Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamburg and Karlsruhe Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamburg and Karlsruhe

😐 Solo nomad: Hamburg is 5.1% more expensive than Karlsruhe without rent, and 9.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Hamburg is 10.6% more expensive than Karlsruhe without rent, and 12.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hamburg
Karlsruhe
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.03 €17.3
$17.66 €15.25
13.42%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$94.2 €81.4
$71.7 €61.9
31.37%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.78 €11.89
$11.01 €9.51
25.16%
Cappuccino
$4.65 €4.02
$4.02 €3.47
15.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.65 €3.15
$3.5 €3.02
4.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.19 €2.76
$2.95 €2.55
8.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.74 €4.96
$4.91 €4.24
16.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.51 €4.76
$4.51 €3.89
22.17%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hamburg
Karlsruhe
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.39 €1.2
$1.25 €1.08
11.20%
White Bread (500g)
$2.13 €1.84
$2.32 €2
-8.19%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.43 €2.96
$3.21 €2.78
6.85%
Eggs
$3.71 €3.2
$4.26 €3.68
-12.91%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.51 €12.53
$16.06 €13.87
-9.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.3 €11.48
$15.37 €13.27
-13.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.59 €18.64
$21.66 €18.71
-0.32%
Apples (1kg)
$3.41 €2.94
$3.1 €2.68
10.00%
Banana (1kg)
$2.26 €1.95
$1.85 €1.6
22.16%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.38 €2.06
$2.32 €2
2.59%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.67 €4.03
$4.6 €3.98
1.52%
Potato (1kg)
$1.57 €1.36
$1.49 €1.28
5.37%
Onion (1kg)
$1.55 €1.34
$1.53 €1.32
1.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.96 €1.7
$1.91 €1.65
2.62%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.03 €0.89
$1.25 €1.08
-17.60%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.51 €8.21
$10 €8.63
-4.90%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.95 €6
$7.14 €6.16
-2.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.14 €0.98
$1.05 €0.9
8.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.56 €1.34
$1.59 €1.38
-1.89%
🚌 Getting Around
Hamburg
Karlsruhe
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.15 €3.58
$3.78 €3.26
9.79%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$66.9 €57.7
$56.3 €48.62
18.74%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$7.07 €6.1
$5.78 €4.99
22.32%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.82 €2.43
$3.63 €3.14
-22.31%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$44.12 €38.09
$30.93 €26.71
42.64%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.98 €1.71
$2.03 €1.76
-2.46%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.2K €27K
$31.5K €27.2K
-0.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.9K €34.4K
$38.1K €32.9K
4.80%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hamburg
Karlsruhe
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$369 €318
$265 €229
39.13%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.31 €18.4
$26.42 €22.81
-19.34%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$38.79 €33.49
$52.6 €45.42
-26.25%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hamburg
Karlsruhe
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.71 €41.19
$40.18 €34.69
18.74%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24 €20.72
$41.8 €36.09
-42.58%
Cinema Ticket
$15.95 €13.77
$17.15 €14.8
-7.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hamburg
Karlsruhe
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$258 €223
$515 €445
-49.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$26.6K €23K
$18K €15.6K
47.43%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hamburg
Karlsruhe
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$92.9 €80.2
$90.5 €78.1
2.70%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.7 €50.7
$60.3 €52
-2.57%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$124 €107
$107 €92
16.52%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$187 €161
$123 €106
51.95%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hamburg
Karlsruhe
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,385 €1,195
$999 €863
38.53%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$959 €828
$871 €752
10.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,403 €2,075
$1,975 €1,706
21.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,801 €1,555
$1,371 €1,184
31.35%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$9,448 €8,157
$5,930 €5,120
59.32%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,171 €5,328
$4,862 €4,198
26.90%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hamburg
Karlsruhe
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,664 €3,164
$3,076 €2,656
19.11%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.9
3.98
-2.01%

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

Last update for Hamburg: October 28, 2025

Last update for Karlsruhe: October 29, 2025

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