Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamburg and Osnabruck

For one person, living is cheaper in Osnabruck: $1,956 a month against $2,332 in Hamburg, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Hamburg, Germany
Osnabruck, Germany
Hamburg
🇩🇪 Germany
$2,332
/mo nomad
Osnabruck
🇩🇪 Germany
$1,956
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hamburg and in Osnabruck

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

A single person spends $2,332 per month in Hamburg vs $1,956 in Osnabruck, rent included.

  • Hamburg $2,332
  • Osnabruck $1,956

A couple spends around $3,481 per month in Hamburg vs $2,925 in Osnabruck, rent included.

  • Hamburg $3,481
  • Osnabruck $2,925

A family of three spends $4,631 per month in Hamburg vs $3,893 in Osnabruck, rent included.

  • Hamburg $4,631
  • Osnabruck $3,893

Hamburg costs about 19% more than Osnabruck, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Hamburg and Osnabruck sit above the global median – Hamburg by 71%, Osnabruck by 44%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hamburg
Osnabruck
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.03 €15.26
$13.51 €12.10
26.05%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$73.6 €66.0
$77.5 €69.5
-5.07%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.65 €12.24
$10.78 €9.66
26.62%
Cappuccino
$4.67 €4.19
$3.92 €3.51
19.13%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.18 €3.75
$2.91 €2.61
43.64%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.24 €2.90
$2.89 €2.59
12.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.96 €5.34
$4.90 €4.39
21.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.98 €4.47
$4.00 €3.58
24.50%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hamburg
Osnabruck
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.20 €1.07
$1.25 €1.12
-4.00%
White Bread (500g)
$2.60 €2.33
$2.37 €2.13
9.70%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.79 €2.50
$3.66 €3.28
-23.77%
Eggs
$4.24 €3.80
$3.49 €3.13
21.49%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.36 €11.08
$14.47 €12.96
-14.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.02 €10.77
$10.64 €9.53
12.97%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.94 €16.97
$18.59 €16.66
1.88%
Apples (1kg)
$3.24 €2.90
$3.25 €2.92
-0.31%
Banana (1kg)
$2.33 €2.09
$1.89 €1.69
23.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.95 €2.65
$2.17 €1.94
35.94%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.12 €3.69
$4.20 €3.76
-1.90%
Potato (1kg)
$1.83 €1.64
$1.42 €1.27
28.87%
Onion (1kg)
$1.75 €1.56
$1.18 €1.06
48.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.73 €1.55
$1.62 €1.45
6.79%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.17 €1.05
$0.86 €0.77
36.05%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.07 €9.02
$9.95 €8.91
1.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.61 €5.92
$6.85 €6.14
-3.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.13 €1.02
$0.99 €0.89
14.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.50 €1.34
$1.49 €1.33
0.67%
🚌 Getting Around
Hamburg
Osnabruck
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.43 €3.97
$3.89 €3.49
13.88%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$69.4 €62.2
$70.9 €63.5
-2.06%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.79 €6.08
$5.25 €4.71
29.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.98 €2.67
$2.76 €2.47
7.97%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$41.72 €37.39
$36.91 €33.07
13.03%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.29 €2.05
$2.09 €1.87
9.57%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.0K €29.6K
$30.2K €27.0K
9.25%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.9K €34.9K
$39.1K €35.1K
-0.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hamburg
Osnabruck
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$383 €343
$283 €254
35.29%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.47 €17.45
$30.62 €27.44
-36.41%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$38.79 €34.76
$40.12 €35.95
-3.32%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hamburg
Osnabruck
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.26 €37.87
$50.3 €45.08
-16.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.37 €25.43
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$15.46 €13.85
$13.22 €11.85
16.94%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hamburg
Osnabruck
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$502 €450
$409 €367
22.75%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.8K €12.3K
$27.5K €24.6K
-49.91%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hamburg
Osnabruck
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.6 €77.6
$89.5 €80.2
-3.24%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.18 €32.42
$39.13 €35.06
-7.54%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 €90.2
$86.9 €77.9
15.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 €105
$108 €96.7
8.79%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hamburg
Osnabruck
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,212 €1,086
$626 €561
93.71%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$919 €823
$712 €638
28.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,155 €1,931
$1,675 €1,501
28.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,667 €1,494
$1,190 €1,067
40.09%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$9,358 €8,385
$3,897 €3,492
140.11%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,163 €4,627
$3,302 €2,959
56.35%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hamburg
Osnabruck
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,622 €3,245
$1,678 €1,504
115.84%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.69
3.95
-6.58%

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

Last update for Hamburg: October 26, 2026

Last update for Osnabruck: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Hamburg
$919
Osnabruck
$712 22.5% $206
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hamburg
$441
Osnabruck
$354 19.8% $87
Groceries & Markets
Hamburg
$335
Osnabruck
$319 4.5% $15
Eating Out
Hamburg
$303
Osnabruck
$243 19.7% $60
Clothing & Footwear
Hamburg
$153
Osnabruck
$146 5.1% $7.8
Getting Around
Hamburg
$109
Osnabruck
$105 3.1% $3.3
Sport & Entertainment
Hamburg
$73
Osnabruck
$77 4.9% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,212 in Hamburg versus $626 in Osnabruck. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Hamburg are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Hamburg versus $78 in Osnabruck. Groceries tell a different story – $335 in Hamburg vs $319 in Osnabruck – so Osnabruck wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇩🇪 Hamburg
🇩🇪 Osnabruck
🕒 Local time
05:06 5:06 AM
05:06 5:06 AM
Same time as Hamburg
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,812,709
169,108
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Hamburg Osnabruck 190 km
From you
  • Hamburg
  • Osnabruck

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 Osnabruck: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Hamburg or Osnabruck?
Hamburg costs about 19% more than Osnabruck, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Hamburg and in Osnabruck?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,499 per month in Hamburg and $2,935 in Osnabruck. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Hamburg or Osnabruck?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Osnabruck, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $626 there versus $1,212 in Hamburg.
How much does it cost to live in Hamburg compared to Osnabruck?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,332 in Hamburg and $1,956 in Osnabruck. That makes Osnabruck about 16% cheaper.
How do childcare costs compare in Hamburg and in Osnabruck?
Kindergarten costs $502 per month in Hamburg and $409 in Osnabruck. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Osnabruck – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How safe is Hamburg compared to Osnabruck?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Hamburg or to Osnabruck?
If budget matters most, go with Osnabruck. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hamburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Hamburg vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?