Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Frankfurt and Erfurt

For one person, living is cheaper in Erfurt: $2,200 a month against $2,510 in Frankfurt, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Frankfurt
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Frankfurt Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Erfurt
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Erfurt Living Index

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Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,510

/mo nomad

Erfurt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,200

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Frankfurt and in Erfurt

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

A single person spends $2,510 per month in Frankfurt vs $2,200 in Erfurt, rent included.

Frankfurt $2,510
Erfurt $2,200

A couple spends around $3,732 per month in Frankfurt vs $3,220 in Erfurt, rent included.

Frankfurt $3,732
Erfurt $3,220

A family of three spends $4,954 per month in Frankfurt vs $4,240 in Erfurt, rent included.

Frankfurt $4,954
Erfurt $4,240

Frankfurt costs about 14% more than Erfurt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Frankfurt and Erfurt sit above the global median – Frankfurt by 84%, Erfurt by 62%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €15.02

$15.31 €13.66

9.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.1 €78.6

$67.5 €60.2

30.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.85

$11.12 €9.93

19.42%

Cappuccino

$4.54 €4.05

$3.32 €2.96

36.75%

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

$3.68 €3.28

$4.28 €3.82

-14.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 €3.22

$7.77 €6.94

-53.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.71 €5.09

$4.53 €4.04

26.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.12

$4.98 €4.45

15.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.40 €1.25

-6.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.13 €1.90

3.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 €2.76

$3.21 €2.87

-3.74%

Eggs

$3.65 €3.26

$3.28 €2.93

11.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.55 €12.09

$14.30 €12.76

-5.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.86 €10.58

$10.53 €9.39

12.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.79 €19.44

$17.69 €15.78

23.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 €2.77

$3.30 €2.95

-6.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.13 €1.90

-1.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$3.43 €3.06

-43.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.83 €3.41

$3.75 €3.35

2.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.58

$2.18 €1.95

-18.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.37 €1.22

35.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.82 €0.73

28.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.49 €8.47

$9.81 €8.75

-3.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.01

$6.51 €5.81

-13.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.09 €0.98

2.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.30

$1.48 €1.32

-2.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.29 €3.83

$3.21 €2.87

33.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.3 €61.8

$70.8 €63.2

-2.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 €3.94

$5.43 €4.85

-18.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 €2.03

$4.22 €3.76

-46.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.89 €21.32

$45.08 €40.22

-47.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.13 €1.90

4.23%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$32.3K €28.8K

4.15%

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

$39.2K €34.9K

$37.7K €33.6K

3.98%

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

$385 €343

$673 €600

-42.80%

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

$19.76 €17.63

$28.27 €25.22

-30.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.58 €41.56

$34.04 €30.37

36.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.4 €56.5

$40.65 €36.27

55.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.55 €26.36

$29.35 €26.19

0.68%

Cinema Ticket

$16.84 €15.02

$15.39 €13.73

9.42%

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

$1,097 €978

$442 €394

148.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K €20.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 €77.0

$94.4 €84.2

-8.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.24 €29.66

$31.66 €28.25

4.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.5 €73.6

$122 €109

-32.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €96.1

$113 €101

-4.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,418 €1,265

$744 €663

90.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,092 €974

$526 €469

107.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,713 €2,420

$1,608 €1,435

68.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 €1,713

$1,086 €969

76.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,738 €6,904

$4,721 €4,212

63.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,482 €3,999

$2,455 €2,190

82.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,024 €3,590

$3,032 €2,705

32.72%

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 Erfurt: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Frankfurt

$1.1K 43.5%

Erfurt

$526 23.9% 51.9% $566

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Frankfurt

$451 18%

Erfurt

$735 33.4% 62.9% $284

Groceries & Markets

Frankfurt

$330 13.2%

Erfurt

$319 14.5% 3.5% $11

Eating Out

Frankfurt

$298 11.9%

Erfurt

$276 12.6% 7.3% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Frankfurt

$139 5.6%

Erfurt

$162 7.4% 16.5% $23

Getting Around

Frankfurt

$102 4.1%

Erfurt

$110 5% 7.7% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

Frankfurt

$97 3.9%

Erfurt

$71 3.3% 26.4% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,418 in Frankfurt versus $744 in Erfurt. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 33% higher in Frankfurt. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88 in Frankfurt versus $67 in Erfurt. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $330 vs $319 – making Erfurt the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Erfurt

🕒 Local time

20:51 8:51 PM

Same time as Frankfurt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

701,350

215,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Erfurt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Frankfurt costs about 14% more than Erfurt, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,765 per month in Frankfurt and $3,300 in Erfurt. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Erfurt, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $744 there versus $1,418 in Frankfurt.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88 in Frankfurt and $67 in Erfurt. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Frankfurt, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,510 in Frankfurt and $2,200 in Erfurt. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Erfurt – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Erfurt. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Frankfurt makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.