Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Frankfurt and Lübeck

For one person, living is cheaper in Lübeck: $2,185 a month against $2,536 in Frankfurt, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
105

Cost of Living Index in Lübeck
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Lübeck Living Index

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Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,536

/mo nomad

Lübeck

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,185

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Frankfurt and in Lübeck

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,536 in Frankfurt versus $2,185 in Lübeck.

Frankfurt $2,536
Lübeck $2,185

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,763 in Frankfurt versus $3,254 in Lübeck.

Frankfurt $3,763
Lübeck $3,254

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,990 in Frankfurt versus $4,323 in Lübeck.

Frankfurt $4,990
Lübeck $4,323

Living in Frankfurt is roughly 16% more expensive than in Lübeck, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Frankfurt 87% above, Lübeck 61% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.72 €14.87

$17.15 €15.26

-2.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.2 €78.5

$63.8 €56.7

38.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.43 €11.95

$13.10 €11.65

2.52%

Cappuccino

$4.45 €3.96

$4.02 €3.58

10.70%

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

$3.86 €3.43

$3.25 €2.89

18.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 €3.29

$3.59 €3.20

3.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.02

$5.54 €4.93

1.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 €5.11

$4.45 €3.96

29.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.22 €1.08

16.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.24 €1.99

$2.14 €1.91

4.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$3.66 €3.26

-18.31%

Eggs

$3.63 €3.23

$3.54 €3.15

2.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.58 €12.08

$14.62 €13.00

-7.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.64 €10.35

$11.39 €10.13

2.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.44 €19.96

$19.10 €16.99

17.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$3.09 €2.75

2.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.72 €1.53

23.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$2.19 €1.95

-9.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 €3.42

$4.68 €4.16

-17.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 €1.54

$1.28 €1.14

35.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.19 €1.06

57.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.70 €1.52

-7.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 €0.89

$0.89 €0.79

12.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.00 €8.90

$9.57 €8.51

4.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.56 €4.95

$6.70 €5.96

-17.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.04 €0.93

11.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.24

$1.38 €1.23

1.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.20 €3.73

$3.42 €3.04

22.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.2 €63.3

$70.1 €62.3

1.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.44 €3.95

$3.89 €3.46

14.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.82 €3.39

-40.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.30 €20.73

$17.02 €15.14

36.90%

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

$30.8K €27.4K

9.08%

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

$38.2K €34.0K

$38.5K €34.2K

-0.59%

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

$390 €347

$339 €302

14.97%

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

$19.63 €17.46

$34.84 €30.99

-43.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.45 €42.21

$52.9 €47.06

-10.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.0 €59.6

$41.41 €36.83

61.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.11 €25.89

$27.74 €24.67

4.94%

Cinema Ticket

$16.96 €15.08

$13.68 €12.17

23.98%

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

$1,096 €975

$457 €407

139.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K €20.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.5 €76.1

$79.4 €70.6

7.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.20 €29.53

$39.46 €35.10

-15.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 €75.1

$126 €112

-32.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €94.9

$148 €131

-27.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 €1,171

$783 €697

68.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,105 €983

$793 €706

39.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,677 €2,381

$1,814 €1,614

47.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,935 €1,721

$1,427 €1,269

35.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,920 €7,045

$3,891 €3,461

103.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,273 €3,801

$4,133 €3,676

3.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,027 €3,582

$3,509 €3,121

14.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.61

3.97

-9.07%

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

Last update for Frankfurt: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lübeck: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Frankfurt

$1.1K 43.6%

Lübeck

$793 36.3% 28.2% $312

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Frankfurt

$457 18%

Lübeck

$427 19.6% 6.6% $30

Groceries & Markets

Frankfurt

$332 13.1%

Lübeck

$324 14.8% 2.5% $8.4

Eating Out

Frankfurt

$297 11.7%

Lübeck

$289 13.2% 2.9% $8.6

Clothing & Footwear

Frankfurt

$139 5.5%

Lübeck

$177 8.1% 26.6% $37

Getting Around

Frankfurt

$104 4.1%

Lübeck

$107 4.9% 2.8% $3

Sport & Entertainment

Frankfurt

$101 4%

Lübeck

$69 3.2% 31.9% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,316 in Frankfurt and $783 in Lübeck. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Frankfurt pays 15% 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 $64.0 in Lübeck for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $324 per month, with Lübeck cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Lübeck

🕒 Local time

03:50 3:50 AM

Same time as Frankfurt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

701,350

212,958

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Frankfurt Lübeck 440 km

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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 Lübeck: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lübeck is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 16% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 15% 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 $783 in Lübeck. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lübeck – a meal for two runs $64.0 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 $2,185 in Lübeck – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,185 in Lübeck versus $2,536 in Frankfurt, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Lübeck but tight or insufficient in Frankfurt. The gap between the two cities makes Lübeck the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Lübeck 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 Lübeck 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 Lübeck gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Frankfurt. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.