Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bonn and Frankfurt

For one person, living is cheaper in Bonn: $2,313 a month against $2,510 in Frankfurt, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Frankfurt outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

110

Cost of Living Index in Bonn
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Bonn Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Frankfurt
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Frankfurt Living Index

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Bonn

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,313

/mo nomad

Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bonn and in Frankfurt

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bonn and in Frankfurt actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,313 in Bonn versus $2,510 in Frankfurt.

Bonn $2,313
Frankfurt $2,510

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,463 in Bonn versus $3,732 in Frankfurt.

Bonn $3,463
Frankfurt $3,732

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,614 in Bonn versus $4,954 in Frankfurt.

Bonn $4,614
Frankfurt $4,954

Living in Bonn costs roughly 8% less than in Frankfurt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bonn 70% above, Frankfurt 84% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.55 €16.67

$16.83 €15.12

10.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.5 €69.6

$88.1 €79.1

-12.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.15 €10.92

$13.28 €11.93

-8.51%

Cappuccino

$4.21 €3.78

$4.54 €4.08

-7.27%

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

$3.11 €2.79

$3.68 €3.30

-15.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 €2.22

$3.61 €3.25

-31.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 €5.09

$5.71 €5.13

-0.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 €3.83

$5.74 €5.15

-25.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 €1.30

$1.31 €1.17

10.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 €2.52

$2.20 €1.98

27.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.01 €3.61

$3.09 €2.78

29.77%

Eggs

$4.17 €3.74

$3.65 €3.28

14.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.76 €12.36

$13.55 €12.17

1.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.65 €9.56

$11.86 €10.65

-10.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$27.08 €24.33

$21.79 €19.57

24.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.45 €3.10

$3.10 €2.79

11.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.65 €2.38

$2.09 €1.88

26.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$1.94 €1.74

16.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.24 €4.71

$3.83 €3.44

36.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 €2.01

$1.78 €1.60

25.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.86 €1.67

-8.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 €1.48

$1.57 €1.41

5.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.18

$1.05 €0.94

24.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.51 €8.54

$9.49 €8.52

0.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.97 €5.36

$5.61 €5.04

6.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 €1.14

$1.12 €1.01

12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 €1.61

$1.45 €1.31

23.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.59 €4.12

$4.29 €3.86

6.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.1 €63.9

$69.3 €62.3

2.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 €2.65

$4.42 €3.97

-33.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 €1.77

$2.27 €2.04

-13.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.22 €28.05

$23.89 €21.46

30.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.29 €2.05

$2.22 €1.99

3.15%

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

$33.3K €29.9K

$33.7K €30.2K

-1.15%

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

$37.9K €34.1K

$39.2K €35.2K

-3.20%

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

$332 €298

$385 €346

-13.80%

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

$24.57 €22.07

$19.76 €17.75

24.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.59 €35.56

$46.58 €41.85

-15.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.47 €38.16

$63.4 €56.9

-32.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.47 €29.17

$29.55 €26.54

9.88%

Cinema Ticket

$15.74 €14.14

$16.84 €15.12

-6.53%

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

$690 €620

$1,097 €985

-37.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.9K €12.5K

$22.6K €20.3K

-38.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.3 €67.6

$86.3 €77.5

-12.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.43 €33.62

$33.24 €29.86

12.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.7

$82.5 €74.1

25.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €102

$108 €96.8

4.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,072 €963

$1,418 €1,274

-24.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$925 €830

$1,092 €981

-15.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,113 €1,898

$2,713 €2,437

-22.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,601 €1,438

$1,920 €1,725

-16.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,131 €5,507

$7,738 €6,951

-20.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,368 €3,924

$4,482 €4,026

-2.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,480 €3,126

$4,024 €3,615

-13.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

3.64

8.79%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Bonn: October 26, 2026

Last update for Frankfurt: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bonn

$925 40%

Frankfurt

$1.1K 43.5% 18.1% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bonn

$396 17.1%

Frankfurt

$451 18% 14% $55

Groceries & Markets

Bonn

$374 16.2%

Frankfurt

$330 13.2% 11.8% $44

Eating Out

Bonn

$295 12.7%

Frankfurt

$298 11.9% 1.2% $3.5

Clothing & Footwear

Bonn

$148 6.4%

Frankfurt

$139 5.6% 5.8% $8.6

Getting Around

Bonn

$102 4.4%

Frankfurt

$102 4.1% 0% $0

Sport & Entertainment

Bonn

$74 3.2%

Frankfurt

$97 3.9% 31.2% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,072 in Bonn and $1,418 in Frankfurt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Frankfurt pays 16% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $77 in Bonn vs $88 in Frankfurt. Groceries flip the comparison at $374 vs $330, with Frankfurt cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Bonn

🇩🇪 Frankfurt

🕒 Local time

23:19 11:19 PM

Same time as Bonn

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

335,913

701,350

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

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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

Bonn vs Frankfurt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bonn wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Frankfurt. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bonn the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Bonn. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,072 in Bonn versus $1,418 in Frankfurt. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $690 in Bonn versus $1,097 in Frankfurt. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Frankfurt pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Bonn is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Bonn and Frankfurt are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Bonn wins on affordability, Frankfurt on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.