✦ Compare
Boston vs
Hamburg
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Boston, MA vs Hamburg, DE at a glance — Hamburg, DE is 1% cheaper than Boston, MA overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $1,200/mo versus $3,000/mo. Top income tax: 45% vs 37%.
To keep the same standard of living in Hamburg, DE, you'd need
$74,199 / year
Hamburg, DE is 1% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (Hamburg, DE vs Boston, MA)
- Housing-18%
- Food & groceries+18%
- Transport-5%
- Utilities+35%
- Healthcare-3%
- Goods & services+10%
◎ How Boston, MA and Hamburg, DE compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Boston, MA | Hamburg, DE | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 111 | 110 |
| Housing | 152 | 125 |
| Food | 90 | 106 |
| Transport | 91 | 86 |
| Utilities | 95 | 128 |
| Healthcare | 98 | 95 |
| Goods & services | 96 | 106 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $3,000/mo | $1,200/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $2,300/mo | $850/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $5,500/mo | $2,300/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $11,000 | $7,000 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $897 | $907 |
| Inexpensive meal | $22 | $15 |
| Monthly transit pass | $90 | $115 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 37% | 45% |
| VAT / sales tax | 0% | 19% |
| Social security (employee) | 7.7% | 20% |
| Corporate tax | 21% | 30% |
| Capital gains | 20% | 26.4% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $4,300/mo | $2,900/mo |
| Minimum wage | $1,257/mo | $2,200/mo |
| GDP per capita | $90,027 | $60,496 |
| Inflation (annual) | — | 2.2% |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | No |
| English proficiency | Native | High |
| Coworking spaces | 80 | 35 |
| Time zone | UTC-5 | UTC+1 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Safety index | 62 | 66 |
| Healthcare index | 85 | 84 |
| Pollution index | 35 | 38 |
| Internet speed | 200 Mbps | 150 Mbps |
| Walkability | 83 | 78 |
| Public transport | 75 | 82 |
| Family-friendly | 65 | 72 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Health insurance | $460/mo | — |
| Life expectancy | 79 yr | 81 yr |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | -1 °C | +2 °C |
| July avg | +23 °C | +18 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 200 | 100 |
| Rainfall / year | 1,100 mm | 770 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1 h | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: United States vs Germany. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
Good to know before you move to Boston
Historic, walkable and a global university and biotech hub — winters are long and rents are steep.
- Currency
- US dollar ($ USD)
- Languages
- English
- Time zone
- UTC-5
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Native language
- Safety
- 62/100
- Climate
- ❄ -1°C · ☀ 23°C · 200 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 120V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Back Bay · Cambridge · South End
Good to know before you move to Hamburg
Germany's second city and biggest port — a wealthy media, trade and startup hub laced with canals and red-brick warehouses. Greener and more liveable than Berlin and cheaper than Munich, with the catch of grey, wet, windy weather.
- Currency
- Euro (€ EUR)
- Languages
- German
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 150 Mbps
- English
- Widely spoken
- Safety
- 66/100
- Climate
- ❄ 2°C · ☀ 18°C · 100 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- F · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Sternschanze · St. Pauli · Eimsbüttel · HafenCity
Plan your move to Boston
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsNH Hotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Parking & carWay.com
Sponsored
Plan your move to Hamburg
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsNH Hotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Boston to Hamburg: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Boston to Hamburg, your cost of living will be roughly 1% cheaper. Hamburg’s cost-of-living index is 110 versus 111 for Boston (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Boston cheaper than Hamburg?
Hamburg is about 1% cheaper than Boston overall — its cost-of-living index is 110 versus 111 for Boston.
How much do you need to earn in Hamburg to live like in Boston?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Boston is worth about $74,199 in Hamburg. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Boston or Hamburg?
United States has the lower top income-tax rate — 37% versus 45% in Germany.
◷ More comparisons from Boston
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.