Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Frankfurt and Dessau

For one person, living is cheaper in Dessau: $1,783 a month against $2,510 in Frankfurt, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
86

Cost of Living Index in Dessau
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Dessau Living Index

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Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,510

/mo nomad

Dessau

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,783

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Frankfurt and in Dessau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,510 in Frankfurt versus $1,783 in Dessau.

Frankfurt $2,510
Dessau $1,783

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,732 in Frankfurt versus $2,867 in Dessau.

Frankfurt $3,732
Dessau $2,867

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,954 in Frankfurt versus $3,951 in Dessau.

Frankfurt $4,954
Dessau $3,951

Living in Frankfurt is roughly 41% more expensive than in Dessau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Frankfurt 84% above, Dessau 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €15.08

$16.48 €14.77

2.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.1 €78.9

$84.5 €75.7

4.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.90

$15.40 €13.80

-13.77%

Cappuccino

$4.54 €4.07

$4.41 €3.95

2.95%

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

$3.68 €3.29

$2.80 €2.51

31.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 €3.24

$4.27 €3.82

-15.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.71 €5.12

$4.90 €4.39

16.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.14

$5.43 €4.87

5.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.34 €1.20

-2.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.05 €1.84

7.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 €2.77

$3.85 €3.45

-19.74%

Eggs

$3.65 €3.27

$3.62 €3.25

0.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.55 €12.14

$10.23 €9.17

32.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.86 €10.63

$11.72 €10.50

1.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.79 €19.53

$21.39 €19.16

1.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 €2.78

$3.31 €2.97

-6.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$2.05 €1.84

1.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 €1.74

$2.13 €1.91

-8.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.83 €3.43

$3.60 €3.23

6.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.26 €1.13

41.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.11 €0.99

67.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.68 €1.51

-6.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.94

$1.21 €1.09

-13.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.49 €8.50

$9.54 €8.55

-0.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.03

$6.53 €5.85

-14.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.08 €0.97

3.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.30

$1.67 €1.50

-13.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.29 €3.85

$2.59 €2.32

65.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.3 €62.1

$65.3 €58.5

6.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 €3.96

$5.01 €4.49

-11.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 €2.04

$2.49 €2.23

-8.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.89 €21.41

$33.16 €29.72

-27.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 €1.99

$1.94 €1.74

14.43%

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

$33.7K €30.2K

$32.9K €29.5K

2.27%

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

$39.2K €35.1K

$39.4K €35.3K

-0.62%

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

$385 €345

$279 €250

38.09%

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

$19.76 €17.70

$25.46 €22.81

-22.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.58 €41.74

$51.1 €45.76

-8.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.4 €56.8

$68.5 €61.4

-7.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.55 €26.48

$22.08 €19.79

33.83%

Cinema Ticket

$16.84 €15.09

$12.09 €10.84

39.29%

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

$1,097 €983

$308 €276

255.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K €20.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 €77.4

$74.3 €66.5

16.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.24 €29.79

$46.22 €41.42

-28.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.5 €73.9

$134 €120

-38.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €96.5

$171 €153

-36.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,418 €1,271

$443 €397

220.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,092 €978

$434 €389

151.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,713 €2,431

$733 €657

270.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 €1,720

$981 €879

95.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,738 €6,934

$3,354 €3,006

130.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,482 €4,017

$1,755 €1,573

155.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,024 €3,606

$2,184 €1,957

84.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.64

3.95

-7.85%

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

Last update for Frankfurt: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dessau: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Frankfurt

$1.1K 43.5%

Dessau

$434 24.4% 60.2% $657

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Frankfurt

$451 18%

Dessau

$355 19.9% 21.3% $96

Groceries & Markets

Frankfurt

$330 13.2%

Dessau

$322 18% 2.5% $8.2

Eating Out

Frankfurt

$298 11.9%

Dessau

$295 16.5% 1.2% $3.6

Clothing & Footwear

Frankfurt

$139 5.6%

Dessau

$191 10.7% 37.4% $52

Getting Around

Frankfurt

$102 4.1%

Dessau

$93 5.2% 9% $9.2

Sport & Entertainment

Frankfurt

$97 3.9%

Dessau

$93 5.2% 4.5% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,418 in Frankfurt and $443 in Dessau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Frankfurt pays 84% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $88 in Frankfurt vs $84 in Dessau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $330 vs $322 per month, with Dessau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Dessau

🕒 Local time

10:01 10:01 AM

Same time as Frankfurt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

701,350

68,116

💱 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 Dessau 310 km

From you

Frankfurt
Dessau

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 Dessau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dessau is about 29% cheaper overall, especially in transport and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 84% 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 $443 in Dessau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,097 in Frankfurt versus $308 in Dessau. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Dessau – a meal for two runs $84 versus $88 in Frankfurt. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,783 in Dessau versus $2,510 in Frankfurt, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Dessau but tight or insufficient in Frankfurt. The gap between the two cities makes Dessau the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Dessau are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Dessau wins on affordability, Frankfurt on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.