Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamburg and Oldenburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Oldenburg: $1,946 a month against $2,332 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
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Hamburg Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Oldenburg
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Oldenburg Living Index

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Hamburg

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,332

/mo nomad

Oldenburg

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,946

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hamburg and in Oldenburg

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

A single person spends $2,332 per month in Hamburg vs $1,946 in Oldenburg, rent included.

Hamburg $2,332
Oldenburg $1,946

A couple spends around $3,481 per month in Hamburg vs $2,870 in Oldenburg, rent included.

Hamburg $3,481
Oldenburg $2,870

A family of three spends $4,631 per month in Hamburg vs $3,793 in Oldenburg, rent included.

Hamburg $4,631
Oldenburg $3,793

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

Both Hamburg and Oldenburg sit above the global median – Hamburg by 71%, Oldenburg by 43%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.03 €15.29

$11.13 €10.00

53.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.6 €66.1

$72.3 €65.0

1.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.65 €12.27

$11.08 €9.95

23.19%

Cappuccino

$4.67 €4.20

$4.20 €3.78

11.19%

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

$4.18 €3.75

$4.22 €3.79

-0.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 €2.91

$3.28 €2.95

-1.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.96 €5.36

$5.70 €5.12

4.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 €4.48

$4.10 €3.69

21.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.08

$1.18 €1.06

1.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 €2.33

$2.19 €1.96

18.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.79 €2.51

$2.85 €2.56

-2.11%

Eggs

$4.24 €3.81

$3.75 €3.37

13.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.36 €11.11

$12.07 €10.84

2.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.02 €10.80

$11.92 €10.71

0.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.94 €17.01

$18.27 €16.41

3.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.24 €2.91

$3.11 €2.79

4.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.16 €1.94

7.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 €2.65

$2.14 €1.92

37.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.12 €3.70

$4.18 €3.75

-1.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.21 €1.09

51.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 €1.57

$1.20 €1.07

45.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.80 €1.62

-3.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.05

$1.04 €0.93

12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.07 €9.04

$9.81 €8.81

2.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.61 €5.94

$6.50 €5.84

1.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.02

$0.94 €0.84

20.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.45 €1.31

3.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.43 €3.98

$3.13 €2.81

41.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.4 €62.4

$68.2 €61.3

1.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.79 €6.10

$6.21 €5.58

9.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.98 €2.68

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.72 €37.48

$43.23 €38.83

-3.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.29 €2.06

$2.03 €1.82

12.81%

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

$33.0K €29.6K

$30.9K €27.7K

6.81%

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

$38.9K €35.0K

$38.4K €34.5K

1.38%

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

$383 €344

$331 €298

15.60%

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

$19.47 €17.49

$19.24 €17.28

1.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.79 €34.84

$39.73 €35.69

-2.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.26 €37.96

$35.09 €31.52

20.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.37 €25.49

$7.84 €7.04

261.86%

Cinema Ticket

$15.46 €13.88

$14.94 €13.42

3.48%

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

$502 €451

$511 €459

-1.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.8K €12.4K

$13.7K €12.3K

0.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.6 €77.8

$86.8 €78.0

-0.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.18 €32.50

$36.31 €32.62

-0.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €90.4

$100 €89.9

0.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 €105

$116 €104

0.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,212 €1,088

$943 €847

28.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$919 €825

$682 €613

34.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 €1,935

$1,226 €1,102

75.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,667 €1,498

$1,125 €1,010

48.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,358 €8,406

$4,275 €3,841

118.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,163 €4,638

$3,021 €2,713

70.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,622 €3,253

$3,535 €3,175

2.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.69

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

Last update for Hamburg: October 26, 2026

Last update for Oldenburg: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamburg

$919 39.4%

Oldenburg

$682 35.1% 25.7% $237

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamburg

$441 18.9%

Oldenburg

$390 20% 11.5% $51

Groceries & Markets

Hamburg

$335 14.3%

Oldenburg

$315 16.2% 5.8% $20

Eating Out

Hamburg

$303 13%

Oldenburg

$239 12.3% 20.9% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Hamburg

$153 6.6%

Oldenburg

$153 7.9% 0.4% $0.6

Getting Around

Hamburg

$109 4.7%

Oldenburg

$102 5.2% 6.4% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Hamburg

$73 3.1%

Oldenburg

$65 3.3% 11.2% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,212 in Hamburg versus $943 in Oldenburg. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Hamburg versus $72 in Oldenburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $335 vs $315 – making Oldenburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Hamburg

🇩🇪 Oldenburg

🕒 Local time

03:13 3:13 AM

Same time as Hamburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,812,709

163,830

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Hamburg Oldenburg 130 km

From you

Hamburg
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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 Oldenburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamburg costs about 20% more than Oldenburg, 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 $3,499 per month in Hamburg and $2,920 in Oldenburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Oldenburg, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $943 there versus $1,212 in Hamburg.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,332 in Hamburg and $1,946 in Oldenburg. That makes Oldenburg about 17% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $502 per month in Hamburg and $511 in Oldenburg. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,332 in Hamburg and $1,946 in Oldenburg, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Hamburg has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,946 in Oldenburg to $2,332 in Hamburg. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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