Cost of Living Comparison Between Cologne and Frankfurt Cost of Living Comparison Between Cologne and Frankfurt

πŸ™‚ Solo nomad: Cologne is 4.8% cheaper than Frankfurt without rent, and 11.5% cheaper with rent.
πŸ™‚ Family of 3: Cologne is 4.3% cheaper than Frankfurt without rent, and 10.1% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cologne
Frankfurt
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.15 €13.95
$19.81 €17.1
-18.48%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$81.3 €70.2
$91.5 €79
-11.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.59 €10.01
$13.74 €11.86
-15.65%
Cappuccino
$4.26 €3.67
$4.51 €3.9
-5.54%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.29 €2.84
$3.74 €3.23
-12.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.06 €2.64
$3.34 €2.89
-8.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.34 €4.61
$5.67 €4.9
-5.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.69 €4.05
$5.07 €4.38
-7.50%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Cologne
Frankfurt
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.3 €1.12
$1.59 €1.37
-18.24%
White Bread (500g)
$2.36 €2.04
$2.23 €1.93
5.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.5 €3.03
$3.42 €2.95
2.34%
Eggs
$4.15 €3.58
$4.1 €3.54
1.22%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.08 €13.02
$15.07 €13.01
0.07%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$15.97 €13.79
$13.45 €11.61
18.74%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.96 €18.1
$21.52 €18.58
-2.60%
Apples (1kg)
$3.09 €2.67
$3.44 €2.97
-10.17%
Banana (1kg)
$1.84 €1.59
$2.1 €1.82
-12.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.26 €1.95
$2.23 €1.93
1.35%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.9 €4.23
$4.92 €4.25
-0.41%
Potato (1kg)
$1.56 €1.34
$1.68 €1.45
-7.14%
Onion (1kg)
$1.68 €1.45
$1.66 €1.44
1.20%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.92 €1.66
$1.92 €1.66
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 €0.99
$1.16 €1
-0.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.57 €8.26
$10.01 €8.64
-4.40%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.81 €5.88
$6.94 €5.99
-1.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.06 €0.91
$1.08 €0.93
-1.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 €1.46
$1.56 €1.34
8.33%
🚌 Getting Around
Cologne
Frankfurt
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.79 €3.27
$4.33 €3.74
-12.47%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$61.7 €53.3
$66.2 €57.1
-6.74%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.58 €4.82
$5.72 €4.94
-2.45%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.09 €1.8
$2.64 €2.28
-20.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$35.21 €30.4
$38.56 €33.29
-8.69%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.02 €1.74
$2.05 €1.77
-1.46%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.2K €26.9K
$30.8K €26.6K
1.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.4K €30.6K
$35.1K €30.3K
0.97%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cologne
Frankfurt
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$400 €345
$375 €324
6.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.14 €21.7
$24.99 €21.58
0.60%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$51.2 €44.17
$43.77 €37.79
16.88%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Cologne
Frankfurt
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.58 €35.04
$65.1 €56.2
-37.64%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$32.2 €27.81
$29.9 €25.81
7.69%
Cinema Ticket
$13.77 €11.89
$16.52 €14.26
-16.65%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cologne
Frankfurt
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$960 €829
$610 €526
57.39%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.9K €16.3K
$16.2K €14K
16.85%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Cologne
Frankfurt
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$100 €86.5
$92.4 €79.7
8.49%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.62 €39.39
$39.76 €34.33
14.74%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$121 €104
$99.5 €85.9
21.29%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$148 €128
$144 €125
2.51%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cologne
Frankfurt
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 €1,043
$1,532 €1,323
-21.12%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$932 €804
$1,169 €1,010
-20.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,061 €1,780
$2,802 €2,419
-26.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,518 €1,310
$2,036 €1,758
-25.48%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,976 €6,023
$8,340 €7,201
-16.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,075 €5,245
$5,161 €4,456
17.70%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Cologne
Frankfurt
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,261 €2,816
$4,626 €3,994
-29.49%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.93
3.99
-1.50%

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

Last update for Cologne: October 29, 2025

Last update for Frankfurt: October 26, 2025

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