Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamburg and Gelsenkirchen

For one person, living is cheaper in Gelsenkirchen: $1,894 a month against $2,364 in Hamburg, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Hamburg
Learn more

Hamburg Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Gelsenkirchen
Learn more

Gelsenkirchen Living Index

Jump to prices

Hamburg

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,364

/mo nomad

Gelsenkirchen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,894

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hamburg and in Gelsenkirchen

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

A single person spends $2,364 per month in Hamburg vs $1,894 in Gelsenkirchen, rent included.

Hamburg $2,364
Gelsenkirchen $1,894

A couple spends around $3,490 per month in Hamburg vs $2,790 in Gelsenkirchen, rent included.

Hamburg $3,490
Gelsenkirchen $2,790

A family of three spends $4,615 per month in Hamburg vs $3,685 in Gelsenkirchen, rent included.

Hamburg $4,615
Gelsenkirchen $3,685

Hamburg costs about 25% more than Gelsenkirchen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Hamburg and Gelsenkirchen sit above the global median – Hamburg by 75%, Gelsenkirchen by 40%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.17 €16.24

$13.24 €11.84

37.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.6 €64.0

$78.6 €70.3

-8.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.50 €12.07

$10.65 €9.53

26.76%

Cappuccino

$4.55 €4.07

$4.35 €3.89

4.60%

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

$4.10 €3.66

$3.71 €3.32

10.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 €2.98

$2.99 €2.67

11.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.56 €4.97

$4.97 €4.45

11.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 €4.53

$3.91 €3.49

29.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.34 €1.20

-8.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.25 €2.02

20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.87 €2.57

$3.71 €3.32

-22.64%

Eggs

$4.35 €3.89

$3.38 €3.03

28.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.37 €11.06

$14.18 €12.68

-12.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.82 €10.57

$10.93 €9.78

8.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.72 €16.74

$23.80 €21.28

-21.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 €2.85

$3.54 €3.17

-9.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.96 €1.75

17.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$2.09 €1.87

42.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 €3.62

$4.16 €3.72

-2.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.48 €1.32

27.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.16 €1.03

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 €1.53

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 €1.10

$0.80 €0.72

53.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.36 €9.27

$9.75 €8.72

6.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.55 €5.85

$5.45 €4.88

20.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 €1.06

$1.08 €0.97

9.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.43 €1.28

4.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.29 €3.84

$3.84 €3.44

11.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.5 €63.9

$71.7 €64.1

-0.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 €4.84

$5.04 €4.51

7.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.07 €2.74

$2.22 €1.99

38.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.82 €37.40

$33.88 €30.29

23.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.27 €2.03

$2.28 €2.04

-0.44%

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

$33.6K €30.1K

$30.7K €27.4K

9.62%

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

$38.0K €34.0K

$38.5K €34.4K

-1.25%

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

$401 €359

$392 €351

2.30%

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

$19.94 €17.83

$25.91 €23.17

-23.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.88 €34.76

$40.55 €36.26

-4.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.28 €37.81

$31.83 €28.46

32.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.73 €25.69

$27.58 €24.66

4.17%

Cinema Ticket

$16.16 €14.45

$8.77 €7.85

84.26%

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

$512 €458

$169 €151

202.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K €16.4K

$19.1K €17.0K

-3.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.1 €76.1

$97.4 €87.1

-12.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.94 €32.14

$39.48 €35.30

-8.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.1

$95.5 €85.4

10.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €106

$108 €96.8

9.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 €1,111

$595 €532

108.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$922 €824

$546 €488

68.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,193 €1,961

$1,021 €913

114.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 €1,449

$839 €751

93.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,428 €8,431

$1,692 €1,513

457.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,259 €4,703

$1,342 €1,200

291.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,680 €3,291

$2,280 €2,039

61.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.75

3.96

-5.30%

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

Last update for Hamburg: November 1, 2026

Last update for Gelsenkirchen: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamburg

$922 39%

Gelsenkirchen

$546 28.8% 40.8% $376

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamburg

$460 19.5%

Gelsenkirchen

$459 24.2% 0.3% $1.4

Groceries & Markets

Hamburg

$335 14.2%

Gelsenkirchen

$334 17.6% 0.4% $1.3

Eating Out

Hamburg

$308 13%

Gelsenkirchen

$250 13.2% 19% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Hamburg

$155 6.6%

Gelsenkirchen

$153 8.1% 1.1% $1.6

Getting Around

Hamburg

$109 4.6%

Gelsenkirchen

$103 5.5% 5.6% $6.2

Sport & Entertainment

Hamburg

$75 3.2%

Gelsenkirchen

$49 2.6% 33.8% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,242 in Hamburg versus $595 in Gelsenkirchen. 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 61% higher in Hamburg. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $72 in Hamburg versus $79 in Gelsenkirchen. Groceries tell a different story – $335 in Hamburg vs $334 in Gelsenkirchen – so Gelsenkirchen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Hamburg

🇩🇪 Gelsenkirchen

🕒 Local time

04:35 4:35 AM

Same time as Hamburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,812,709

270,107

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hamburg Gelsenkirchen 300 km

From you

Hamburg
Gelsenkirchen

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 Gelsenkirchen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamburg costs about 25% more than Gelsenkirchen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,546 per month in Hamburg and $2,841 in Gelsenkirchen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gelsenkirchen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $595 there versus $1,242 in Hamburg.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,364 in Hamburg and $1,894 in Gelsenkirchen. That makes Gelsenkirchen about 20% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $72 in Hamburg and $79 in Gelsenkirchen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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