Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Schwerin and Hamburg

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.

74

Cost of Living Index in Schwerin
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Schwerin Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Hamburg
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Hamburg Living Index

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Schwerin

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,525

/mo nomad

Hamburg

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,332

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Schwerin $1,525
Hamburg $2,332

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

Schwerin $2,461
Hamburg $3,481

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

Schwerin $3,397
Hamburg $4,631

Schwerin is about 35% cheaper than Hamburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.28 €11.87

$17.03 €15.21

-22.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$111 €99.3

$73.6 €65.7

51.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.99 €13.39

$13.65 €12.20

9.82%

Cappuccino

$3.80 €3.39

$4.67 €4.17

-18.63%

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

$2.89 €2.58

$4.18 €3.73

-30.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 €2.02

$3.24 €2.89

-30.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 €4.00

$5.96 €5.33

-24.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 €3.58

$4.98 €4.45

-19.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.20 €1.07

4.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 €2.16

$2.60 €2.32

-6.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.65 €3.26

$2.79 €2.50

30.82%

Eggs

$3.33 €2.98

$4.24 €3.79

-21.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.47 €12.93

$12.36 €11.04

17.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.94 €9.77

$12.02 €10.74

-8.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.87 €16.86

$18.94 €16.92

-0.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 €2.97

$3.24 €2.89

2.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$2.33 €2.08

-20.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.95 €2.64

-29.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 €3.83

$4.12 €3.68

4.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.83 €1.63

-25.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.75 €1.56

-32.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.73 €1.55

-2.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 €0.58

$1.17 €1.05

-44.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.69 €8.66

$10.07 €8.99

-3.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.78 €6.06

$6.61 €5.90

2.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 €0.92

$1.13 €1.01

-9.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.08

$1.50 €1.34

-20.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 €2.42

$4.43 €3.96

-38.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.9 €58.0

$69.4 €62.0

-6.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.92 €7.96

$6.79 €6.06

31.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.98 €2.66

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.72 €37.27

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.29 €2.05

-3.93%

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

$30.3K €27.1K

$33.0K €29.5K

-8.04%

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

$38.2K €34.1K

$38.9K €34.8K

-1.89%

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

$212 €189

$383 €342

-44.61%

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

$33.25 €29.70

$19.47 €17.39

70.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.28 €35.98

$38.79 €34.64

3.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.12 €26.01

$42.26 €37.74

-31.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.37 €25.34

Cinema Ticket

$13.50 €12.06

$15.46 €13.81

-12.68%

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

$769 €687

$502 €449

53.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,689 €3,295

$13.8K €12.3K

-73.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 €91.6

$86.6 €77.3

18.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.26 €39.53

$36.18 €32.32

22.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 €68.7

$101 €89.9

-23.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 €89.5

$117 €105

-14.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$442 €394

$1,212 €1,082

-63.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$386 €345

$919 €821

-57.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$877 €783

$2,155 €1,924

-59.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 €598

$1,667 €1,489

-59.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,153 €3,709

$9,358 €8,358

-55.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,121 €2,788

$5,163 €4,612

-39.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,721 €2,430

$3,622 €3,235

-24.88%

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 Schwerin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Hamburg: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Schwerin

$386 25.3%

Hamburg

$919 39.4% 138% $533

Groceries & Markets

Schwerin

$319 20.9%

Hamburg

$335 14.3% 4.9% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Schwerin

$286 18.7%

Hamburg

$441 18.9% 54.5% $156

Eating Out

Schwerin

$248 16.3%

Hamburg

$303 13% 22.1% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Schwerin

$146 9.6%

Hamburg

$153 6.6% 5.2% $7.6

Getting Around

Schwerin

$85 * 5.6%

Hamburg

$109 4.7% 28.6% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Schwerin

$56 3.7%

Hamburg

$73 3.1% 30.4% $17

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

Cost Breakdown

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

Good to know

🇩🇪 Schwerin

🇩🇪 Hamburg

🕒 Local time

03:29 3:29 AM

Same time as Schwerin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

98,596

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

Schwerin vs Hamburg: 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 $2,287 per month in Schwerin 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 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 $1,525 in Schwerin and $2,332 in Hamburg. 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.