✦ Compare
Hamburg vs
Mönchengladbach
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Hamburg, DE vs Mönchengladbach, DE at a glance — Mönchengladbach, DE is 16% cheaper than Hamburg, DE overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $750/mo versus $1,200/mo. The top national income-tax rate is 45%.
To keep the same standard of living in Mönchengladbach, DE, you'd need
$63,365 / year
Mönchengladbach, DE is 16% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (Mönchengladbach, DE vs Hamburg, DE)
- Housing-34%
- Food & groceries-4%
- Transport-16%
- Utilities0%
- Healthcare-3%
- Goods & services-6%
Median 1-bed rent
$1,200 /mo
Hamburg, DE overview →
Median 1-bed rent
$750 /mo
Mönchengladbach, DE overview →
◎ How Hamburg, DE and Mönchengladbach, DE compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Hamburg, DE | Mönchengladbach, DE | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 110 | 93 |
| Housing | 125 | 82 |
| Food | 106 | 102 |
| Transport | 86 | 72 |
| Utilities | 128 | 128 |
| Healthcare | 95 | 92 |
| Goods & services | 106 | 100 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,200/mo | $750/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $850/mo | — |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $2,300/mo | — |
| Buy price / m² centre | $7,000 | — |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $907 | $1,073 |
| Inexpensive meal | $15 | — |
| Monthly transit pass | $115 | — |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 45% | 45% |
| VAT / sales tax | 19% | 19% |
| Social security (employee) | 20% | 20% |
| Corporate tax | 30% | 30% |
| Capital gains | 26.4% | 26.4% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $2,900/mo | $2,900/mo |
| Avg annual wage (OECD, PPP) | $76,285✓ | $76,285✓ |
| Minimum wage | $2,716/mo✓ | $2,716/mo✓ |
| GDP per capita | $60,496✓ | $60,496✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | 2.2%✓ | 2.2%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | No |
| English proficiency | High | — |
| Coworking spaces | 35 | — |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | — |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 73 | — |
| Safety index | 66 | — |
| Healthcare index | 84 | — |
| Pollution index | 38 | — |
| Internet speed | 150 Mbps | — |
| Walkability | 78 | — |
| Public transport | 82 | — |
| Family-friendly | 72 | — |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | — |
| Life expectancy | 81 yr✓ | 81 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +2 °C | — |
| July avg | +18 °C | — |
| Sunny days / year | 100 | — |
| Rainfall / year | 770 mm | — |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1 h | — |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Germany vs Germany. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (OECD (PPP), Eurostat 2026, World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Hamburg vs Mönchengladbach — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
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
Good to know before you move to Mönchengladbach
- Currency
- Euro (€ EUR)
- Languages
- German
- Power
- F · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
Plan your move to Hamburg
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalDiscoverCars
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
Sponsored
Plan your move to Mönchengladbach
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalDiscoverCars
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Hamburg to Mönchengladbach: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Hamburg to Mönchengladbach, your cost of living will be roughly 16% cheaper. Mönchengladbach’s cost-of-living index is 93 versus 110 for Hamburg (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Hamburg cheaper than Mönchengladbach?
Mönchengladbach is about 16% cheaper than Hamburg overall — its cost-of-living index is 93 versus 110 for Hamburg.
Which is more expensive, Hamburg or Mönchengladbach?
Hamburg is more expensive than Mönchengladbach. Its cost-of-living index is 110 vs 93 (US = 100) — about 18% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Hamburg or Mönchengladbach?
Rent is cheaper in Mönchengladbach — about $750/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $1,200 in Hamburg.
How much do you need to earn in Mönchengladbach to live like in Hamburg?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Hamburg is worth about $63,365 in Mönchengladbach. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Hamburg or Mönchengladbach?
Both cities are in the same country, so national income tax (45%) and VAT are identical; only local cost of living differs.
◷ More comparisons from Hamburg
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.