Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Frankfurt and Herne

For one person, living is cheaper in Herne: $2,056 a month against $2,510 in Frankfurt, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Frankfurt
Learn more

Frankfurt Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Herne
Learn more

Herne Living Index

Jump to prices

Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,510

/mo nomad

Herne

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,056

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Frankfurt and in Herne

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,510 in Frankfurt versus $2,056 in Herne.

Frankfurt $2,510
Herne $2,056

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,732 in Frankfurt versus $2,947 in Herne.

Frankfurt $3,732
Herne $2,947

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,954 in Frankfurt versus $3,839 in Herne.

Frankfurt $4,954
Herne $3,839

Living in Frankfurt is roughly 22% more expensive than in Herne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Frankfurt 84% above, Herne 51% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €15.02

$17.11 €15.27

-1.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.1 €78.6

$77.6 €69.3

13.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.85

$12.53 €11.18

5.99%

Cappuccino

$4.54 €4.05

$3.51 €3.13

29.34%

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

$3.68 €3.28

$2.97 €2.65

23.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 €3.22

$2.22 €1.98

62.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.71 €5.09

$4.43 €3.95

28.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.12

$3.69 €3.29

55.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.39 €1.24

-5.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.28 €2.03

-3.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 €2.76

$3.93 €3.51

-21.37%

Eggs

$3.65 €3.26

$3.70 €3.30

-1.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.55 €12.09

$15.11 €13.48

-10.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.86 €10.58

$11.78 €10.51

0.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.79 €19.44

$18.67 €16.66

16.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 €2.77

$3.32 €2.97

-6.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.96 €1.75

6.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.09 €1.86

-7.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.83 €3.41

$4.21 €3.76

-9.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.31 €1.17

35.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.23 €1.10

51.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.55 €1.39

1.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.05 €0.94

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.49 €8.47

$9.70 €8.66

-2.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.01

$6.81 €6.07

-17.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.13 €1.01

-0.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.30

$1.61 €1.43

-9.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.29 €3.83

$3.40 €3.03

26.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.3 €61.8

$69.2 €61.8

0.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 €3.94

$4.82 €4.30

-8.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 €2.03

$2.53 €2.26

-10.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.89 €21.32

$33.60 €29.98

-28.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.10 €1.87

5.71%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$30.5K €27.2K

10.48%

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

$39.2K €34.9K

$37.4K €33.4K

4.76%

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

$385 €343

$378 €337

1.74%

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

$19.76 €17.63

$33.58 €29.96

-41.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.58 €41.56

$50.6 €45.16

-7.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.4 €56.5

$38.79 €34.61

63.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.55 €26.36

$26.68 €23.81

10.76%

Cinema Ticket

$16.84 €15.02

$15.10 €13.48

11.52%

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

$1,097 €978

$225 €201

387.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K €20.2K

$17.1K €15.2K

32.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 €77.0

$92.2 €82.3

-6.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.24 €29.66

$52.4 €46.71

-36.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.5 €73.6

$102 €91.2

-19.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €96.1

$135 €121

-20.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,418 €1,265

$805 €718

76.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,092 €974

$652 €582

67.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,713 €2,420

$1,463 €1,305

85.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 €1,713

$879 €785

118.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,738 €6,904

$4,658 €4,156

66.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,482 €3,999

$3,359 €2,997

33.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,024 €3,590

$3,026 €2,700

33.00%

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 Herne: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Frankfurt

$1.1K 43.5%

Herne

$652 31.7% 40.3% $440

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Frankfurt

$451 18%

Herne

$462 22.5% 2.5% $11

Groceries & Markets

Frankfurt

$330 13.2%

Herne

$333 16.2% 0.9% $3

Eating Out

Frankfurt

$298 11.9%

Herne

$267 13% 10.5% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Frankfurt

$139 5.6%

Herne

$172 8.4% 23.4% $33

Getting Around

Frankfurt

$102 4.1%

Herne

$100 4.9% 1.9% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Frankfurt

$97 3.9%

Herne

$69 3.4% 28.9% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,418 in Frankfurt and $805 in Herne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Frankfurt pays 33% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $88 in Frankfurt vs $78 in Herne. Groceries flip the comparison at $330 vs $333, with Frankfurt cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Herne

🕒 Local time

00:31 12:31 AM

Same time as Frankfurt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

701,350

156,449

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Frankfurt Herne 190 km

From you

Frankfurt
Herne

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 Herne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Herne is about 18% cheaper overall, especially in eating out and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 33% 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 $805 in Herne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Herne – a meal for two runs $78 versus $88 in Frankfurt. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $1,097 in Frankfurt versus $225 in Herne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Herne gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

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