Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamburg and Schwerin

For one person, living is cheaper in Schwerin: $1,525 a month against $2,332 in Hamburg, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 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
74

Cost of Living Index in Schwerin
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Schwerin Living Index

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Hamburg

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,332

/mo nomad

Schwerin

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hamburg and in Schwerin

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

A single person spends $2,332 per month in Hamburg vs $1,525 in Schwerin, rent included.

Hamburg $2,332
Schwerin $1,525

A couple spends around $3,481 per month in Hamburg vs $2,461 in Schwerin, rent included.

Hamburg $3,481
Schwerin $2,461

A family of three spends $4,631 per month in Hamburg vs $3,397 in Schwerin, rent included.

Hamburg $4,631
Schwerin $3,397

Hamburg costs about 53% more than Schwerin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Hamburg and Schwerin sit above the global median – Hamburg by 71%, Schwerin by 12%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.03 €15.19

$13.28 €11.85

28.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.6 €65.7

$111 €99.2

-33.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.65 €12.18

$14.99 €13.37

-8.94%

Cappuccino

$4.67 €4.17

$3.80 €3.39

22.89%

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

$4.18 €3.73

$2.89 €2.58

44.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 €2.89

$2.26 €2.01

43.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.96 €5.32

$4.48 €4.00

33.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 €4.45

$4.01 €3.58

24.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.25 €1.11

-4.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 €2.32

$2.42 €2.16

7.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.79 €2.49

$3.65 €3.25

-23.56%

Eggs

$4.24 €3.78

$3.33 €2.97

27.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.36 €11.03

$14.47 €12.91

-14.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.02 €10.73

$10.94 €9.76

9.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.94 €16.90

$18.87 €16.84

0.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.24 €2.89

$3.32 €2.96

-2.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 €2.08

$1.85 €1.65

25.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 €2.63

$2.07 €1.85

42.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.12 €3.67

$4.29 €3.83

-3.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.37 €1.22

33.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.19 €1.06

47.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.68 €1.50

2.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.05

$0.65 €0.58

80.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.07 €8.98

$9.69 €8.65

3.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.61 €5.90

$6.78 €6.05

-2.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.02 €0.91

10.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.20 €1.07

25.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.43 €3.95

$2.71 €2.42

63.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.4 €61.9

$64.9 €57.9

6.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.79 €6.05

$8.92 €7.96

-23.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.98 €2.66

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.72 €37.23

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.29 €2.04

$2.20 €1.96

4.09%

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$30.3K €27.1K

8.74%

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

$38.9K €34.7K

$38.2K €34.1K

1.93%

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

$383 €342

$212 €189

80.54%

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

$19.47 €17.37

$33.25 €29.67

-41.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.79 €34.61

$40.28 €35.94

-3.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.26 €37.70

$29.12 €25.98

45.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.37 €25.32

Cinema Ticket

$15.46 €13.79

$13.50 €12.04

14.52%

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

$502 €448

$769 €686

-34.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.8K €12.3K

$3,689 €3,291

273.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.6 €77.2

$103 €91.5

-15.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.18 €32.28

$44.26 €39.49

-18.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €89.8

$76.9 €68.6

30.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 €105

$100 €89.4

17.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,212 €1,081

$442 €394

174.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$919 €820

$386 €344

138.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 €1,922

$877 €782

145.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,667 €1,488

$669 €597

149.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,358 €8,349

$4,153 €3,705

125.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,163 €4,607

$3,121 €2,785

65.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,622 €3,231

$2,721 €2,427

33.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.69

3.96

-6.82%

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

Last update for Hamburg: October 26, 2026

Last update for Schwerin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamburg

$919 39.4%

Schwerin

$386 25.3% 58% $533

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamburg

$441 18.9%

Schwerin

$286 18.7% 35.3% $156

Groceries & Markets

Hamburg

$335 14.3%

Schwerin

$319 20.9% 4.7% $16

Eating Out

Hamburg

$303 13%

Schwerin

$248 16.3% 18.1% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Hamburg

$153 6.6%

Schwerin

$146 9.6% 5% $7.6

Getting Around

Hamburg

$109 4.7%

Schwerin

$85 * 5.6% 22.2% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Hamburg

$73 3.1%

Schwerin

$56 3.7% 23.3% $17

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,212 in Hamburg versus $442 in Schwerin. 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 33% higher in Hamburg, 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 $74 in Hamburg versus $111 in Schwerin. Groceries tell a different story – $335 in Hamburg vs $319 in Schwerin – so Schwerin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Hamburg

🇩🇪 Schwerin

🕒 Local time

03:42 3:42 AM

Same time as Hamburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,812,709

98,596

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Hamburg Schwerin 94 km

From you

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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 Schwerin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamburg costs about 53% more than Schwerin, 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 $2,287 in Schwerin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Schwerin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $442 there versus $1,212 in Hamburg.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,332 in Hamburg and $1,525 in Schwerin. That makes Schwerin about 35% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 7% less in Schwerin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Schwerin, where all-in costs run around $1,525, than in Hamburg at $2,332. In Schwerin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hamburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Hamburg has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,525 in Schwerin 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.

If budget matters most, go with Schwerin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hamburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.