Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamburg and Friedrichshafen

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamburg: $2,364 a month against $2,511 in Friedrichshafen, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Friedrichshafen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

113

Cost of Living Index in Hamburg
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Hamburg Living Index
120

Cost of Living Index in Friedrichshafen
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Friedrichshafen Living Index

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Hamburg

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,364

/mo nomad

Friedrichshafen

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,511

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hamburg and in Friedrichshafen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,364 in Hamburg versus $2,511 in Friedrichshafen.

Hamburg $2,364
Friedrichshafen $2,511

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,490 in Hamburg versus $3,121 in Friedrichshafen.

Hamburg $3,490
Friedrichshafen $3,121

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,615 in Hamburg versus $3,731 in Friedrichshafen.

Hamburg $4,615
Friedrichshafen $3,731

Living in Hamburg costs roughly 6% less than in Friedrichshafen.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hamburg 75% above, Friedrichshafen 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.17 €16.18

$17.08 €15.21

6.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.6 €63.8

$72.6 €64.7

-1.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.50 €12.02

$11.28 €10.05

19.68%

Cappuccino

$4.55 €4.05

$3.93 €3.50

15.78%

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

$4.10 €3.65

$4.06 €3.62

0.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 €2.97

$2.84 €2.53

17.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.56 €4.95

$5.29 €4.71

5.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 €4.51

$5.01 €4.47

1.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.09

$1.25 €1.12

-1.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 €2.41

$2.17 €1.93

24.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.87 €2.56

$2.74 €2.44

4.74%

Eggs

$4.35 €3.88

$3.39 €3.02

28.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.37 €11.02

$14.48 €12.90

-14.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.82 €10.53

$11.24 €10.01

5.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.72 €16.68

$17.54 €15.63

6.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 €2.84

$3.01 €2.68

5.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.86 €1.66

23.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.15 €1.91

38.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 €3.61

$4.41 €3.93

-8.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.41 €1.26

34.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.21 €1.08

43.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.50 €1.34

14.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 €1.09

$0.82 €0.73

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.36 €9.23

$9.86 €8.79

5.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.55 €5.83

$6.21 €5.53

5.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.10 €0.98

7.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.33

$1.59 €1.41

-5.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.29 €3.83

$2.76 €2.46

55.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.5 €63.6

$71.3 €63.5

0.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 €4.82

$6.43 €5.73

-15.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.07 €2.73

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.82 €37.26

$43.47 €38.72

-3.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.10 €1.87

8.10%

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

$33.6K €30.0K

$33.4K €29.8K

0.63%

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

$38.0K €33.9K

$38.5K €34.3K

-1.28%

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

$401 €357

$217 €193

85.23%

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

$19.94 €17.76

$16.99 €15.13

17.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.88 €34.63

$39.07 €34.80

-0.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.28 €37.67

$35.73 €31.83

18.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.73 €25.59

Cinema Ticket

$16.16 €14.40

$15.56 €13.86

3.86%

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

$512 €456

$873 €778

-41.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K €16.3K

$22.1K €19.7K

-17.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.1 €75.8

$92.3 €82.2

-7.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.94 €32.02

$43.61 €38.85

-17.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$99.8 €88.9

5.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$115 €102

2.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 €1,106

$1,430 €1,274

-13.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$922 €821

$1,316 €1,173

-29.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,193 €1,953

$1,886 €1,680

16.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 €1,444

$1,081 €963

49.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,428 €8,399

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,259 €4,685

$3,361 €2,994

56.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,680 €3,278

$3,037 €2,705

21.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.75

3.85

-2.60%

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

Last update for Hamburg: November 1, 2026

Last update for Friedrichshafen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamburg

$922 39%

Friedrichshafen

$1.3K 52.4% 42.8% $394

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamburg

$460 19.5%

Friedrichshafen

$273 10.9% 40.7% $187

Groceries & Markets

Hamburg

$335 14.2%

Friedrichshafen

$311 12.4% 7.1% $24

Eating Out

Hamburg

$308 13%

Friedrichshafen

$282 11.2% 8.6% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Hamburg

$155 6.6%

Friedrichshafen

$158 6.3% 1.9% $2.9

Getting Around

Hamburg

$109 4.6%

Friedrichshafen

$104 4.2% 4.8% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Hamburg

$75 3.2%

Friedrichshafen

$67 2.7% 10.4% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,242 in Hamburg and $1,430 in Friedrichshafen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hamburg pays 21% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $72 in Hamburg vs $73 in Friedrichshafen. Groceries flip the comparison at $335 vs $311, with Friedrichshafen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Hamburg

🇩🇪 Friedrichshafen

🕒 Local time

15:43 3:43 PM

Same time as Hamburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,812,709

58,099

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Hamburg Friedrichshafen 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Hamburg
Friedrichshafen

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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 Friedrichshafen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,364 in Hamburg and $2,511 in Friedrichshafen, so Hamburg is about 6% 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: $1,242 in Hamburg versus $1,430 in Friedrichshafen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $512 in Hamburg versus $873 in Friedrichshafen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,364 per month in Hamburg versus $2,511 in Friedrichshafen – Hamburg is about 6% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

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