Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulm and Hamburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulm: $2,140 a month against $2,347 in Hamburg, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Ulm
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Ulm Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Hamburg
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Hamburg Living Index

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Ulm

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,140

/mo nomad

Hamburg

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,347

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,140 per month in Ulm vs $2,347 in Hamburg, rent included.

Ulm $2,140
Hamburg $2,347

A couple spends around $3,245 per month in Ulm vs $3,488 in Hamburg, rent included.

Ulm $3,245
Hamburg $3,488

A family of three spends $4,350 per month in Ulm vs $4,628 in Hamburg, rent included.

Ulm $4,350
Hamburg $4,628

Ulm is about 9% cheaper than Hamburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Ulm and Hamburg sit above the global median – Ulm by 59%, Hamburg by 74%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.80 €14.94

$17.02 €15.14

-1.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.6 €59.2

$68.5 €61.0

-2.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.31 €11.84

$13.41 €11.93

-0.75%

Cappuccino

$3.84 €3.42

$4.49 €3.99

-14.48%

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

$4.64 €4.13

$4.20 €3.74

10.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 €1.71

$3.22 €2.86

-40.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.62 €4.11

$5.51 €4.90

-16.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 €3.92

$4.86 €4.32

-9.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.30

$1.26 €1.12

16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 €1.83

$2.61 €2.32

-21.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.14 €3.68

$2.79 €2.48

48.39%

Eggs

$3.64 €3.24

$4.19 €3.73

-13.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.34 €12.76

$12.24 €10.89

17.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.83 €8.74

$12.00 €10.68

-18.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.54 €22.72

$18.58 €16.53

37.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 €3.06

$3.12 €2.78

10.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 €1.96

$2.40 €2.14

-7.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$2.93 €2.60

-34.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.91 €3.48

$4.29 €3.82

-8.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.83 €1.63

-40.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.76 €1.57

-36.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.80 €1.60

-7.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.06

$1.19 €1.06

0.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.59 €8.53

$10.44 €9.29

-8.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$6.76 €6.01

-16.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.12 €1.00

2.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.29 €1.15

17.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.10 €2.76

$4.46 €3.96

-30.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.4 €57.3

$71.6 €63.7

-10.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.74 €5.99

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.08 €2.74

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.00 €37.36

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.28 €2.03

-6.58%

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

$32.2K €28.6K

$32.9K €29.3K

-2.26%

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

$37.9K €33.7K

$38.6K €34.3K

-1.81%

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

$377 €336

$384 €342

-1.87%

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

$34.04 €30.28

$19.76 €17.58

72.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.9 €47.05

$39.03 €34.72

35.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.61 €29.89

$45.03 €40.05

-25.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.70 €20.19

$28.80 €25.62

-21.18%

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 €11.95

$16.44 €14.62

-18.25%

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

$441 €393

$509 €453

-13.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K €11.6K

$13.5K €12.0K

-3.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.3 €80.3

$83.9 €74.6

7.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 €49.08

$37.19 €33.08

48.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.4 €79.6

$94.6 €84.1

-5.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 €131

$116 €103

27.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$931 €828

$1,270 €1,129

-26.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$749 €666

$934 €831

-19.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,830 €1,628

$2,272 €2,021

-19.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,471 €1,308

$1,692 €1,505

-13.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,901 €5,249

$9,500 €8,450

-37.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,961 €3,524

$5,121 €4,555

-22.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,737 €3,324

$3,647 €3,244

2.47%

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 Ulm: October 13, 2026

Last update for Hamburg: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ulm

$749 35%

Hamburg

$934 39.8% 24.7% $185

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulm

$464 21.7%

Hamburg

$443 18.9% 4.5% $21

Groceries & Markets

Ulm

$339 15.9%

Hamburg

$335 14.3% 1.4% $4.9

Eating Out

Ulm

$279 13%

Hamburg

$297 12.7% 6.7% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Ulm

$172 8%

Hamburg

$149 6.4% 13.3% $23

Getting Around

Ulm

$77 * 3.6%

Hamburg

$112 4.8% 45.3% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Ulm

$60 2.8%

Hamburg

$78 3.3% 28.8% $17

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $931 in Ulm 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 2% higher in Ulm, 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 $67.0 in Ulm versus $69.0 in Hamburg. Groceries tell a different story – $339 in Ulm vs $335 in Hamburg – so Hamburg wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Ulm

🇩🇪 Hamburg

🕒 Local time

23:28 11:28 PM

Same time as Ulm

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

121,648

1,812,709

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ulm Hamburg 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ulm
Hamburg

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

Ulm vs Hamburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamburg costs about 10% more than Ulm, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,211 per month in Ulm 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 Ulm, 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 $2,140 in Ulm and $2,347 in Hamburg. That's a gap of about 10%.

Public transport costs about 11% less in Ulm. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Ulm, where all-in costs run around $2,140, than in Hamburg at $2,347. In Ulm it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hamburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ulm costs $2,140 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 Ulm. 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.