Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Frankfurt and Ingolstadt

For one person, living is cheaper in Ingolstadt: $2,141 a month against $2,539 in Frankfurt, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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 Ingolstadt
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Ingolstadt Living Index

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Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,539

/mo nomad

Ingolstadt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,141

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Frankfurt and in Ingolstadt

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,539 in Frankfurt versus $2,141 in Ingolstadt.

Frankfurt $2,539
Ingolstadt $2,141

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,762 in Frankfurt versus $3,155 in Ingolstadt.

Frankfurt $3,762
Ingolstadt $3,155

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,984 in Frankfurt versus $4,169 in Ingolstadt.

Frankfurt $4,984
Ingolstadt $4,169

Living in Frankfurt is roughly 19% more expensive than in Ingolstadt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Frankfurt 88% above, Ingolstadt 59% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.72 €14.87

$17.92 €15.94

-6.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.4 €78.7

$67.1 €59.7

31.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.36 €11.88

$12.03 €10.70

11.06%

Cappuccino

$4.54 €4.04

$3.90 €3.47

16.41%

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

$3.69 €3.28

$2.80 €2.49

31.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 €3.21

$2.40 €2.13

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.55 €4.94

$4.41 €3.92

25.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 €5.09

$4.41 €3.92

29.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.42 €1.26

-5.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 €1.96

$1.97 €1.76

12.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$4.02 €3.57

-25.87%

Eggs

$3.85 €3.42

$4.07 €3.62

-5.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.65 €12.14

$14.55 €12.94

-6.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.78 €10.48

$10.27 €9.13

14.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.85 €19.43

$24.59 €21.87

-11.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 €2.74

$3.27 €2.91

-5.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.07 €1.84

0.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$2.17 €1.93

-11.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 €3.47

$4.30 €3.83

-9.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.24 €1.11

45.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 €1.71

$1.30 €1.16

48.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.39

$1.54 €1.37

1.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 €0.88

$1.24 €1.11

-20.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.54 €8.48

$9.42 €8.38

1.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.47 €4.87

$6.19 €5.50

-11.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.11 €0.98

4.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.57 €1.40

-10.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.15 €3.69

$3.42 €3.05

21.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.2 €61.6

$68.6 €61.0

0.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.48 €3.99

$3.95 €3.51

13.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.25 €2.01

-3.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.71 €21.09

$27.94 €24.86

-15.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 €2.05

$2.13 €1.89

7.98%

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

$32.7K €29.1K

$32.6K €29.0K

0.37%

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

$38.2K €33.9K

$37.4K €33.3K

2.07%

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

$394 €351

$262 €233

50.51%

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

$19.53 €17.38

$33.01 €29.36

-40.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.62 €42.36

$48.24 €42.91

-1.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.9 €60.4

$56.4 €50.2

20.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.82 €25.64

$15.17 €13.49

89.98%

Cinema Ticket

$16.62 €14.78

$16.61 €14.77

0.06%

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

$1,068 €950

$340 €302

214.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K €20.4K

$9,625 €8,562

138.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.8 €75.4

$89.5 €79.6

-5.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.61 €29.90

$59.2 €52.6

-43.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.7 €74.5

$80.4 €71.5

4.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 €93.0

$174 €154

-39.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,345 €1,196

$1,100 €979

22.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,111 €988

$809 €720

37.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,720 €2,420

$1,678 €1,493

62.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,936 €1,722

$1,284 €1,142

50.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,856 €6,988

$6,693 €5,953

17.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,296 €3,822

$5,373 €4,780

-20.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,979 €3,539

$3,981 €3,541

-0.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.61

3.95

-8.61%

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

Last update for Frankfurt: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ingolstadt: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Frankfurt

$1.1K 43.7%

Ingolstadt

$809 37.8% 27.1% $301

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Frankfurt

$461 18.2%

Ingolstadt

$343 16% 25.6% $118

Groceries & Markets

Frankfurt

$330 13%

Ingolstadt

$342 16% 3.7% $12

Eating Out

Frankfurt

$297 11.7%

Ingolstadt

$278 13% 6.3% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Frankfurt

$138 5.4%

Ingolstadt

$181 8.5% 31.3% $43

Getting Around

Frankfurt

$101 4%

Ingolstadt

$97 4.6% 3.7% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Frankfurt

$101 4%

Ingolstadt

$90 4.2% 11.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,345 in Frankfurt and $1,100 in Ingolstadt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ingolstadt pays 0% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $88.0 in Frankfurt vs $67.0 in Ingolstadt. Groceries flip the comparison at $330 vs $342, with Frankfurt cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Ingolstadt

🕒 Local time

18:22 6:22 PM

Same time as Frankfurt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

701,350

127,886

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Frankfurt Ingolstadt 250 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 Ingolstadt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ingolstadt is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and leisure. The 19% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 0% lower in Ingolstadt. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,345 in Frankfurt versus $1,100 in Ingolstadt. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ingolstadt – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $88.0 in Frankfurt. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,539 per month in Frankfurt versus $2,141 in Ingolstadt – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,141 in Ingolstadt versus $2,539 in Frankfurt, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ingolstadt but tight or insufficient in Frankfurt. The gap between the two cities makes Ingolstadt the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ingolstadt 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 Ingolstadt 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 Ingolstadt gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Frankfurt. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.