Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamburg and Kempten

For one person, living is cheaper in Kempten: $1,977 a month against $2,364 in Hamburg, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Hamburg
Learn more

Hamburg Living Index
95

Cost of Living Index in Kempten
Learn more

Kempten Living Index

Jump to prices

Hamburg

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,364

/mo nomad

Kempten

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,977

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hamburg and in Kempten

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

A single person spends $2,364 per month in Hamburg vs $1,977 in Kempten, rent included.

Hamburg $2,364
Kempten $1,977

A couple spends around $3,490 per month in Hamburg vs $2,950 in Kempten, rent included.

Hamburg $3,490
Kempten $2,950

A family of three spends $4,615 per month in Hamburg vs $3,924 in Kempten, rent included.

Hamburg $4,615
Kempten $3,924

Hamburg costs about 20% more than Kempten, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Hamburg and Kempten sit above the global median – Hamburg by 75%, Kempten by 46%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.17 €16.20

$17.69 €15.78

2.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.6 €63.8

$56.0 €49.94

27.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.50 €12.04

$9.73 €8.68

38.75%

Cappuccino

$4.55 €4.06

$4.06 €3.62

12.07%

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

$4.10 €3.66

$2.79 €2.49

46.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 €2.97

$2.36 €2.11

41.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.56 €4.96

$4.87 €4.34

14.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 €4.51

$3.43 €3.06

47.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.09

$1.28 €1.14

-3.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 €2.41

$2.29 €2.04

17.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.87 €2.56

$3.11 €2.78

-7.72%

Eggs

$4.35 €3.88

$4.37 €3.90

-0.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.37 €11.04

$16.66 €14.86

-25.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.82 €10.54

$12.67 €11.30

-6.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.72 €16.70

$16.81 €15.00

11.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 €2.85

$2.45 €2.18

30.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.42 €1.26

61.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$1.58 €1.41

88.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 €3.61

$4.10 €3.65

-1.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.68 €1.50

12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.61 €1.43

8.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.47 €1.31

16.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 €1.09

$0.54 €0.48

127.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.36 €9.24

$9.05 €8.07

14.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.55 €5.84

$5.51 €4.92

18.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 €1.06

$1.09 €0.97

8.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.33

$1.09 €0.97

37.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.29 €3.83

$3.15 €2.81

36.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.5 €63.7

$60.6 €54.0

17.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 €4.82

$4.76 €4.24

13.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.07 €2.74

$2.87 €2.56

6.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.82 €37.31

$39.80 €35.50

5.08%

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

$33.5K €29.9K

0.38%

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

$38.0K €33.9K

$33.0K €29.4K

15.19%

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

$401 €358

$312 €279

28.37%

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

$19.94 €17.79

$17.72 €15.81

12.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.88 €34.68

$43.47 €38.77

-10.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.28 €37.72

$56.1 €50.0

-24.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.73 €25.62

$26.35 €23.51

9.03%

Cinema Ticket

$16.16 €14.42

$13.08 €11.67

23.55%

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

$512 €457

$318 €283

61.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K €16.4K

$22.2K €19.8K

-17.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.1 €75.9

$80.4 €71.7

5.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.94 €32.06

$43.26 €38.59

-16.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.8

$96.0 €85.7

9.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$139 €124

-15.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 €1,108

$894 €797

38.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$922 €822

$680 €606

35.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,193 €1,956

$1,544 €1,377

42.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 €1,446

$1,213 €1,082

33.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,428 €8,410

$6,054 €5,400

55.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,259 €4,691

$4,882 €4,355

7.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,680 €3,283

$3,872 €3,454

-4.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.75

2.6

44.23%

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

Last update for Hamburg: November 1, 2026

Last update for Kempten: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamburg

$922 39%

Kempten

$680 34.4% 26.2% $242

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamburg

$460 19.5%

Kempten

$374 18.9% 18.8% $86

Groceries & Markets

Hamburg

$335 14.2%

Kempten

$316 16% 5.7% $19

Eating Out

Hamburg

$308 13%

Kempten

$271 13.7% 12% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Hamburg

$155 6.6%

Kempten

$161 8.2% 4.2% $6.6

Getting Around

Hamburg

$109 4.6%

Kempten

$92 4.7% 15.7% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Hamburg

$75 3.2%

Kempten

$82 4.2% 10.3% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,242 in Hamburg versus $894 in Kempten. 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 5% higher in Kempten, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $72 in Hamburg versus $56 in Kempten. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $335 vs $316 – making Kempten the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Hamburg

🇩🇪 Kempten

🕒 Local time

03:01 3:01 AM

Same time as Hamburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,812,709

61,399

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hamburg Kempten 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Hamburg
Kempten

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 Kempten: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamburg costs about 20% more than Kempten, 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 $2,965 in Kempten. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kempten, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $894 there versus $1,242 in Hamburg.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,364 in Hamburg and $1,977 in Kempten. That makes Kempten about 16% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 15% less in Kempten. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,364 in Hamburg and $1,977 in Kempten, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Kempten – 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.

For expats, Kempten is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 16% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.