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

😐 Solo nomad: Frankfurt is 5% more expensive than Cologne without rent, and 13% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Frankfurt is 4.5% more expensive than Cologne without rent, and 11.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Frankfurt
Cologne
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.81 €17.1
$16.15 €13.95
22.66%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$91.5 €79
$81.3 €70.2
12.54%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.74 €11.86
$11.59 €10.01
18.55%
Cappuccino
$4.51 €3.9
$4.26 €3.67
5.87%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.74 €3.23
$3.29 €2.84
13.68%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.34 €2.89
$3.06 €2.64
9.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.67 €4.9
$5.34 €4.61
6.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.07 €4.38
$4.69 €4.05
8.10%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Frankfurt
Cologne
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.59 €1.37
$1.3 €1.12
22.31%
White Bread (500g)
$2.23 €1.93
$2.36 €2.04
-5.51%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.42 €2.95
$3.5 €3.03
-2.29%
Eggs
$4.1 €3.54
$4.15 €3.58
-1.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.07 €13.01
$15.08 €13.02
-0.07%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.45 €11.61
$15.97 €13.79
-15.78%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.52 €18.58
$20.96 €18.1
2.67%
Apples (1kg)
$3.44 €2.97
$3.09 €2.67
11.33%
Banana (1kg)
$2.1 €1.82
$1.84 €1.59
14.13%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.23 €1.93
$2.26 €1.95
-1.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.92 €4.25
$4.9 €4.23
0.41%
Potato (1kg)
$1.68 €1.45
$1.56 €1.34
7.69%
Onion (1kg)
$1.66 €1.44
$1.68 €1.45
-1.19%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.92 €1.66
$1.92 €1.66
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.16 €1
$1.15 €0.99
0.87%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.01 €8.64
$9.57 €8.26
4.60%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.94 €5.99
$6.81 €5.88
1.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 €0.93
$1.06 €0.91
1.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.56 €1.34
$1.69 €1.46
-7.69%
🚌 Getting Around
Frankfurt
Cologne
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.33 €3.74
$3.79 €3.27
14.25%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$66.2 €57.1
$61.7 €53.3
7.23%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.72 €4.94
$5.58 €4.82
2.51%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.64 €2.28
$2.09 €1.8
26.32%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$38.56 €33.29
$35.21 €30.4
9.51%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.05 €1.77
$2.02 €1.74
1.49%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.8K €26.6K
$31.2K €26.9K
-1.03%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.1K €30.3K
$35.4K €30.6K
-0.96%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Frankfurt
Cologne
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$375 €324
$400 €345
-6.16%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.99 €21.58
$25.14 €21.7
-0.60%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.77 €37.79
$51.2 €44.17
-14.44%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Frankfurt
Cologne
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$65.1 €56.2
$40.58 €35.04
60.35%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.9 €25.81
$32.2 €27.81
-7.14%
Cinema Ticket
$16.52 €14.26
$13.77 €11.89
19.97%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Frankfurt
Cologne
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$610 €526
$960 €829
-36.46%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.2K €14K
$18.9K €16.3K
-14.42%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Frankfurt
Cologne
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$92.4 €79.7
$100 €86.5
-7.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.76 €34.33
$45.62 €39.39
-12.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.5 €85.9
$121 €104
-17.55%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$144 €125
$148 €128
-2.44%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Frankfurt
Cologne
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,532 €1,323
$1,208 €1,043
26.78%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,169 €1,010
$932 €804
25.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,802 €2,419
$2,061 €1,780
35.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,036 €1,758
$1,518 €1,310
34.19%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,340 €7,201
$6,976 €6,023
19.56%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,161 €4,456
$6,075 €5,245
-15.04%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Frankfurt
Cologne
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,626 €3,994
$3,261 €2,816
41.82%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.99
3.93
1.53%

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

Last update for Frankfurt: October 26, 2025

Last update for Cologne: October 29, 2025

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