Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Frankfurt and Aalen

For one person, living is cheaper in Aalen: $1,890 a month against $2,536 in Frankfurt, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Frankfurt
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Frankfurt Living Index
91

Cost of Living Index in Aalen
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Aalen Living Index

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Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,536

/mo nomad

Aalen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,890

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Frankfurt and in Aalen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,536 in Frankfurt versus $1,890 in Aalen.

Frankfurt $2,536
Aalen $1,890

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,763 in Frankfurt versus $2,985 in Aalen.

Frankfurt $3,763
Aalen $2,985

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,990 in Frankfurt versus $4,080 in Aalen.

Frankfurt $4,990
Aalen $4,080

Living in Frankfurt is roughly 34% more expensive than in Aalen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Frankfurt 87% above, Aalen 39% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.72 €14.87

$17.02 €15.14

-1.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.2 €78.5

$67.5 €60.1

30.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.43 €11.95

$12.57 €11.18

6.84%

Cappuccino

$4.45 €3.96

$3.55 €3.16

25.35%

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

$3.86 €3.43

$2.79 €2.48

38.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 €3.29

$2.43 €2.16

52.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.02

$4.42 €3.93

27.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 €5.11

$4.47 €3.98

28.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.26 €1.12

12.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.24 €1.99

$1.98 €1.76

13.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$2.81 €2.50

6.41%

Eggs

$3.63 €3.23

$2.89 €2.57

25.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.58 €12.08

$14.01 €12.46

-3.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.64 €10.35

$10.28 €9.14

13.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.44 €19.96

$16.30 €14.50

37.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$3.05 €2.72

3.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.00 €1.78

6.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$2.13 €1.89

-6.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 €3.42

$4.28 €3.81

-10.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 €1.54

$1.20 €1.07

45.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.31 €1.17

42.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.54 €1.37

1.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 €0.89

$0.54 €0.48

85.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.00 €8.90

$9.03 €8.04

10.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.56 €4.95

$5.71 €5.08

-2.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 €1.03

$0.80 €0.71

45.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.24

$1.64 €1.46

-14.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.20 €3.73

$2.74 €2.44

53.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.2 €63.3

$67.5 €60.0

5.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.44 €3.95

$3.98 €3.54

11.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.23 €1.98

1.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.30 €20.73

$28.02 €24.92

-16.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 €2.04

$2.03 €1.81

13.30%

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

$33.6K €29.9K

$32.9K €29.3K

2.19%

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

$38.2K €34.0K

$38.5K €34.3K

-0.76%

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

$390 €347

$267 €238

46.08%

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

$19.63 €17.46

$16.18 €14.39

21.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.45 €42.21

$48.40 €43.05

-1.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.0 €59.6

$35.79 €31.83

87.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.11 €25.89

$28.51 €25.36

2.10%

Cinema Ticket

$16.96 €15.08

$16.10 €14.32

5.34%

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

$1,096 €975

$524 €466

109.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K €20.5K

$9,506 €8,455

142.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.5 €76.1

$66.6 €59.2

28.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.20 €29.53

$53.4 €47.46

-37.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 €75.1

$79.2 €70.4

6.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €94.9

$88.9 €79.1

19.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 €1,171

$900 €800

46.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,105 €983

$707 €628

56.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,677 €2,381

$1,651 €1,468

62.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,935 €1,721

$1,516 €1,349

27.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,920 €7,045

$5,506 €4,898

43.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,273 €3,801

$4,450 €3,958

-3.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,027 €3,582

$3,454 €3,073

16.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.61

3.95

-8.61%

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

Last update for Frankfurt: October 19, 2026

Last update for Aalen: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Frankfurt

$1.1K 43.6%

Aalen

$707 37.4% 36.1% $399

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Frankfurt

$457 18%

Aalen

$332 17.6% 27.5% $126

Groceries & Markets

Frankfurt

$332 13.1%

Aalen

$292 15.5% 12% $40

Eating Out

Frankfurt

$297 11.7%

Aalen

$268 14.2% 9.7% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Frankfurt

$139 5.5%

Aalen

$130 6.9% 7% $9.8

Getting Around

Frankfurt

$104 4.1%

Aalen

$94 5% 9.8% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Frankfurt

$101 4%

Aalen

$68 3.6% 32.6% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,316 in Frankfurt and $900 in Aalen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Frankfurt pays 17% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $88.0 in Frankfurt vs $68.0 in Aalen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $292 per month, with Aalen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Aalen

🕒 Local time

10:10 10:10 AM

Same time as Frankfurt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

701,350

66,503

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Frankfurt Aalen 170 km

From you

Frankfurt
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Frankfurt vs Aalen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aalen wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Frankfurt. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Aalen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 17% higher in Frankfurt, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,316 in Frankfurt versus $900 in Aalen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Aalen – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $88.0 in Frankfurt. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,536 per month in Frankfurt versus $1,890 in Aalen – a 34% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,890 in Aalen versus $2,536 in Frankfurt, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Aalen but tight or insufficient in Frankfurt. The gap between the two cities makes Aalen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Aalen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,890 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Aalen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Frankfurt and Aalen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Aalen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Frankfurt. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.