Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rostock and Hamburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Rostock: $1,729 a month against $2,383 in Hamburg, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Rostock
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Rostock Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Hamburg
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Hamburg Living Index

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Rostock

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,729

/mo nomad

Hamburg

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,383

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rostock 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 Rostock and in Hamburg actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,714 per month in Rostock vs $2,347 in Hamburg, rent included.

Rostock $1,714
Hamburg $2,347

A couple spends around $2,760 per month in Rostock vs $3,488 in Hamburg, rent included.

Rostock $2,760
Hamburg $3,488

A family of three spends $3,807 per month in Rostock vs $4,628 in Hamburg, rent included.

Rostock $3,807
Hamburg $4,628

Rostock is about 27% cheaper than Hamburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Rostock and Hamburg sit above the global median – Rostock by 27%, Hamburg by 74%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.85 €14.98

$16.59 €14.76

1.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 €60.7

$70.6 €62.8

-3.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.03 €9.81

$13.60 €12.10

-18.90%

Cappuccino

$4.23 €3.77

$4.65 €4.14

-9.03%

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

$3.96 €3.52

$4.28 €3.80

-7.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 €2.77

$3.34 €2.97

-6.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.44 €4.84

$5.68 €5.05

-4.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.25 €5.56

$4.71 €4.19

32.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.19 €1.06

21.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.61 €2.32

-16.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.66 €3.26

$2.88 €2.56

27.08%

Eggs

$3.62 €3.22

$4.34 €3.86

-16.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.54 €12.93

$12.37 €11.00

17.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.25 €11.79

$12.17 €10.83

8.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.61 €21.00

$18.59 €16.53

27.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 €2.92

$3.19 €2.84

3.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.35 €2.09

-12.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.95 €2.62

-31.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.47 €3.97

$4.14 €3.68

7.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.91 €1.69

-36.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.75 €1.56

-33.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.80 €1.60

-5.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 €0.66

$1.09 €0.97

-32.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.35 €8.32

$10.52 €9.35

-11.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.46 €4.85

$6.56 €5.83

-16.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 €0.89

$1.18 €1.05

-15.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.30 €1.16

7.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 €2.68

$4.41 €3.93

-31.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.6 €63.6

$71.0 €63.2

0.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.53 €4.03

$6.67 €5.94

-32.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.54 €2.26

$3.04 €2.71

-16.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.93 €37.30

$42.16 €37.51

-0.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.90

$2.28 €2.03

-6.58%

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

$33.6K €29.9K

$32.9K €29.2K

2.16%

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

$38.0K €33.8K

$39.4K €35.0K

-3.58%

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

$264 €235

$380 €338

-30.54%

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

$29.82 €26.52

$20.60 €18.32

44.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.36 €43.90

$38.98 €34.67

26.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.95 €31.97

$45.63 €40.59

-21.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.49 €23.56

$28.67 €25.50

-7.60%

Cinema Ticket

$14.19 €12.62

$16.05 €14.28

-11.59%

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

$185 €165

$512 €455

-63.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,662 €3,257

$13.5K €12.0K

-72.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.8 €54.1

$82.4 €73.3

-26.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.31 €32.30

$37.74 €33.57

-3.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.1 €73.0

$97.1 €86.4

-15.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

-0.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$622 €554

$1,317 €1,171

-52.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$455 €404

$972 €865

-53.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,476 €1,313

$2,327 €2,070

-36.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,071 €952

$1,731 €1,540

-38.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,268 €4,686

$9,875 €8,784

-46.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,990 €2,659

$5,007 €4,454

-40.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,116 €2,772

$3,616 €3,216

-13.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.97

3.69

7.59%

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

Last update for Rostock: October 18, 2026

Last update for Hamburg: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rostock

$455 26.3%

Hamburg

$972 40.8% 114% $518

Groceries & Markets

Rostock

$346 20%

Hamburg

$334 14% 3.3% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rostock

$343 19.8%

Hamburg

$440 18.4% 28.1% $96

Eating Out

Rostock

$287 16.6%

Hamburg

$298 12.5% 3.8% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Rostock

$134 7.7%

Hamburg

$151 6.3% 13% $17

Getting Around

Rostock

$101 5.8%

Hamburg

$111 4.6% 9.6% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Rostock

$64 3.7%

Hamburg

$78 3.3% 20.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $639 in Rostock versus $1,270 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 20% 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 $67.0 in Rostock versus $69.0 in Hamburg. Groceries tell a different story – $348 in Rostock vs $335 in Hamburg – so Hamburg wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Rostock

🇩🇪 Hamburg

🕒 Local time

11:37 11:37 AM

Same time as Rostock

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

207,830

1,812,709

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Rostock Hamburg 150 km

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Rostock
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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

Rostock vs Hamburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamburg costs about 37% more than Rostock, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,571 per month in Rostock and $3,521 in Hamburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rostock, 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 $1,714 in Rostock and $2,347 in Hamburg. That's a gap of about 37%.

Public transport costs about 1% less in Rostock. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Rostock, where all-in costs run around $1,714, than in Hamburg at $2,347. In Rostock it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hamburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Rostock costs $1,714 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 Rostock. 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.