Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Frankfurt and Freiburg im Breisgau

For one person, living is cheaper in Freiburg im Breisgau: $2,169 a month against $2,536 in Frankfurt, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
104

Cost of Living Index in Freiburg im Breisgau
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Freiburg im Breisgau Living Index

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Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,536

/mo nomad

Freiburg im Breisgau

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,169

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Frankfurt and in Freiburg im Breisgau

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 Freiburg im Breisgau actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,536 in Frankfurt versus $2,169 in Freiburg im Breisgau.

Frankfurt $2,536
Freiburg im Breisgau $2,169

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,763 in Frankfurt versus $3,406 in Freiburg im Breisgau.

Frankfurt $3,763
Freiburg im Breisgau $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,990 in Frankfurt versus $4,643 in Freiburg im Breisgau.

Frankfurt $4,990
Freiburg im Breisgau $4,643

Living in Frankfurt is roughly 17% more expensive than in Freiburg im Breisgau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Frankfurt 87% above, Freiburg im Breisgau 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.72 €14.87

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.2 €78.5

$77.0 €68.5

14.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.43 €11.95

$11.10 €9.87

20.99%

Cappuccino

$4.45 €3.96

$4.01 €3.57

10.97%

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

$3.86 €3.43

$3.82 €3.40

1.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 €3.29

$3.33 €2.97

11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.02

$5.65 €5.02

-0.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 €5.11

$4.54 €4.03

26.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.40 €1.24

1.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.24 €1.99

$2.04 €1.81

9.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$3.74 €3.32

-20.05%

Eggs

$3.63 €3.23

$3.43 €3.05

5.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.58 €12.08

$18.38 €16.35

-26.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.64 €10.35

$10.42 €9.27

11.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.44 €19.96

$25.74 €22.89

-12.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$3.18 €2.83

-0.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.17 €1.93

-1.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$2.00 €1.77

-0.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 €3.42

$3.95 €3.52

-2.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 €1.54

$1.09 €0.97

59.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.10 €0.98

70.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.47 €1.31

6.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 €0.89

$1.21 €1.08

-17.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.00 €8.90

$9.86 €8.77

1.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.56 €4.95

$6.87 €6.11

-19.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.18 €1.05

-1.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.24

$1.68 €1.50

-16.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.20 €3.73

$3.19 €2.83

31.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.2 €63.3

$68.4 €60.9

4.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.44 €3.95

$4.55 €4.05

-2.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.22 €2.87

-29.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.30 €20.73

$44.43 €39.52

-47.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 €2.04

$2.09 €1.86

10.05%

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

$33.6K €29.9K

$33.1K €29.5K

1.50%

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

$38.2K €34.0K

$38.5K €34.3K

-0.73%

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

$390 €347

$233 €207

67.43%

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

$19.63 €17.46

$38.39 €34.14

-48.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.45 €42.21

$52.7 €46.86

-9.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.0 €59.6

$41.89 €37.26

59.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.11 €25.89

$12.91 €11.49

125.48%

Cinema Ticket

$16.96 €15.08

$14.89 €13.25

13.90%

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

$1,096 €975

$484 €431

126.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K €20.5K

$15.9K €14.2K

44.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.5 €76.1

$101 €89.7

-15.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.20 €29.53

$44.68 €39.74

-25.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 €75.1

$99.3 €88.3

-14.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €94.9

$172 €153

-37.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 €1,171

$1,093 €972

20.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,105 €983

$849 €756

30.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,677 €2,381

$2,182 €1,941

22.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,935 €1,721

$1,717 €1,527

12.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,920 €7,045

$7,428 €6,607

6.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,273 €3,801

$4,713 €4,192

-9.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,027 €3,582

$3,245 €2,886

24.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.61

3.92

-7.91%

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

Last update for Frankfurt: October 19, 2026

Last update for Freiburg im Breisgau: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Frankfurt

$1.1K 43.6%

Freiburg im Breisgau

$849 39.2% 23.1% $256

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Frankfurt

$457 18%

Freiburg im Breisgau

$324 14.9% 29.1% $133

Groceries & Markets

Frankfurt

$332 13.1%

Freiburg im Breisgau

$353 16.3% 6.4% $21

Eating Out

Frankfurt

$297 11.7%

Freiburg im Breisgau

$281 13% 5.5% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Frankfurt

$139 5.5%

Freiburg im Breisgau

$187 8.6% 34.4% $48

Getting Around

Frankfurt

$104 4.1%

Freiburg im Breisgau

$102 4.7% 1.9% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Frankfurt

$101 4%

Freiburg im Breisgau

$72 3.3% 29% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,316 in Frankfurt and $1,093 in Freiburg im Breisgau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Frankfurt pays 24% 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 $77.0 in Freiburg im Breisgau. Groceries flip the comparison at $332 vs $353, with Frankfurt cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Freiburg im Breisgau

🕒 Local time

13:06 1:06 PM

Same time as Frankfurt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

701,350

230,219

💱 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)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Frankfurt vs Freiburg im Breisgau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Freiburg im Breisgau is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and leisure. The 17% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 24% 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 $1,093 in Freiburg im Breisgau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Freiburg im Breisgau – a meal for two runs $77.0 versus $88.0 in Frankfurt. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,536 per month in Frankfurt versus $2,169 in Freiburg im Breisgau – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,169 in Freiburg im Breisgau versus $2,536 in Frankfurt, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Freiburg im Breisgau but tight or insufficient in Frankfurt. The gap between the two cities makes Freiburg im Breisgau the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Freiburg im Breisgau is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Frankfurt, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Frankfurt and Freiburg im Breisgau 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 Freiburg im Breisgau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Frankfurt. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.