Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamburg and Frankfurt

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamburg: $2,332 a month against $2,510 in Frankfurt, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 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
121

Cost of Living Index in Frankfurt
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Frankfurt Living Index

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Hamburg

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,332

/mo nomad

Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hamburg and in Frankfurt

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,332 in Hamburg versus $2,510 in Frankfurt.

Hamburg $2,332
Frankfurt $2,510

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,481 in Hamburg versus $3,732 in Frankfurt.

Hamburg $3,481
Frankfurt $3,732

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,631 in Hamburg versus $4,954 in Frankfurt.

Hamburg $4,631
Frankfurt $4,954

Living in Hamburg costs roughly 7% less than in Frankfurt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hamburg 71% above, Frankfurt 84% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.03 €15.30

$16.83 €15.12

1.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.6 €66.1

$88.1 €79.1

-16.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.65 €12.27

$13.28 €11.93

2.79%

Cappuccino

$4.67 €4.20

$4.54 €4.08

2.86%

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

$4.18 €3.76

$3.68 €3.30

13.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 €2.91

$3.61 €3.25

-10.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.96 €5.36

$5.71 €5.13

4.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 €4.48

$5.74 €5.15

-13.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.08

$1.31 €1.17

-8.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 €2.34

$2.20 €1.98

18.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.79 €2.51

$3.09 €2.78

-9.71%

Eggs

$4.24 €3.81

$3.65 €3.28

16.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.36 €11.11

$13.55 €12.18

-8.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.02 €10.80

$11.86 €10.65

1.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.94 €17.02

$21.79 €19.58

-13.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.24 €2.91

$3.10 €2.79

4.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.09 €1.88

11.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 €2.65

$1.94 €1.74

52.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.12 €3.70

$3.83 €3.44

7.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.78 €1.60

2.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 €1.57

$1.86 €1.67

-5.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.57 €1.41

10.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.05

$1.05 €0.94

11.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.07 €9.04

$9.49 €8.53

6.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.61 €5.94

$5.61 €5.04

17.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.02

$1.12 €1.01

0.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.45 €1.31

3.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.43 €3.98

$4.29 €3.86

3.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.4 €62.4

$69.3 €62.3

0.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.79 €6.10

$4.42 €3.97

53.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.98 €2.68

$2.27 €2.04

31.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.72 €37.49

$23.89 €21.47

74.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.29 €2.06

$2.22 €1.99

3.15%

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

$33.0K €29.6K

$33.7K €30.3K

-2.06%

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

$38.9K €35.0K

$39.2K €35.2K

-0.57%

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

$383 €344

$385 €346

-0.52%

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

$19.47 €17.49

$19.76 €17.75

-1.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.79 €34.85

$46.58 €41.85

-16.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.26 €37.97

$63.4 €56.9

-33.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.37 €25.49

$29.55 €26.55

-3.99%

Cinema Ticket

$15.46 €13.89

$16.84 €15.13

-8.19%

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

$502 €451

$1,097 €985

-54.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.8K €12.4K

$22.6K €20.3K

-39.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.6 €77.8

$86.3 €77.6

0.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.18 €32.51

$33.24 €29.86

8.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €90.4

$82.5 €74.1

22.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 €105

$108 €96.8

8.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,212 €1,089

$1,418 €1,274

-14.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$919 €826

$1,092 €981

-15.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 €1,936

$2,713 €2,437

-20.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,667 €1,498

$1,920 €1,725

-13.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,358 €8,408

$7,738 €6,953

20.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,163 €4,639

$4,482 €4,027

15.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,622 €3,254

$4,024 €3,616

-10.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.69

3.64

1.37%

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

Last update for Hamburg: October 26, 2026

Last update for Frankfurt: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamburg

$919 39.4%

Frankfurt

$1.1K 43.5% 18.8% $173

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamburg

$441 18.9%

Frankfurt

$451 18% 2.3% $10

Groceries & Markets

Hamburg

$335 14.3%

Frankfurt

$330 13.2% 1.4% $4.6

Eating Out

Hamburg

$303 13%

Frankfurt

$298 11.9% 1.5% $4.6

Clothing & Footwear

Hamburg

$153 6.6%

Frankfurt

$139 5.6% 9.1% $14

Getting Around

Hamburg

$109 4.7%

Frankfurt

$102 4.1% 6% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Hamburg

$73 3.1%

Frankfurt

$97 3.9% 32.6% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,212 in Hamburg and $1,418 in Frankfurt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Frankfurt pays 11% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $74 in Hamburg vs $88 in Frankfurt. Groceries flip the comparison at $335 vs $330, with Frankfurt cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Hamburg

🇩🇪 Frankfurt

🕒 Local time

17:07 5:07 PM

Same time as Hamburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,812,709

701,350

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Hamburg Frankfurt 390 km

From you

Hamburg
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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 Frankfurt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamburg is cheaper overall, especially in leisure and utilities. The 8% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 10% lower in Hamburg. 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: $1,212 in Hamburg versus $1,418 in Frankfurt. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Hamburg – a meal for two runs $74 versus $88 in Frankfurt. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $502 in Hamburg versus $1,097 in Frankfurt. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Hamburg is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Hamburg is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Frankfurt, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Hamburg and Frankfurt are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

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