Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erfurt and Frankfurt

For one person, living is cheaper in Erfurt: $2,200 a month against $2,510 in Frankfurt, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Erfurt
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Erfurt Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Frankfurt
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Frankfurt Living Index

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Erfurt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,200

/mo nomad

Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Erfurt 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 Erfurt and in Frankfurt actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,200 per month in Erfurt vs $2,510 in Frankfurt, rent included.

Erfurt $2,200
Frankfurt $2,510

A couple spends around $3,220 per month in Erfurt vs $3,732 in Frankfurt, rent included.

Erfurt $3,220
Frankfurt $3,732

A family of three spends $4,240 per month in Erfurt vs $4,954 in Frankfurt, rent included.

Erfurt $4,240
Frankfurt $4,954

Erfurt is about 12% cheaper than Frankfurt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Erfurt and Frankfurt sit above the global median – Erfurt by 62%, Frankfurt by 84%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.31 €13.66

$16.83 €15.02

-9.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$88.1 €78.6

-23.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.12 €9.93

$13.28 €11.85

-16.27%

Cappuccino

$3.32 €2.96

$4.54 €4.05

-26.87%

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

$4.28 €3.82

$3.68 €3.28

16.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.77 €6.94

$3.61 €3.22

115.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.53 €4.04

$5.71 €5.09

-20.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 €4.45

$5.74 €5.12

-13.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.31 €1.16

6.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 €1.90

$2.20 €1.96

-3.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 €2.87

$3.09 €2.76

3.88%

Eggs

$3.28 €2.93

$3.65 €3.26

-10.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.30 €12.76

$13.55 €12.09

5.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.53 €9.39

$11.86 €10.58

-11.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.69 €15.78

$21.79 €19.44

-18.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 €2.95

$3.10 €2.77

6.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$2.09 €1.87

1.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 €3.06

$1.94 €1.73

76.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.75 €3.35

$3.83 €3.41

-2.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.78 €1.58

22.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.86 €1.66

-26.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.05 €0.93

-21.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 €8.75

$9.49 €8.47

3.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.51 €5.81

$5.61 €5.01

16.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.98

$1.12 €1.00

-2.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.45 €1.30

2.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.21 €2.87

$4.29 €3.83

-25.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.8 €63.2

$69.3 €61.8

2.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.43 €4.85

$4.42 €3.94

22.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.22 €3.76

$2.27 €2.03

85.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.08 €40.22

$23.89 €21.32

88.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.90

$2.22 €1.98

-4.05%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$33.7K €30.0K

-3.98%

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

$37.7K €33.6K

$39.2K €34.9K

-3.83%

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

$673 €600

$385 €343

74.82%

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

$28.27 €25.22

$19.76 €17.63

43.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.04 €30.37

$46.58 €41.56

-26.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.65 €36.27

$63.4 €56.5

-35.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.35 €26.19

$29.55 €26.36

-0.68%

Cinema Ticket

$15.39 €13.73

$16.84 €15.02

-8.61%

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

$442 €394

$1,097 €978

-59.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K €20.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.4 €84.2

$86.3 €77.0

9.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.66 €28.25

$33.24 €29.66

-4.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 €109

$82.5 €73.6

47.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €101

$108 €96.1

5.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$744 €663

$1,418 €1,265

-47.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$526 €469

$1,092 €974

-51.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,435

$2,713 €2,420

-40.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,086 €969

$1,920 €1,713

-43.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,721 €4,212

$7,738 €6,904

-38.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,455 €2,190

$4,482 €3,999

-45.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,032 €2,705

$4,024 €3,590

-24.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

3.64

8.52%

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

Last update for Erfurt: October 26, 2026

Last update for Frankfurt: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erfurt

$735 33.4%

Frankfurt

$451 18% 38.6% $284

Accommodation & Living

Erfurt

$526 23.9%

Frankfurt

$1.1K 43.5% 108% $566

Groceries & Markets

Erfurt

$319 14.5%

Frankfurt

$330 13.2% 3.6% $11

Eating Out

Erfurt

$276 12.6%

Frankfurt

$298 11.9% 7.8% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Erfurt

$162 7.4%

Frankfurt

$139 5.6% 14.2% $23

Getting Around

Erfurt

$110 5%

Frankfurt

$102 4.1% 7.2% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

Erfurt

$71 3.3%

Frankfurt

$97 3.9% 35.9% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $744 in Erfurt versus $1,418 in Frankfurt. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 33% higher in Frankfurt. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Erfurt versus $88 in Frankfurt. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $319 vs $330 – making Erfurt the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Erfurt

🇩🇪 Frankfurt

🕒 Local time

18:37 6:37 PM

Same time as Erfurt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,000

701,350

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Erfurt Frankfurt 190 km

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Erfurt
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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

Erfurt vs Frankfurt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Frankfurt costs about 14% more than Erfurt, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,300 per month in Erfurt and $3,765 in Frankfurt. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Erfurt, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $744 there versus $1,418 in Frankfurt.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Erfurt and $88 in Frankfurt. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Frankfurt, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,200 in Erfurt and $2,510 in Frankfurt. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Erfurt – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Erfurt. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Frankfurt makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.