Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamburg and Stuttgart

For one person, living is cheaper in Stuttgart: $2,187 a month against $2,347 in Hamburg, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Hamburg outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

114

Cost of Living Index in Hamburg
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Hamburg Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Stuttgart
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Stuttgart Living Index

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Hamburg

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,347

/mo nomad

Stuttgart

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,187

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hamburg and in Stuttgart

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

A single person spends $2,347 per month in Hamburg vs $2,187 in Stuttgart, rent included.

Hamburg $2,347
Stuttgart $2,187

A couple spends around $3,488 per month in Hamburg vs $3,329 in Stuttgart, rent included.

Hamburg $3,488
Stuttgart $3,329

A family of three spends $4,628 per month in Hamburg vs $4,471 in Stuttgart, rent included.

Hamburg $4,628
Stuttgart $4,471

Hamburg costs about 7% more than Stuttgart, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Hamburg and Stuttgart sit above the global median – Hamburg by 74%, Stuttgart by 62%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.02 €15.14

$20.37 €18.12

-16.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.5 €61.0

$74.0 €65.8

-7.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.41 €11.93

$13.60 €12.10

-1.40%

Cappuccino

$4.49 €3.99

$4.03 €3.58

11.41%

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

$4.20 €3.74

$4.14 €3.68

1.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 €2.86

$4.03 €3.59

-20.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.51 €4.90

$5.07 €4.51

8.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.86 €4.32

$5.85 €5.21

-16.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.32 €1.18

-4.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 €2.32

$2.13 €1.90

22.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.79 €2.48

$3.14 €2.79

-11.15%

Eggs

$4.19 €3.73

$4.50 €4.00

-6.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.24 €10.89

$16.50 €14.68

-25.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.00 €10.68

$12.67 €11.27

-5.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.58 €16.53

$17.98 €15.99

3.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 €2.78

$3.10 €2.76

0.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.14

$1.95 €1.73

23.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 €2.60

$2.03 €1.81

44.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 €3.82

$3.74 €3.33

14.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.32 €1.17

38.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.42 €1.26

23.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.44 €1.28

25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 €1.06

$0.93 €0.83

27.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.44 €9.29

$9.66 €8.59

8.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.76 €6.01

$5.62 €5.00

20.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.01 €0.90

10.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.65 €1.47

-21.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.46 €3.96

$3.99 €3.55

11.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.6 €63.7

$71.5 €63.6

0.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.74 €5.99

$4.62 €4.11

45.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.08 €2.74

$2.84 €2.52

8.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.00 €37.36

$40.64 €36.14

3.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.25 €2.00

1.33%

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

$32.9K €29.3K

$33.2K €29.5K

-0.67%

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

$38.6K €34.3K

$38.7K €34.4K

-0.44%

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

$384 €342

$309 €275

24.27%

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

$19.76 €17.58

$17.36 €15.45

13.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.03 €34.72

$41.56 €36.97

-6.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.03 €40.05

$56.1 €49.88

-19.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.80 €25.62

$33.43 €29.73

-13.85%

Cinema Ticket

$16.44 €14.62

$12.74 €11.33

29.04%

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

$509 €453

$1,026 €913

-50.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.5K €12.0K

$17.8K €15.8K

-24.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.9 €74.6

$89.3 €79.5

-6.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.19 €33.08

$42.61 €37.90

-12.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.6 €84.1

$95.5 €84.9

-0.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €103

$139 €123

-16.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,270 €1,129

$1,262 €1,123

0.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$934 €831

$815 €725

14.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,272 €2,021

$1,901 €1,691

19.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,692 €1,505

$1,505 €1,338

12.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,500 €8,450

$6,672 €5,935

42.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,121 €4,555

$4,291 €3,817

19.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,647 €3,244

$4,070 €3,620

-10.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.69

3.85

-4.16%

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

Last update for Hamburg: October 12, 2026

Last update for Stuttgart: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamburg

$934 39.8%

Stuttgart

$815 37.3% 12.7% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamburg

$443 18.9%

Stuttgart

$368 16.8% 16.9% $75

Groceries & Markets

Hamburg

$335 14.3%

Stuttgart

$329 15.1% 1.6% $5.2

Eating Out

Hamburg

$297 12.7%

Stuttgart

$322 14.7% 8.3% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Hamburg

$149 6.4%

Stuttgart

$165 7.5% 10.3% $15

Getting Around

Hamburg

$112 4.8%

Stuttgart

$106 4.9% 4.7% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Hamburg

$78 3.3%

Stuttgart

$82 3.7% 4.7% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,270 in Hamburg versus $1,262 in Stuttgart. 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 12% higher in Stuttgart, 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 $69.0 in Hamburg versus $74.0 in Stuttgart. Groceries tell a different story – $335 in Hamburg vs $329 in Stuttgart – so Stuttgart wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Hamburg

🇩🇪 Stuttgart

🕒 Local time

06:15 6:15 AM

Same time as Hamburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,812,709

613,392

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hamburg Stuttgart 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Hamburg
Stuttgart

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 Stuttgart: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamburg costs about 7% more than Stuttgart, 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 $3,521 per month in Hamburg and $3,280 in Stuttgart. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Stuttgart, 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 $2,347 in Hamburg and $2,187 in Stuttgart. That's a gap of about 7%.

Public transport costs about 0% less in Stuttgart. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Stuttgart, where all-in costs run around $2,187, than in Hamburg at $2,347. In Stuttgart it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hamburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Stuttgart costs $2,187 versus $2,347 in Hamburg. 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 Stuttgart. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hamburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.