Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Frankfurt and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Frankfurt: $2,563 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $18,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Frankfurt
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Frankfurt Living Index
196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,563

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Frankfurt and in London

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,563 in Frankfurt versus $4,086 in London.

Frankfurt $2,563
London $4,086

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,752 in Frankfurt versus $5,816 in London.

Frankfurt $3,752
London $5,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,941 in Frankfurt versus $7,546 in London.

Frankfurt $4,941
London $7,546

Living in Frankfurt costs roughly 37% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Frankfurt 91% above, London 205% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.79 €14.97

$26.62 £20.12

-36.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.7 €80.9

$108 £81.3

-15.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.54 €12.07

$10.39 £7.86

30.32%

Cappuccino

$4.45 €3.97

$5.79 £4.38

-23.14%

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

$3.90 €3.48

$3.01 £2.27

29.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 €3.15

$2.15 £1.63

64.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.50 €4.90

$9.35 £7.07

-41.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 €4.94

$7.84 £5.93

-29.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.79 £1.35

-23.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.06 £1.56

7.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.15 €2.80

$2.31 £1.74

36.36%

Eggs

$4.01 €3.57

$5.05 £3.82

-20.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.87 €12.37

$12.57 £9.50

10.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.15 €10.83

$10.66 £8.05

13.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.03 €19.65

$17.13 £12.95

28.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 €2.83

$3.03 £2.29

4.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.41 £1.07

51.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 €1.74

$3.05 £2.31

-36.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 €3.52

$3.38 £2.56

16.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.67 £1.26

7.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.73 £1.31

13.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.41 £1.07

16.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 €0.92

$1.79 £1.35

-41.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.62 €8.58

$23.22 £17.55

-58.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.63 €5.02

$12.99 £9.82

-56.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €0.99

$3.18 £2.41

-64.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$4.41 £3.34

-68.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.23 €3.77

$3.87 £2.93

9.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.9 €62.4

$250 £189

-72.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$5.71 £4.31

-23.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 €2.02

$3.33 £2.51

-32.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.31 €20.78

$57.9 £43.77

-59.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 €2.07

$2.04 £1.54

13.73%

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

$33.4K €29.8K

$37.5K £28.4K

-11.03%

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

$38.9K €34.7K

$40.9K £30.9K

-4.85%

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

$393 €350

$376 £284

4.44%

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

$19.87 €17.72

$17.88 £13.51

11.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.70 €42.53

$40.01 £30.25

19.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.7 €60.4

$61.2 £46.23

10.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.06 €26.80

$21.07 £15.93

42.67%

Cinema Ticket

$16.65 €14.84

$17.95 £13.57

-7.24%

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

$1,102 €982

$2,865 £2,166

-61.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.7K €20.2K

$35.3K £26.7K

-35.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.6 €79.0

$116 £87.7

-23.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.20 €30.49

$54.1 £40.88

-36.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.7 €76.5

$127 £95.7

-32.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €95.3

$159 £120

-32.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,192

$2,853 £2,157

-53.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 €990

$2,301 £1,740

-51.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,743 €2,446

$5,201 £3,932

-47.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 €1,718

$3,723 £2,814

-48.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,889 €7,034

$19.0K £14.4K

-58.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,330 €3,861

$7,881 £5,957

-45.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,129 €3,681

$4,818 £3,642

-14.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.61

4.65

-22.37%

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

Last update for Frankfurt: October 4, 2026

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Frankfurt

$1.1K 43.5%

London

$2.3K 56.5% 107% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Frankfurt

$460 18.1%

London

$434 10.7% 5.7% $26

Groceries & Markets

Frankfurt

$337 13.2%

London

$349 8.6% 3.6% $12

Eating Out

Frankfurt

$297 11.6%

London

$397 9.7% 33.7% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Frankfurt

$142 5.6%

London

$205 5% 44.6% $63

Getting Around

Frankfurt

$103 4%

London

$288 7.1% 181% $185

Sport & Entertainment

Frankfurt

$101 4%

London

$97 2.4% 3.9% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,337 in Frankfurt and $2,853 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 17% 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: $91.0 in Frankfurt vs $108 in London for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $337 vs $349 per month, with Frankfurt cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Frankfurt

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

08:49 8:49 AM

07:49 7:49 AM

1 h behind Frankfurt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

701,350

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Frankfurt London 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Frankfurt
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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 London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Frankfurt is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 59% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 17% lower in London. 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: $1,337 in Frankfurt versus $2,853 in London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Frankfurt – a meal for two runs $91.0 versus $108 in London. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,563 per month in Frankfurt versus $4,086 in London – a 59% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,563 in Frankfurt versus $4,086 in London, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Frankfurt but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Frankfurt the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Frankfurt and London 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 Frankfurt gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.