From 2022 to 2025, the city of Hamburg is expected to allocate approximately €592.8 million for the hotel accommodation of refugee applicants. This information was revealed in a response from the Hamburg Senate to a query from the AfD parliamentary group.

Between 2015 and 2021, the Senate was unable to provide figures, as the official operation of „temporary hotel sites” only began on February 28, 2022. By the end of 2022, the city had 73 such locations.

Over the years, the costs of refugee accommodation have risen. In 2022, the Hamburg Senate spent nearly €68.8 million for this purpose, with €40.6 million allocated for accommodation and €28.2 million for catering services. In 2023, total expenditure reached €170.2 million, with €92.7 million directed towards accommodation and €77.5 million for catering, despite the number of sites decreasing slightly to 68 by the end of the year.

Fast 600 Millionen Euro in nur vier Jahren: So viel gab Hamburg für die Unterbringung von Asylbewerbern in Hotels aus

Die Stadt Hamburg hat zwischen 2022 und 2025 insgesamt rund 592,8 Millionen Euro für die Unterbringung von Asylbewerbern in Hotels ausgegeben. Das geht aus einer… pic.twitter.com/QJlsY3Jyru

— Hartwig (@Hartwig125393) April 25, 2026

Costs peaked in 2024 at €190 million, of which approximately €102 million was for accommodation and €88 million for catering. By the end of 2024, the number of sites had decreased to 61. Projections for 2025 indicate a reduction in expenditure to €163.8 million, with €89 million for accommodation and €74.8 million for catering; the number of sites significantly dropped to 47 by the end of the year.

Overall, the Senate spent nearly €600 million in just four years, as highlighted by nius.de.

The apparent contradiction between the number of sites and the costs is striking: while the number of hotel sites has steadily decreased from 73 in 2022 to 47—a reduction of over a third—the total costs during this period did not decrease proportionately and even peaked in 2024. A noticeable reduction in expenditure is only expected in 2025, and this decrease is significantly lower percentage-wise than the drop in the number of sites.

This discrepancy is attributed to rising accommodation and catering costs, as well as consistently high occupancy rates. While Hamburg recorded an average daily accommodation cost of €35.73 and catering cost of €35.82 per person in 2022, by 2025 these figures had risen to €44.80 for accommodation and €37.66 for catering. In 2022, an average of 5,450 asylum seekers were housed in hotels; this number rose to 5,891 in 2023 and 6,278 in 2024.

Ongoing debates in Hamburg focus on the costs associated with accommodating refugees. On March 18, Hamburg’s financial senator, Andreas Dressel (SPD), stated on ZDF’s „Markus Lanz” program that the reception of refugees is an „investment” that pays off for society and the welfare state if labor market integration is successful; however, many do not share this view.