Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Frankfurt and Friedrichshafen

For one person, living costs are similar in Frankfurt and in Friedrichshafen: $2,536 and $2,495 a month, rent and utilities included.

122

Cost of Living Index in Frankfurt
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Frankfurt Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Friedrichshafen
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Friedrichshafen Living Index

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Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,536

/mo nomad

Friedrichshafen

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,495

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Frankfurt and in Friedrichshafen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,536 in Frankfurt versus $2,495 in Friedrichshafen.

Frankfurt $2,536
Friedrichshafen $2,495

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,763 in Frankfurt versus $3,113 in Friedrichshafen.

Frankfurt $3,763
Friedrichshafen $3,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,990 in Frankfurt versus $3,731 in Friedrichshafen.

Frankfurt $4,990
Friedrichshafen $3,731

Living in Frankfurt is roughly 2% more expensive than in Friedrichshafen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Frankfurt 87% above, Friedrichshafen 84% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.72 €14.87

$16.86 €15.00

-0.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.2 €78.5

$72.8 €64.8

21.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.43 €11.95

$11.04 €9.82

21.65%

Cappuccino

$4.45 €3.96

$4.16 €3.70

6.97%

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

$3.86 €3.43

$3.83 €3.41

0.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 €3.29

$2.91 €2.59

27.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.02

$5.09 €4.53

10.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 €5.11

$5.02 €4.47

14.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.36 €1.21

4.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.24 €1.99

$2.18 €1.94

2.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$2.68 €2.39

11.57%

Eggs

$3.63 €3.23

$3.56 €3.16

1.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.58 €12.08

$14.20 €12.63

-4.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.64 €10.35

$11.41 €10.15

2.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.44 €19.96

$17.75 €15.78

26.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$2.93 €2.61

7.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.89 €1.68

12.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$2.08 €1.85

-4.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 €3.42

$4.33 €3.86

-11.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 €1.54

$1.42 €1.27

22.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.22 €1.09

53.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.47 €1.31

6.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 €0.89

$0.83 €0.74

20.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.00 €8.90

$9.83 €8.75

1.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.56 €4.95

$6.28 €5.59

-11.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.09 €0.97

6.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.24

$1.58 €1.41

-11.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.20 €3.73

$2.68 €2.38

56.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.2 €63.3

$69.6 €61.9

2.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.44 €3.95

$6.58 €5.85

-32.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.12 €2.78

-27.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.30 €20.73

$42.87 €38.13

-45.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 €2.04

$2.14 €1.90

7.48%

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

$33.6K €29.9K

$32.6K €29.0K

3.24%

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

$38.2K €34.0K

$39.0K €34.7K

-1.96%

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

$390 €347

$215 €191

81.27%

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

$19.63 €17.46

$18.32 €16.30

7.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.45 €42.21

$39.89 €35.48

18.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.0 €59.6

$35.81 €31.85

87.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.11 €25.89

Cinema Ticket

$16.96 €15.08

$15.80 €14.05

7.34%

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

$1,096 €975

$806 €717

35.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K €20.5K

$16.2K €14.4K

42.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.5 €76.1

$88.4 €78.7

-3.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.20 €29.53

$41.87 €37.24

-20.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 €75.1

$102 €90.9

-17.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €94.9

$117 €104

-8.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 €1,171

$1,398 €1,244

-5.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,105 €983

$1,302 €1,158

-15.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,677 €2,381

$1,887 €1,679

41.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,935 €1,721

$1,080 €960

79.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,920 €7,045

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,273 €3,801

$3,424 €3,045

24.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,027 €3,582

$2,980 €2,651

35.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.61

3.82

-5.50%

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

Last update for Frankfurt: October 19, 2026

Last update for Friedrichshafen: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Frankfurt

$1.1K 43.6%

Friedrichshafen

$1.3K 52.2% 17.8% $196

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Frankfurt

$457 18%

Friedrichshafen

$273 11% 40.2% $184

Groceries & Markets

Frankfurt

$332 13.1%

Friedrichshafen

$313 12.5% 5.8% $19

Eating Out

Frankfurt

$297 11.7%

Friedrichshafen

$280 11.2% 5.7% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Frankfurt

$139 5.5%

Friedrichshafen

$157 6.3% 12.7% $18

Getting Around

Frankfurt

$104 4.1%

Friedrichshafen

$102 4.1% 1.2% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Frankfurt

$101 4%

Friedrichshafen

$67 2.7% 33.2% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,316 in Frankfurt and $1,398 in Friedrichshafen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Frankfurt pays 35% 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 Friedrichshafen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $313 per month, with Friedrichshafen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Friedrichshafen

🕒 Local time

13:40 1:40 PM

Same time as Frankfurt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

701,350

58,099

💱 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 Friedrichshafen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Friedrichshafen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 2% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 35% 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 $1,398 in Friedrichshafen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Friedrichshafen – a meal for two runs $73.0 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 $2,495 in Friedrichshafen – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,495 in Friedrichshafen versus $2,536 in Frankfurt, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Friedrichshafen but tight or insufficient in Frankfurt. The gap between the two cities makes Friedrichshafen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Friedrichshafen 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 Friedrichshafen 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 Friedrichshafen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Frankfurt. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.