Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamburg and Freiburg im Breisgau

For one person, living is cheaper in Freiburg im Breisgau: $2,169 a month against $2,383 in Hamburg, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Hamburg outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

115

Cost of Living Index in Hamburg
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Hamburg Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Freiburg im Breisgau
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Freiburg im Breisgau Living Index

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Hamburg

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,383

/mo nomad

Freiburg im Breisgau

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,169

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hamburg and in Freiburg im Breisgau

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 Freiburg im Breisgau actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,383 per month in Hamburg vs $2,169 in Freiburg im Breisgau, rent included.

Hamburg $2,383
Freiburg im Breisgau $2,169

A couple spends around $3,529 per month in Hamburg vs $3,406 in Freiburg im Breisgau, rent included.

Hamburg $3,529
Freiburg im Breisgau $3,406

A family of three spends $4,675 per month in Hamburg vs $4,643 in Freiburg im Breisgau, rent included.

Hamburg $4,675
Freiburg im Breisgau $4,643

Hamburg costs about 10% more than Freiburg im Breisgau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Hamburg and Freiburg im Breisgau sit above the global median – Hamburg by 76%, Freiburg im Breisgau by 60%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.59 €14.76

$16.72 €14.87

-0.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.6 €62.8

$77.0 €68.5

-8.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.60 €12.10

$11.10 €9.87

22.52%

Cappuccino

$4.65 €4.14

$4.01 €3.57

15.96%

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

$4.28 €3.80

$3.82 €3.40

12.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 €2.97

$3.33 €2.97

0.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.68 €5.05

$5.65 €5.02

0.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.71 €4.19

$4.54 €4.03

3.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.40 €1.24

-15.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 €2.32

$2.04 €1.81

27.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 €2.56

$3.74 €3.32

-22.99%

Eggs

$4.34 €3.86

$3.43 €3.05

26.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.37 €11.00

$18.38 €16.35

-32.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.17 €10.83

$10.42 €9.27

16.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.59 €16.53

$25.74 €22.89

-27.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 €2.84

$3.18 €2.83

0.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 €2.09

$2.17 €1.93

8.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 €2.62

$2.00 €1.77

47.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 €3.68

$3.95 €3.52

4.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 €1.69

$1.09 €0.97

75.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.10 €0.98

59.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.47 €1.31

22.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.21 €1.08

-9.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.52 €9.35

$9.86 €8.77

6.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.56 €5.83

$6.87 €6.11

-4.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 €1.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.68 €1.50

-22.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.41 €3.93

$3.19 €2.83

38.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.0 €63.2

$68.4 €60.9

3.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.67 €5.94

$4.55 €4.05

46.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.04 €2.71

$3.22 €2.87

-5.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.16 €37.51

$44.43 €39.52

-5.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.09 €1.86

9.09%

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

$32.9K €29.2K

$33.1K €29.5K

-0.77%

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

$39.4K €35.0K

$38.5K €34.3K

2.23%

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

$380 €338

$233 €207

63.06%

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

$20.60 €18.32

$38.39 €34.14

-46.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.98 €34.67

$52.7 €46.86

-26.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.63 €40.59

$41.89 €37.26

8.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.67 €25.50

$12.91 €11.49

122.08%

Cinema Ticket

$16.05 €14.28

$14.89 €13.25

7.79%

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

$512 €455

$484 €431

5.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.5K €12.0K

$15.9K €14.2K

-15.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.4 €73.3

$101 €89.7

-18.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.74 €33.57

$44.68 €39.74

-15.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.1 €86.4

$99.3 €88.3

-2.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$172 €153

-31.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,317 €1,171

$1,093 €972

20.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$972 €865

$849 €756

14.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,327 €2,070

$2,182 €1,941

6.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,731 €1,540

$1,717 €1,527

0.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,875 €8,784

$7,428 €6,607

32.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,007 €4,454

$4,713 €4,192

6.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,616 €3,216

$3,245 €2,886

11.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.69

3.92

-5.87%

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

Last update for Hamburg: October 19, 2026

Last update for Freiburg im Breisgau: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamburg

$972 40.8%

Freiburg im Breisgau

$849 39.2% 12.6% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamburg

$440 18.4%

Freiburg im Breisgau

$324 14.9% 26.3% $115

Groceries & Markets

Hamburg

$334 14%

Freiburg im Breisgau

$353 16.3% 5.6% $19

Eating Out

Hamburg

$298 12.5%

Freiburg im Breisgau

$281 13% 5.6% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Hamburg

$151 6.3%

Freiburg im Breisgau

$187 8.6% 24.1% $36

Getting Around

Hamburg

$111 4.6%

Freiburg im Breisgau

$102 4.7% 7.9% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Hamburg

$78 3.3%

Freiburg im Breisgau

$72 3.3% 7.8% $6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,317 in Hamburg versus $1,093 in Freiburg im Breisgau. 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 11% higher in Hamburg, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Hamburg versus $77.0 in Freiburg im Breisgau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $334 vs $353 – making Hamburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Hamburg

🇩🇪 Freiburg im Breisgau

🕒 Local time

00:10 12:10 AM

Same time as Hamburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,812,709

230,219

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Hamburg Freiburg im Breisgau 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Hamburg vs Freiburg im Breisgau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Hamburg is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,575 per month in Hamburg and $3,253 in Freiburg im Breisgau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Freiburg im Breisgau, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Hamburg and $77.0 in Freiburg im Breisgau. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,383 in Hamburg and $2,169 in Freiburg im Breisgau. That's a gap of about 10%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Freiburg im Breisgau, where all-in costs run around $2,169, than in Hamburg at $2,383. In Freiburg im Breisgau it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hamburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Freiburg im Breisgau. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hamburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.