Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Frankfurt and Bonn

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.

121

Cost of Living Index in Frankfurt
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Frankfurt Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Bonn
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Bonn Living Index

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Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,510

/mo nomad

Bonn

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,313

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Frankfurt and in Bonn

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 Bonn actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Frankfurt $2,510
Bonn $2,313

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

Frankfurt $3,732
Bonn $3,463

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

Frankfurt $4,954
Bonn $4,614

Living in Frankfurt is roughly 9% more expensive than in Bonn, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €15.08

$18.55 €16.63

-9.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.1 €78.9

$77.5 €69.4

13.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.90

$12.15 €10.89

9.30%

Cappuccino

$4.54 €4.07

$4.21 €3.77

7.84%

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

$3.68 €3.29

$3.11 €2.78

18.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 €3.24

$2.47 €2.21

46.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.71 €5.12

$5.67 €5.08

0.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.14

$4.27 €3.82

34.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.45 €1.30

-9.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.81 €2.52

-21.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 €2.77

$4.01 €3.60

-22.94%

Eggs

$3.65 €3.27

$4.17 €3.73

-12.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.55 €12.14

$13.76 €12.33

-1.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.86 €10.63

$10.65 €9.54

11.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.79 €19.53

$27.08 €24.27

-19.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 €2.78

$3.45 €3.09

-10.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$2.65 €2.38

-21.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 €1.74

$2.26 €2.03

-14.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.83 €3.43

$5.24 €4.70

-26.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.59

$2.24 €2.00

-20.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.71 €1.53

8.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.65 €1.48

-4.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.94

$1.31 €1.18

-19.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.49 €8.50

$9.51 €8.52

-0.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.03

$5.97 €5.35

-6.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.26 €1.13

-11.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.30

$1.79 €1.60

-18.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.29 €3.85

$4.59 €4.11

-6.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.3 €62.1

$71.1 €63.8

-2.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 €3.96

$2.95 €2.64

49.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 €2.04

$1.97 €1.77

15.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.89 €21.41

$31.22 €27.98

-23.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 €1.99

$2.29 €2.05

-3.06%

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

$33.7K €30.2K

$33.3K €29.8K

1.17%

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

$39.2K €35.1K

$37.9K €34.0K

3.31%

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

$385 €345

$332 €297

16.01%

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

$19.76 €17.70

$24.57 €22.01

-19.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.58 €41.74

$39.59 €35.48

17.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.4 €56.8

$42.47 €38.06

49.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.55 €26.48

$32.47 €29.10

-8.99%

Cinema Ticket

$16.84 €15.09

$15.74 €14.11

6.99%

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

$1,097 €983

$690 €618

58.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K €20.3K

$13.9K €12.5K

62.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 €77.4

$75.3 €67.4

14.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.24 €29.79

$37.43 €33.54

-11.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.5 €73.9

$103 €92.5

-20.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €96.5

$113 €101

-4.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,418 €1,271

$1,072 €960

32.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,092 €978

$925 €828

18.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,713 €2,431

$2,113 €1,894

28.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 €1,720

$1,601 €1,434

19.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,738 €6,934

$6,131 €5,494

26.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,482 €4,017

$4,368 €3,914

2.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,024 €3,606

$3,480 €3,119

15.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.64

3.96

-8.08%

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

Last update for Frankfurt: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bonn: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Frankfurt

$1.1K 43.5%

Bonn

$925 40% 15.3% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Frankfurt

$451 18%

Bonn

$396 17.1% 12.3% $55

Groceries & Markets

Frankfurt

$330 13.2%

Bonn

$374 16.2% 13.3% $44

Eating Out

Frankfurt

$298 11.9%

Bonn

$295 12.7% 1.2% $3.5

Clothing & Footwear

Frankfurt

$139 5.6%

Bonn

$148 6.4% 6.2% $8.6

Getting Around

Frankfurt

$102 4.1%

Bonn

$102 4.4% 0% $0

Sport & Entertainment

Frankfurt

$97 3.9%

Bonn

$74 3.2% 23.8% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,418 in Frankfurt and $1,072 in Bonn. 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: $88 in Frankfurt vs $77 in Bonn. Groceries flip the comparison at $330 vs $374, with Frankfurt cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Bonn

🕒 Local time

07:28 7:28 AM

Same time as Frankfurt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

701,350

335,913

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Frankfurt Bonn 130 km

From you

Frankfurt
Bonn

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 Bonn: 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.

Average pay runs 16% 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: $1,418 in Frankfurt versus $1,072 in Bonn. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,097 in Frankfurt versus $690 in Bonn. 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, Frankfurt and Bonn 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.