Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Frankfurt and Neu-Ulm

For one person, living is cheaper in Neu-Ulm: $1,896 a month against $2,510 in Frankfurt, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Frankfurt
Learn more

Frankfurt Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Neu-Ulm
Learn more

Neu-Ulm Living Index

Jump to prices

Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,510

/mo nomad

Neu-Ulm

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Frankfurt and in Neu-Ulm

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 Neu-Ulm actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,510 in Frankfurt versus $1,896 in Neu-Ulm.

Frankfurt $2,510
Neu-Ulm $1,896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,732 in Frankfurt versus $2,879 in Neu-Ulm.

Frankfurt $3,732
Neu-Ulm $2,879

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,954 in Frankfurt versus $3,862 in Neu-Ulm.

Frankfurt $4,954
Neu-Ulm $3,862

Living in Frankfurt is roughly 32% more expensive than in Neu-Ulm, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Frankfurt 84% above, Neu-Ulm 39% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €15.12

$16.97 €15.24

-0.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.1 €79.1

$66.1 €59.3

33.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.93

$12.42 €11.16

6.92%

Cappuccino

$4.54 €4.08

$3.88 €3.48

17.01%

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

$3.68 €3.30

$2.68 €2.41

37.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 €3.25

$1.93 €1.73

87.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.71 €5.13

$4.52 €4.06

26.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.15

$4.62 €4.15

24.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.40 €1.26

-6.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.99 €1.79

10.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 €2.78

$4.12 €3.70

-25.00%

Eggs

$3.65 €3.28

$4.03 €3.62

-9.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.55 €12.17

$14.75 €13.25

-8.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.86 €10.65

$10.30 €9.25

15.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.79 €19.57

$24.25 €21.79

-10.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 €2.79

$3.23 €2.90

-4.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$2.15 €1.93

-2.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 €1.74

$2.17 €1.95

-10.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.83 €3.44

$4.03 €3.62

-4.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.60

$1.14 €1.02

56.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.09 €0.98

70.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.54 €1.39

1.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.94

$1.19 €1.07

-11.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.49 €8.52

$9.97 €8.96

-4.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$5.46 €4.90

2.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €1.01

$1.09 €0.98

2.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.31

$1.52 €1.37

-4.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.29 €3.86

$3.55 €3.19

20.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.3 €62.3

$54.0 €48.54

28.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 €3.97

$3.89 €3.50

13.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 €2.04

$2.21 €1.98

2.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.89 €21.46

$27.94 €25.10

-14.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 €1.99

$2.12 €1.90

4.72%

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

$33.7K €30.2K

$33.5K €30.1K

0.60%

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

$39.2K €35.2K

$38.7K €34.7K

1.26%

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

$385 €346

$264 €237

45.91%

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

$19.76 €17.75

$33.18 €29.81

-40.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.58 €41.85

$51.6 €46.37

-9.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.4 €56.9

$38.89 €34.93

62.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.55 €26.54

$25.10 €22.54

17.73%

Cinema Ticket

$16.84 €15.12

$13.62 €12.23

23.64%

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

$1,097 €985

$354 €318

209.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K €20.3K

$9,561 €8,589

136.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 €77.5

$45.00 €40.43

91.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.24 €29.86

$55.2 €49.57

-39.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.5 €74.1

$78.5 €70.5

5.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €96.8

$149 €134

-27.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,418 €1,274

$795 €714

78.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,092 €981

$642 €577

69.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,713 €2,437

$1,125 €1,010

141.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 €1,725

$1,144 €1,027

67.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,738 €6,951

$4,906 €4,407

57.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,482 €4,026

$3,404 €3,057

31.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,024 €3,615

$3,650 €3,279

10.24%

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 Neu-Ulm: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Frankfurt

$1.1K 43.5%

Neu-Ulm

$642 33.9% 41.2% $449

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Frankfurt

$451 18%

Neu-Ulm

$349 18.4% 22.7% $103

Groceries & Markets

Frankfurt

$330 13.2%

Neu-Ulm

$338 17.8% 2.5% $8.4

Eating Out

Frankfurt

$298 11.9%

Neu-Ulm

$270 14.2% 9.5% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Frankfurt

$139 5.6%

Neu-Ulm

$148 7.8% 5.9% $8.2

Getting Around

Frankfurt

$102 4.1%

Neu-Ulm

$83 4.4% 18.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Frankfurt

$97 3.9%

Neu-Ulm

$66 3.5% 31.9% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,418 in Frankfurt and $795 in Neu-Ulm. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Frankfurt pays 10% 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 in Frankfurt vs $66 in Neu-Ulm. Groceries flip the comparison at $330 vs $338, with Frankfurt cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Neu-Ulm

🕒 Local time

19:50 7:50 PM

Same time as Frankfurt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

701,350

62,610

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Frankfurt Neu-Ulm 210 km

From you

Frankfurt
Neu-Ulm

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 Neu-Ulm: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Neu-Ulm is cheaper overall, especially in leisure, eating out, and transport. The 32% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 10% 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 $795 in Neu-Ulm. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,097 in Frankfurt versus $354 in Neu-Ulm. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Neu-Ulm – a meal for two runs $66 versus $88 in Frankfurt. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Neu-Ulm are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

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