Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Frankfurt and Ilmenau

For one person, living is cheaper in Ilmenau: $2,053 a month against $2,510 in Frankfurt, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
99

Cost of Living Index in Ilmenau
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Ilmenau Living Index

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Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,510

/mo nomad

Ilmenau

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,053

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Frankfurt and in Ilmenau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,510 in Frankfurt versus $2,053 in Ilmenau.

Frankfurt $2,510
Ilmenau $2,053

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,732 in Frankfurt versus $2,519 in Ilmenau.

Frankfurt $3,732
Ilmenau $2,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,954 in Frankfurt versus $2,986 in Ilmenau.

Frankfurt $4,954
Ilmenau $2,986

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €15.08

$11.31 €10.13

48.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.1 €78.9

$67.1 €60.1

31.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.90

$11.04 €9.89

20.29%

Cappuccino

$4.54 €4.07

$3.42 €3.07

32.75%

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

$3.68 €3.29

$4.07 €3.65

-9.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 €3.24

$7.61 €6.82

-52.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.71 €5.12

$4.51 €4.04

26.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.14

$4.95 €4.43

15.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.12 €1.00

16.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.11 €1.89

4.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 €2.77

$3.30 €2.95

-6.36%

Eggs

$3.65 €3.27

$3.21 €2.88

13.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.55 €12.14

$14.17 €12.70

-4.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.86 €10.63

$10.28 €9.21

15.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.79 €19.53

$17.89 €16.03

21.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 €2.78

$2.86 €2.56

8.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$1.46 €1.31

43.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 €1.74

$3.55 €3.18

-45.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.83 €3.43

$3.82 €3.42

0.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.59

$2.09 €1.87

-14.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.36 €1.22

36.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.62 €1.45

-3.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.94

$0.87 €0.78

20.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.49 €8.50

$9.34 €8.37

1.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.03

$6.26 €5.61

-10.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.14 €1.02

-1.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.30

$1.52 €1.37

-4.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.29 €3.85

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.3 €62.1

$65.8 €59.0

5.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 €3.96

$5.26 €4.72

-15.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 €2.04

$4.24 €3.80

-46.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.89 €21.41

$44.24 €39.65

-46.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 €1.99

$2.13 €1.91

4.23%

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

$33.7K €30.2K

$32.8K €29.4K

2.51%

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

$39.2K €35.1K

$37.4K €33.5K

4.67%

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

$385 €345

$671 €601

-42.63%

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

$19.76 €17.70

$27.51 €24.65

-28.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.58 €41.74

$34.26 €30.70

35.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.4 €56.8

$49.08 €43.98

29.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.55 €26.48

Cinema Ticket

$16.84 €15.09

$13.16 €11.79

27.96%

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

$1,097 €983

$455 €408

140.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K €20.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 €77.4

$92.4 €82.8

-6.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.24 €29.79

$31.93 €28.61

4.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.5 €73.9

$121 €108

-31.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €96.5

$113 €102

-4.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,418 €1,271

$474 €425

199.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,092 €978

$438 €393

149.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,713 €2,431

$849 €761

219.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 €1,720

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,738 €6,934

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,482 €4,017

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,024 €3,606

$3,184 €2,853

26.38%

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 Ilmenau: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Frankfurt

$1.1K 43.5%

Ilmenau

$438 21.4% 59.9% $654

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Frankfurt

$451 18%

Ilmenau

$733 35.7% 62.4% $281

Groceries & Markets

Frankfurt

$330 13.2%

Ilmenau

$309 15.1% 6.2% $20

Eating Out

Frankfurt

$298 11.9%

Ilmenau

$244 11.9% 18.2% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Frankfurt

$139 5.6%

Ilmenau

$161 7.9% 15.7% $22

Getting Around

Frankfurt

$102 4.1%

Ilmenau

$92 * 4.5% 9.8% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Frankfurt

$97 3.9%

Ilmenau

$75 3.7% 22.3% $22

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,418 in Frankfurt and $474 in Ilmenau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Frankfurt pays 26% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $88 in Frankfurt vs $67 in Ilmenau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $330 vs $309 per month, with Ilmenau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Ilmenau

🕒 Local time

07:11 7:11 AM

Same time as Frankfurt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

701,350

39,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Frankfurt Ilmenau 170 km

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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 Ilmenau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 26% 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 $474 in Ilmenau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ilmenau – a meal for two runs $67 versus $88 in Frankfurt. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,510 per month in Frankfurt versus $2,053 in Ilmenau – Ilmenau is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Ilmenau 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 Ilmenau are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Ilmenau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Frankfurt. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.