Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Recklinghausen and Hamburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Recklinghausen: $1,980 a month against $2,332 in Hamburg, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Hamburg outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

95

Cost of Living Index in Recklinghausen
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Recklinghausen Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Hamburg
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Hamburg Living Index

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Recklinghausen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,980

/mo nomad

Hamburg

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,332

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Recklinghausen and in Hamburg

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Recklinghausen and in Hamburg actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,980 per month in Recklinghausen vs $2,332 in Hamburg, rent included.

Recklinghausen $1,980
Hamburg $2,332

A couple spends around $2,932 per month in Recklinghausen vs $3,481 in Hamburg, rent included.

Recklinghausen $2,932
Hamburg $3,481

A family of three spends $3,885 per month in Recklinghausen vs $4,631 in Hamburg, rent included.

Recklinghausen $3,885
Hamburg $4,631

Recklinghausen is about 15% cheaper than Hamburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Recklinghausen and Hamburg sit above the global median – Recklinghausen by 45%, Hamburg by 71%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.39 €18.26

$17.03 €15.25

19.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.3 €74.6

$73.6 €65.9

13.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.20 €10.92

$13.65 €12.23

-10.62%

Cappuccino

$3.38 €3.03

$4.67 €4.18

-27.62%

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

$2.86 €2.56

$4.18 €3.74

-31.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.99

$3.24 €2.90

-31.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 €4.96

$5.96 €5.34

-7.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 €3.02

$4.98 €4.46

-32.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.20 €1.07

2.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.11 €1.89

$2.60 €2.33

-18.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 €2.86

$2.79 €2.50

14.34%

Eggs

$3.50 €3.14

$4.24 €3.80

-17.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.68 €14.94

$12.36 €11.07

34.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.51 €10.31

$12.02 €10.77

-4.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.02 €21.51

$18.94 €16.96

26.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.22 €2.88

$3.24 €2.90

-0.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 €1.80

$2.33 €2.09

-13.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$2.95 €2.64

-23.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.06 €4.53

$4.12 €3.69

22.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.83 €1.63

-25.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.75 €1.56

-28.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 €1.62

$1.73 €1.55

4.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.17 €1.05

-2.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.66 €8.65

$10.07 €9.01

-4.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.83 €6.12

$6.61 €5.92

3.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.13 €1.02

-8.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 €1.42

$1.50 €1.34

5.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.66 €3.28

$4.43 €3.97

-17.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.7 €58.9

$69.4 €62.2

-5.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 €2.96

$6.79 €6.08

-51.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 €0.89

$2.98 €2.67

-66.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.17 €29.70

$41.72 €37.37

-20.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.01

$2.29 €2.05

-1.75%

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

$30.9K €27.6K

$33.0K €29.5K

-6.41%

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

$37.8K €33.9K

$38.9K €34.9K

-2.88%

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

$374 €335

$383 €343

-2.26%

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

$34.22 €30.65

$19.47 €17.44

75.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.2 €47.63

$38.79 €34.74

37.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.44 €20.10

$42.26 €37.84

-46.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.88 €14.22

$28.37 €25.41

-44.03%

Cinema Ticket

$10.75 €9.63

$15.46 €13.84

-30.47%

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

$459 €411

$502 €450

-8.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,410 €8,428

$13.8K €12.3K

-31.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.1 €85.2

$86.6 €77.5

9.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.80 €30.27

$36.18 €32.40

-6.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €99.5

$101 €90.1

10.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €128

$117 €105

21.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$639 €572

$1,212 €1,085

-47.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$566 €507

$919 €823

-38.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$950 €851

$2,155 €1,930

-55.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$869 €778

$1,667 €1,493

-47.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,358 €8,381

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,163 €4,624

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,801 €2,509

$3,622 €3,244

-22.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

3.69

7.32%

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

Last update for Recklinghausen: October 24, 2026

Last update for Hamburg: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Recklinghausen

$566 28.6%

Hamburg

$919 39.4% 62.2% $352

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Recklinghausen

$462 23.3%

Hamburg

$441 18.9% 4.4% $21

Groceries & Markets

Recklinghausen

$352 17.8%

Hamburg

$335 14.3% 4.9% $17

Eating Out

Recklinghausen

$295 14.9%

Hamburg

$303 13% 2.6% $7.7

Clothing & Footwear

Recklinghausen

$172 8.7%

Hamburg

$153 6.6% 11% $19

Getting Around

Recklinghausen

$89 4.5%

Hamburg

$109 4.7% 22.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Recklinghausen

$44 2.2%

Hamburg

$73 3.1% 66.5% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $639 in Recklinghausen versus $1,212 in Hamburg. 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 29% higher in Hamburg. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83 in Recklinghausen versus $74 in Hamburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $335 – making Hamburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Recklinghausen

🇩🇪 Hamburg

🕒 Local time

20:23 8:23 PM

Same time as Recklinghausen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,320

1,812,709

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Recklinghausen vs Hamburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamburg costs about 18% more than Recklinghausen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,970 per month in Recklinghausen and $3,499 in Hamburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Recklinghausen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $639 there versus $1,212 in Hamburg.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,980 in Recklinghausen and $2,332 in Hamburg. That makes Recklinghausen about 15% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 5% less in Recklinghausen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Families tend to lean toward Recklinghausen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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