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.18 €32.50

$51.6 €46.32

-29.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €90.4

$87.2 €78.3

15.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 €105

$169 €152

-30.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,212 €1,088

$806 €724

50.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$919 €825

$646 €580

42.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 €1,935

$1,496 €1,344

43.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,667 €1,498

$1,144 €1,028

45.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,358 €8,406

$4,769 €4,284

96.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,163 €4,638

$3,335 €2,996

54.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,622 €3,253

$2,984 €2,681

21.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.69

3.95

-6.58%

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

Last update for Hamburg: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bremerhaven: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamburg

$919 39.4%

Bremerhaven

$646 32.5% 29.7% $273

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamburg

$441 18.9%

Bremerhaven

$378 19.1% 14.2% $63

Groceries & Markets

Hamburg

$335 14.3%

Bremerhaven

$344 17.3% 2.9% $9.6

Eating Out

Hamburg

$303 13%

Bremerhaven

$280 14.1% 7.6% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Hamburg

$153 6.6%

Bremerhaven

$180 9% 17.1% $26

Getting Around

Hamburg

$109 4.7%

Bremerhaven

$93 4.7% 14.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Hamburg

$73 3.1%

Bremerhaven

$66 3.3% 9.9% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,212 in Hamburg and $806 in Bremerhaven. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hamburg pays 21% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $74 in Hamburg vs $68 in Bremerhaven. Groceries flip the comparison at $335 vs $344, with Hamburg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Hamburg

🇩🇪 Bremerhaven

🕒 Local time

21:19 9:19 PM

Same time as Hamburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,812,709

117,281

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Hamburg Bremerhaven 94 km

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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 Bremerhaven: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,332 in Hamburg and $1,986 in Bremerhaven, so Bremerhaven is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 21% 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 $806 in Bremerhaven. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bremerhaven – a meal for two runs $68 versus $74 in Hamburg. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,332 per month in Hamburg versus $1,986 in Bremerhaven – Bremerhaven is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Bremerhaven gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

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