Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Frankfurt and Oberhausen

For one person, living is cheaper in Oberhausen: $1,997 a month against $2,536 in Frankfurt, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Frankfurt
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Frankfurt Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Oberhausen
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Oberhausen Living Index

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Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,536

/mo nomad

Oberhausen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,997

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Frankfurt and in Oberhausen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,536 in Frankfurt versus $1,997 in Oberhausen.

Frankfurt $2,536
Oberhausen $1,997

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,763 in Frankfurt versus $2,847 in Oberhausen.

Frankfurt $3,763
Oberhausen $2,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,990 in Frankfurt versus $3,698 in Oberhausen.

Frankfurt $4,990
Oberhausen $3,698

Living in Frankfurt is roughly 27% more expensive than in Oberhausen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Frankfurt 87% above, Oberhausen 47% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.72 €14.87

$16.51 €14.69

1.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.2 €78.5

$85.2 €75.8

3.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.43 €11.95

$13.18 €11.72

1.90%

Cappuccino

$4.45 €3.96

$4.09 €3.64

8.80%

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

$3.86 €3.43

$3.11 €2.77

24.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 €3.29

$3.12 €2.77

18.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.02

$5.51 €4.90

2.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 €5.11

$5.70 €5.07

0.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.25 €1.12

13.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.24 €1.99

$2.12 €1.88

5.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$3.29 €2.92

-9.12%

Eggs

$3.63 €3.23

$3.68 €3.27

-1.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.58 €12.08

$13.76 €12.24

-1.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.64 €10.35

$11.99 €10.67

-2.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.44 €19.96

$22.69 €20.18

-1.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$2.93 €2.61

7.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.04 €1.82

4.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$2.23 €1.99

-10.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 €3.42

$3.94 €3.50

-2.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 €1.54

$1.32 €1.17

31.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.25 €1.12

49.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.52 €1.35

3.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 €0.89

$1.12 €1.00

-10.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.00 €8.90

$9.91 €8.81

0.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.56 €4.95

$5.59 €4.97

-0.54%

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

$1.67 €1.49

-16.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.20 €3.73

$3.32 €2.95

26.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.2 €63.3

$49.51 €44.04

43.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.44 €3.95

$5.00 €4.44

-11.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.84 €2.52

-20.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.30 €20.73

$33.76 €30.03

-30.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 €2.04

$2.16 €1.92

6.48%

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

$33.6K €29.9K

$33.0K €29.3K

1.94%

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

$38.2K €34.0K

$38.3K €34.1K

-0.21%

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

$390 €347

$381 €339

2.29%

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

$19.63 €17.46

$12.35 €10.99

58.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.45 €42.21

$37.20 €33.09

27.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.0 €59.6

$38.75 €34.47

72.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.11 €25.89

$25.63 €22.80

13.58%

Cinema Ticket

$16.96 €15.08

$15.68 €13.95

8.16%

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

$1,096 €975

$466 €415

135.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K €20.5K

$9,576 €8,518

140.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.5 €76.1

$88.9 €79.0

-3.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.20 €29.53

$41.50 €36.92

-20.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 €75.1

$98.2 €87.4

-14.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €94.9

$142 €126

-24.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 €1,171

$604 €537

117.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,105 €983

$630 €561

75.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,677 €2,381

$749 €666

257.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,935 €1,721

$767 €682

152.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,920 €7,045

$4,945 €4,399

60.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,273 €3,801

$3,384 €3,010

26.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,027 €3,582

$3,396 €3,021

18.58%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Oberhausen: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Frankfurt

$1.1K 43.6%

Oberhausen

$630 31.6% 43% $475

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Frankfurt

$457 18%

Oberhausen

$431 21.6% 5.7% $26

Groceries & Markets

Frankfurt

$332 13.1%

Oberhausen

$332 16.6% 0% $0.1

Eating Out

Frankfurt

$297 11.7%

Oberhausen

$285 14.3% 4.3% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Frankfurt

$139 5.5%

Oberhausen

$167 8.3% 19.5% $27

Getting Around

Frankfurt

$104 4.1%

Oberhausen

$82 4.1% 21% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Frankfurt

$101 4%

Oberhausen

$70 3.5% 30.5% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,316 in Frankfurt and $604 in Oberhausen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Frankfurt pays 19% 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 $85.0 in Oberhausen. Groceries flip the comparison at $332 vs $332, with Frankfurt cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Oberhausen

🕒 Local time

14:43 2:43 PM

Same time as Frankfurt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

701,350

209,292

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Oberhausen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oberhausen is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and leisure. The 27% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 19% 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 $604 in Oberhausen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Oberhausen – a meal for two runs $85.0 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 $1,997 in Oberhausen – a 27% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,997 in Oberhausen versus $2,536 in Frankfurt, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Oberhausen but tight or insufficient in Frankfurt. The gap between the two cities makes Oberhausen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Oberhausen 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 Oberhausen 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 Oberhausen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Frankfurt. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.