Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Frankfurt and Recklinghausen

For one person, living is cheaper in Recklinghausen: $1,980 a month against $2,510 in Frankfurt, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Frankfurt outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

121

Cost of Living Index in Frankfurt
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Frankfurt Living Index
95

Cost of Living Index in Recklinghausen
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Recklinghausen Living Index

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Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,510

/mo nomad

Recklinghausen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,980

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Frankfurt and in Recklinghausen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,510 in Frankfurt versus $1,980 in Recklinghausen.

Frankfurt $2,510
Recklinghausen $1,980

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,732 in Frankfurt versus $2,932 in Recklinghausen.

Frankfurt $3,732
Recklinghausen $2,932

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,954 in Frankfurt versus $3,885 in Recklinghausen.

Frankfurt $4,954
Recklinghausen $3,885

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Frankfurt 84% above, Recklinghausen 45% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €15.08

$20.39 €18.27

-17.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.1 €78.9

$83.3 €74.7

5.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.90

$12.20 €10.93

8.85%

Cappuccino

$4.54 €4.07

$3.38 €3.03

34.32%

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

$3.68 €3.29

$2.86 €2.57

28.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 €3.24

$2.22 €1.99

62.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.71 €5.12

$5.54 €4.96

3.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.14

$3.37 €3.02

70.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.23 €1.10

6.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.11 €1.89

4.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 €2.77

$3.19 €2.86

-3.13%

Eggs

$3.65 €3.27

$3.50 €3.14

4.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.55 €12.14

$16.68 €14.95

-18.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.86 €10.63

$11.51 €10.32

3.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.79 €19.53

$24.02 €21.53

-9.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 €2.78

$3.22 €2.88

-3.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$2.01 €1.80

3.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 €1.74

$2.26 €2.03

-14.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.83 €3.43

$5.06 €4.53

-24.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.36 €1.22

30.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.26 €1.13

47.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.80 €1.62

-12.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.94

$1.14 €1.02

-7.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.49 €8.50

$9.66 €8.66

-1.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.03

$6.83 €6.12

-17.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.03 €0.92

8.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.30

$1.58 €1.42

-8.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.29 €3.85

$3.66 €3.28

17.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.3 €62.1

$65.7 €58.9

5.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 €3.96

$3.31 €2.97

33.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 €2.04

$0.99 €0.89

129.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.89 €21.41

$33.17 €29.72

-27.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 €1.99

$2.25 €2.01

-1.33%

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

$33.7K €30.2K

$30.9K €27.7K

9.09%

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

$39.2K €35.1K

$37.8K €33.9K

3.55%

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

$385 €345

$374 €335

2.85%

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

$19.76 €17.70

$34.22 €30.67

-42.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.58 €41.74

$53.2 €47.66

-12.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.4 €56.8

$22.44 €20.11

182.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.55 €26.48

$15.88 €14.23

86.08%

Cinema Ticket

$16.84 €15.09

$10.75 €9.63

56.65%

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

$1,097 €983

$459 €411

138.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K €20.3K

$9,410 €8,432

140.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 €77.4

$95.1 €85.2

-9.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.24 €29.79

$33.80 €30.29

-1.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.5 €73.9

$111 €99.6

-25.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €96.5

$143 €128

-24.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,418 €1,271

$639 €573

121.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,092 €978

$566 €508

92.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,713 €2,431

$950 €851

185.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 €1,720

$869 €779

120.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,738 €6,934

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,482 €4,017

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,024 €3,606

$2,801 €2,510

43.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.64

3.96

-8.08%

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

Last update for Frankfurt: October 26, 2026

Last update for Recklinghausen: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Frankfurt

$1.1K 43.5%

Recklinghausen

$566 28.6% 48.1% $525

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Frankfurt

$451 18%

Recklinghausen

$462 23.3% 2.3% $10

Groceries & Markets

Frankfurt

$330 13.2%

Recklinghausen

$352 17.8% 6.6% $22

Eating Out

Frankfurt

$298 11.9%

Recklinghausen

$295 14.9% 1% $3.1

Clothing & Footwear

Frankfurt

$139 5.6%

Recklinghausen

$172 8.7% 23.7% $33

Getting Around

Frankfurt

$102 4.1%

Recklinghausen

$89 4.5% 13.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Frankfurt

$97 3.9%

Recklinghausen

$44 2.2% 54.7% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,418 in Frankfurt and $639 in Recklinghausen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Frankfurt pays 44% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $88 in Frankfurt vs $83 in Recklinghausen. Groceries flip the comparison at $330 vs $352, with Frankfurt cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Recklinghausen

🕒 Local time

08:32 8:32 AM

Same time as Frankfurt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

701,350

115,320

💱 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 Recklinghausen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Recklinghausen is about 21% cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 44% 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 $639 in Recklinghausen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Recklinghausen – a meal for two runs $83 versus $88 in Frankfurt. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,510 per month in Frankfurt versus $1,980 in Recklinghausen – Recklinghausen is about 21% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,980 in Recklinghausen versus $2,510 in Frankfurt, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Recklinghausen but tight or insufficient in Frankfurt. The gap between the two cities makes Recklinghausen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Recklinghausen are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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