Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Frankfurt and Schwerin

For one person, living is cheaper in Schwerin: $1,525 a month against $2,510 in Frankfurt, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Frankfurt
Learn more

Frankfurt Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Schwerin
Learn more

Schwerin Living Index

Jump to prices

Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,510

/mo nomad

Schwerin

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Frankfurt and in Schwerin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,510 in Frankfurt versus $1,525 in Schwerin.

Frankfurt $2,510
Schwerin $1,525

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,732 in Frankfurt versus $2,461 in Schwerin.

Frankfurt $3,732
Schwerin $2,461

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,954 in Frankfurt versus $3,397 in Schwerin.

Frankfurt $4,954
Schwerin $3,397

Living in Frankfurt is roughly 65% more expensive than in Schwerin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Frankfurt 84% above, Schwerin 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €15.03

$13.28 €11.87

26.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.1 €78.7

$111 €99.3

-20.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.86

$14.99 €13.39

-11.41%

Cappuccino

$4.54 €4.05

$3.80 €3.39

19.47%

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

$3.68 €3.28

$2.89 €2.58

27.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 €3.23

$2.26 €2.02

59.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.71 €5.10

$4.48 €4.00

27.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.12

$4.01 €3.58

43.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.25 €1.12

4.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.42 €2.16

-9.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 €2.76

$3.65 €3.26

-15.34%

Eggs

$3.65 €3.26

$3.33 €2.98

9.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.55 €12.11

$14.47 €12.93

-6.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.86 €10.59

$10.94 €9.77

8.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.79 €19.46

$18.87 €16.86

15.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 €2.77

$3.32 €2.97

-6.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.85 €1.65

12.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.07 €1.85

-6.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.83 €3.42

$4.29 €3.83

-10.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.37 €1.22

29.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.19 €1.06

56.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.68 €1.50

-6.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.94

$0.65 €0.58

61.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.49 €8.48

$9.69 €8.66

-2.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.01

$6.78 €6.06

-17.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.02 €0.92

9.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.30

$1.20 €1.08

20.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.29 €3.84

$2.71 €2.42

58.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.3 €61.9

$64.9 €58.0

6.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 €3.95

$8.92 €7.96

-50.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 €2.03

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.89 €21.34

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.20 €1.96

0.91%

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

$33.7K €30.1K

$30.3K €27.1K

11.03%

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

$39.2K €35.0K

$38.2K €34.1K

2.51%

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

$385 €344

$212 €189

81.49%

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

$19.76 €17.65

$33.25 €29.70

-40.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.58 €41.61

$40.28 €35.98

15.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.4 €56.6

$29.12 €26.01

117.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.55 €26.39

Cinema Ticket

$16.84 €15.04

$13.50 €12.06

24.74%

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

$1,097 €980

$769 €687

42.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K €20.2K

$3,689 €3,295

512.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 €77.1

$103 €91.6

-15.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.24 €29.69

$44.26 €39.53

-24.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.5 €73.6

$76.9 €68.7

7.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €96.2

$100 €89.5

7.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,418 €1,267

$442 €394

221.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,092 €975

$386 €345

182.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,713 €2,423

$877 €783

209.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 €1,715

$669 €598

186.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,738 €6,912

$4,153 €3,709

86.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,482 €4,004

$3,121 €2,788

43.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,024 €3,594

$2,721 €2,430

47.92%

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 Schwerin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Frankfurt

$1.1K 43.5%

Schwerin

$386 25.3% 64.6% $706

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Frankfurt

$451 18%

Schwerin

$286 18.7% 36.7% $166

Groceries & Markets

Frankfurt

$330 13.2%

Schwerin

$319 20.9% 3.4% $11

Eating Out

Frankfurt

$298 11.9%

Schwerin

$248 16.3% 16.9% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Frankfurt

$139 5.6%

Schwerin

$146 9.6% 4.6% $6.3

Getting Around

Frankfurt

$102 4.1%

Schwerin

$85 * 5.6% 17.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Frankfurt

$97 3.9%

Schwerin

$56 3.7% 42.2% $41

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,418 in Frankfurt and $442 in Schwerin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Frankfurt pays 48% 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 $111 in Schwerin. Groceries flip the comparison at $330 vs $319, with Schwerin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Schwerin

🕒 Local time

05:28 5:28 AM

Same time as Frankfurt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

701,350

98,596

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Frankfurt Schwerin 430 km

From you

Frankfurt
Schwerin

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 Schwerin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Schwerin is about 39% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 48% 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 $442 in Schwerin. 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 $88 versus $111 in Schwerin. 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 $1,525 in Schwerin – Schwerin is about 39% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,525 in Schwerin versus $2,510 in Frankfurt, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Schwerin but tight or insufficient in Frankfurt. The gap between the two cities makes Schwerin 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 Schwerin are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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