Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamburg and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamburg: $2,326 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $21,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Hamburg
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Hamburg Living Index
196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Hamburg

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,326

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hamburg and in London

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

A single person spends $2,326 per month in Hamburg vs $4,086 in London, rent included.

Hamburg $2,326
London $4,086

A couple spends around $3,471 per month in Hamburg vs $5,816 in London, rent included.

Hamburg $3,471
London $5,816

A family of three spends $4,615 per month in Hamburg vs $7,546 in London, rent included.

Hamburg $4,615
London $7,546

Hamburg is about 43% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Hamburg and London sit above the global median – Hamburg by 74%, London by 205%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.94 €15.10

$26.62 £20.12

-36.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.4 €62.8

$108 £81.3

-34.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.71 €12.22

$10.39 £7.86

31.95%

Cappuccino

$4.62 €4.12

$5.79 £4.38

-20.21%

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

$4.04 €3.60

$3.01 £2.27

34.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 €3.04

$2.15 £1.63

58.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.51 €4.91

$9.35 £7.07

-41.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.68 €4.17

$7.84 £5.93

-40.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.79 £1.35

-29.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 €2.30

$2.06 £1.56

24.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.81 €2.50

$2.31 £1.74

21.65%

Eggs

$4.39 €3.92

$5.05 £3.82

-13.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.28 €10.95

$12.57 £9.50

-2.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.06 €10.75

$10.66 £8.05

13.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.80 €16.76

$17.13 £12.95

9.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 €2.84

$3.03 £2.29

5.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$1.41 £1.07

75.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 €2.62

$3.05 £2.31

-3.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 €3.82

$3.38 £2.56

26.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.67 £1.26

15.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.73 £1.31

6.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.41 £1.07

23.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.79 £1.35

-35.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.22 €9.11

$23.22 £17.55

-55.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.89 €6.14

$12.99 £9.82

-46.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.01

$3.18 £2.41

-64.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.17

$4.41 £3.34

-70.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.25 €3.79

$3.87 £2.93

9.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.3 €61.8

$250 £189

-72.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.70 €5.97

$5.71 £4.31

17.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.09 €2.75

$3.33 £2.51

-7.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.66 €38.04

$57.9 £43.77

-26.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 €2.05

$2.04 £1.54

12.75%

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

$32.5K €29.0K

$37.5K £28.4K

-13.40%

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

$38.0K €33.9K

$40.9K £30.9K

-7.10%

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

$378 €337

$376 £284

0.51%

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

$19.88 €17.72

$17.88 £13.51

11.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.30 €35.04

$40.01 £30.25

-1.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.12 €41.12

$61.2 £46.23

-24.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.84 €25.72

$21.07 £15.93

36.88%

Cinema Ticket

$16.25 €14.49

$17.95 £13.57

-9.47%

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

$499 €445

$2,865 £2,166

-82.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K €12.4K

$35.3K £26.7K

-60.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 €75.5

$116 £87.7

-27.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.82 €32.83

$54.1 £40.88

-31.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.2 €86.7

$127 £95.7

-23.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 €105

$159 £120

-26.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,161

$2,853 £2,157

-54.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$941 €839

$2,301 £1,740

-59.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,283 €2,036

$5,201 £3,932

-56.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,665 €1,485

$3,723 £2,814

-55.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,758 €8,700

$19.0K £14.4K

-48.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,004 €4,462

$7,881 £5,957

-36.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,643 €3,248

$4,818 £3,642

-24.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.69

4.65

-20.65%

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

Last update for Hamburg: October 3, 2026

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamburg

$941 40%

London

$2.3K 56.5% 145% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamburg

$437 18.6%

London

$434 10.7% 0.7% $3.2

Groceries & Markets

Hamburg

$337 14.3%

London

$349 8.6% 3.7% $13

Eating Out

Hamburg

$299 12.7%

London

$397 9.7% 32.8% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Hamburg

$151 6.4%

London

$205 5% 35.6% $54

Getting Around

Hamburg

$108 4.6%

London

$288 7.1% 165% $179

Sport & Entertainment

Hamburg

$79 3.3%

London

$97 2.4% 23.5% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,302 in Hamburg versus $2,853 in London. 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 32% higher in London, 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 $70.0 in Hamburg versus $108 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $337 vs $349 – making Hamburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Hamburg

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

07:34 7:34 AM

06:34 6:34 AM

1 h behind Hamburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,812,709

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Hamburg London 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Hamburg
London

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 London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

London costs about 76% more than Hamburg, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,489 per month in Hamburg and $6,129 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,326 in Hamburg and $4,086 in London. That's a gap of about 76%.

Public transport costs about 261% less in Hamburg. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Hamburg, where all-in costs run around $2,326, than in London at $4,086. In Hamburg it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Hamburg costs $2,326 versus $4,086 in London. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Hamburg. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.