Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamburg and Essen Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamburg and Essen

😐 Solo nomad: Hamburg is 5.6% more expensive than Essen without rent, and 15.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Hamburg is 8.3% more expensive than Essen without rent, and 18.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hamburg
Essen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.03 €17.3
$18.31 €15.81
9.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$94.2 €81.4
$70.7 €61.1
33.22%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.78 €11.89
$13.96 €12.05
-1.29%
Cappuccino
$4.65 €4.02
$3.66 €3.16
27.05%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.65 €3.15
$2.5 €2.16
46.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.19 €2.76
$2.46 €2.12
29.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.74 €4.96
$4.78 €4.13
20.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.51 €4.76
$4.56 €3.94
20.83%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hamburg
Essen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.39 €1.2
$1.35 €1.17
2.96%
White Bread (500g)
$2.13 €1.84
$2.14 €1.85
-0.47%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.43 €2.96
$3.29 €2.84
4.26%
Eggs
$3.71 €3.2
$3.71 €3.2
-
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.51 €12.53
$14.91 €12.88
-2.68%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.3 €11.48
$14.62 €12.63
-9.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.59 €18.64
$21.88 €18.89
-1.33%
Apples (1kg)
$3.41 €2.94
$3.27 €2.82
4.28%
Banana (1kg)
$2.26 €1.95
$1.83 €1.58
23.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.38 €2.06
$2.26 €1.95
5.31%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.67 €4.03
$4.89 €4.22
-4.50%
Potato (1kg)
$1.57 €1.36
$1.69 €1.46
-7.10%
Onion (1kg)
$1.55 €1.34
$1.63 €1.41
-4.91%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.96 €1.7
$1.88 €1.63
4.26%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.03 €0.89
$1.12 €0.96
-8.04%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.51 €8.21
$9.25 €7.98
2.81%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.95 €6
$6.84 €5.91
1.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.14 €0.98
$1.09 €0.94
4.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.56 €1.34
$1.73 €1.49
-9.83%
🚌 Getting Around
Hamburg
Essen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.15 €3.58
$3.9 €3.36
6.41%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$66.9 €57.7
$62.2 €53.7
7.42%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$7.07 €6.1
$5.1 €4.41
38.63%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.82 €2.43
$2.74 €2.36
2.92%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$44.12 €38.09
$41.55 €35.87
6.19%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.98 €1.71
$2.09 €1.8
-5.26%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.2K €27K
$32.1K €27.7K
-2.59%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.9K €34.4K
$38.3K €33.1K
4.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hamburg
Essen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$369 €318
$386 €333
-4.47%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.31 €18.4
$34.88 €30.12
-38.90%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$38.79 €33.49
$53.4 €46.12
-27.39%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hamburg
Essen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.71 €41.19
$37.14 €32.07
28.46%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24 €20.72
$35.34 €30.51
-32.09%
Cinema Ticket
$15.95 €13.77
$17.26 €14.9
-7.59%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hamburg
Essen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$258 €223
$469 €405
-44.99%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$26.6K €23K
$9,651 €8,333
175.57%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hamburg
Essen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$92.9 €80.2
$95.3 €82.3
-2.51%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.7 €50.7
$74.3 €64.2
-21.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$124 €107
$105 €90.5
18.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$187 €161
$139 €120
34.33%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hamburg
Essen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,385 €1,195
$748 €645
85.19%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$959 €828
$582 €503
64.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,403 €2,075
$1,534 €1,325
56.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,801 €1,555
$1,058 €914
70.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$9,448 €8,157
$4,419 €3,816
113.79%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,171 €5,328
$3,340 €2,884
84.74%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hamburg
Essen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,664 €3,164
$3,402 €2,937
7.71%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.9
3.97
-1.76%

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

Last update for Hamburg: October 28, 2025

Last update for Essen: October 28, 2025

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