Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Frankfurt and Duisburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Duisburg: $2,033 a month against $2,536 in Frankfurt, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Frankfurt outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

122

Cost of Living Index in Frankfurt
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Frankfurt Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Duisburg
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Duisburg Living Index

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Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,536

/mo nomad

Duisburg

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,033

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Frankfurt and in Duisburg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,536 in Frankfurt versus $2,033 in Duisburg.

Frankfurt $2,536
Duisburg $2,033

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,763 in Frankfurt versus $3,004 in Duisburg.

Frankfurt $3,763
Duisburg $3,004

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,990 in Frankfurt versus $3,974 in Duisburg.

Frankfurt $4,990
Duisburg $3,974

Living in Frankfurt is roughly 25% more expensive than in Duisburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Frankfurt 87% above, Duisburg 50% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.72 €14.87

$13.28 €11.81

25.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.2 €78.5

$72.6 €64.6

21.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.43 €11.95

$12.88 €11.45

4.27%

Cappuccino

$4.45 €3.96

$4.37 €3.89

1.83%

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

$3.86 €3.43

$3.88 €3.45

-0.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 €3.29

$3.13 €2.78

18.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.02

$5.47 €4.87

3.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 €5.11

$5.58 €4.96

3.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.36 €1.21

4.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.24 €1.99

$2.13 €1.89

5.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$3.76 €3.35

-20.48%

Eggs

$3.63 €3.23

$3.46 €3.07

4.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.58 €12.08

$14.16 €12.60

-4.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.64 €10.35

$10.79 €9.60

7.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.44 €19.96

$25.49 €22.67

-11.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$3.34 €2.97

-5.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.24 €2.00

-4.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$2.38 €2.12

-16.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 €3.42

$4.27 €3.80

-10.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 €1.54

$1.49 €1.32

16.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.21 €1.08

54.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.73 €1.54

-9.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 €0.89

$1.04 €0.93

-3.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.00 €8.90

$10.53 €9.37

-5.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.56 €4.95

$6.80 €6.05

-18.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.11 €0.99

4.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.24

$1.39 €1.24

0.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.20 €3.73

$4.52 €4.02

-7.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.2 €63.3

$67.7 €60.2

5.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.44 €3.95

$4.91 €4.37

-9.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.30 €2.05

-1.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.30 €20.73

$34.21 €30.43

-31.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 €2.04

$2.18 €1.94

5.50%

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

$33.6K €29.9K

$33.2K €29.5K

1.20%

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

$38.2K €34.0K

$38.5K €34.2K

-0.56%

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

$390 €347

$454 €404

-14.07%

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

$19.63 €17.46

$25.59 €22.76

-23.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.45 €42.21

$41.63 €37.03

13.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.0 €59.6

$31.61 €28.11

111.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.11 €25.89

$28.94 €25.74

0.59%

Cinema Ticket

$16.96 €15.08

$13.64 €12.14

24.34%

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

$1,096 €975

$168 €149

554.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K €20.5K

$25.9K €23.1K

-11.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.5 €76.1

$98.1 €87.2

-12.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.20 €29.53

$47.63 €42.37

-30.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 €75.1

$114 €101

-25.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €94.9

$199 €177

-46.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 €1,171

$690 €614

90.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,105 €983

$535 €476

106.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,677 €2,381

$1,398 €1,244

91.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,935 €1,721

$908 €808

113.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,920 €7,045

$6,730 €5,986

17.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,273 €3,801

$3,363 €2,991

27.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,027 €3,582

$2,793 €2,484

44.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.61

3.96

-8.84%

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

Last update for Frankfurt: October 19, 2026

Last update for Duisburg: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Frankfurt

$1.1K 43.6%

Duisburg

$535 26.3% 51.6% $570

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Frankfurt

$457 18%

Duisburg

$521 25.6% 14% $64

Groceries & Markets

Frankfurt

$332 13.1%

Duisburg

$346 17% 4.2% $14

Eating Out

Frankfurt

$297 11.7%

Duisburg

$264 13% 11.3% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Frankfurt

$139 5.5%

Duisburg

$206 10.1% 47.9% $67

Getting Around

Frankfurt

$104 4.1%

Duisburg

$102 5% 1.5% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Frankfurt

$101 4%

Duisburg

$59 2.9% 41.6% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,316 in Frankfurt and $690 in Duisburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Frankfurt pays 44% 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 $73.0 in Duisburg. Groceries flip the comparison at $332 vs $346, with Frankfurt cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Duisburg

🕒 Local time

14:34 2:34 PM

Same time as Frankfurt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

701,350

486,855

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Frankfurt Duisburg 200 km

From you

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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

Frankfurt vs Duisburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Duisburg wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Frankfurt. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Duisburg the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 44% 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 $690 in Duisburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,096 in Frankfurt versus $168 in Duisburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Frankfurt pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,033 in Duisburg versus $2,536 in Frankfurt, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Duisburg but tight or insufficient in Frankfurt. The gap between the two cities makes Duisburg the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Duisburg delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,033 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Duisburg hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Frankfurt and Duisburg 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 Duisburg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Frankfurt. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.