Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Frankfurt and Solingen

For one person, living is cheaper in Solingen: $2,001 a month against $2,539 in Frankfurt, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Frankfurt outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

122

Cost of Living Index in Frankfurt
Learn more

Frankfurt Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Solingen
Learn more

Solingen Living Index

Jump to prices

Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,539

/mo nomad

Solingen

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,001

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Frankfurt and in Solingen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,539 in Frankfurt versus $2,001 in Solingen.

Frankfurt $2,539
Solingen $2,001

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,762 in Frankfurt versus $3,003 in Solingen.

Frankfurt $3,762
Solingen $3,003

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,984 in Frankfurt versus $4,006 in Solingen.

Frankfurt $4,984
Solingen $4,006

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Frankfurt 88% above, Solingen 48% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.72 €14.87

$19.24 €17.11

-13.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.4 €78.7

$73.5 €65.4

20.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.36 €11.88

$13.48 €11.99

-0.89%

Cappuccino

$4.54 €4.04

$3.88 €3.45

17.01%

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

$3.69 €3.28

$3.13 €2.78

17.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 €3.21

$2.92 €2.59

23.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.55 €4.94

$5.11 €4.55

8.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 €5.09

$4.50 €4.00

27.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.26 €1.12

6.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 €1.96

$2.08 €1.85

6.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.96 €2.63

0.68%

Eggs

$3.85 €3.42

$3.91 €3.48

-1.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.65 €12.14

$16.36 €14.55

-16.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.78 €10.48

$12.79 €11.38

-7.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.85 €19.43

$22.56 €20.06

-3.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 €2.74

$3.12 €2.77

-1.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.12 €1.88

-1.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$2.13 €1.89

-10.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 €3.47

$3.89 €3.46

0.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.20 €1.06

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 €1.71

$1.30 €1.16

48.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.39

$1.58 €1.41

-0.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 €0.88

$1.16 €1.04

-14.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.54 €8.48

$9.94 €8.84

-4.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.47 €4.87

$5.64 €5.01

-3.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.05 €0.94

10.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.46 €1.30

-4.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.15 €3.69

$3.43 €3.05

20.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.2 €61.6

$65.1 €57.9

6.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.48 €3.99

$5.01 €4.46

-10.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.18 €1.94

$3.04 €2.71

-28.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.71 €21.09

$38.45 €34.20

-38.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 €2.05

$2.20 €1.96

4.55%

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

$32.7K €29.1K

$33.4K €29.7K

-2.15%

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

$38.2K €33.9K

$37.6K €33.5K

1.43%

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

$394 €351

$330 €294

19.42%

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

$19.53 €17.38

$19.79 €17.61

-1.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.62 €42.36

$41.22 €36.66

15.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.9 €60.4

$39.77 €35.37

70.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.82 €25.64

$23.78 €21.15

21.19%

Cinema Ticket

$16.62 €14.78

$15.29 €13.60

8.70%

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

$1,068 €950

$470 €418

127.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K €20.4K

$9,286 €8,260

146.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.8 €75.4

$94.6 €84.2

-10.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.61 €29.90

$41.74 €37.13

-19.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.7 €74.5

$112 €99.2

-24.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 €93.0

$166 €148

-37.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,345 €1,196

$842 €749

59.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,111 €988

$611 €543

81.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,720 €2,420

$1,372 €1,220

98.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,936 €1,722

$1,023 €910

89.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,856 €6,988

$4,992 €4,441

57.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,296 €3,822

$3,334 €2,966

28.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,979 €3,539

$5,206 €4,631

-23.57%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Solingen: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Frankfurt

$1.1K 43.7%

Solingen

$611 30.5% 45% $500

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Frankfurt

$461 18.2%

Solingen

$391 19.6% 15.2% $70

Groceries & Markets

Frankfurt

$330 13%

Solingen

$344 17.2% 4.1% $14

Eating Out

Frankfurt

$297 11.7%

Solingen

$300 15% 1% $2.9

Clothing & Footwear

Frankfurt

$138 5.4%

Solingen

$186 9.3% 35% $48

Getting Around

Frankfurt

$101 4%

Solingen

$99 5% 2.2% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

Frankfurt

$101 4%

Solingen

$70 3.5% 30.4% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,345 in Frankfurt and $842 in Solingen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Solingen pays 31% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $88.0 in Frankfurt vs $73.0 in Solingen. Groceries flip the comparison at $330 vs $344, with Frankfurt cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Solingen

🕒 Local time

19:48 7:48 PM

Same time as Frankfurt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

701,350

164,205

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Frankfurt Solingen 160 km

From you

Frankfurt
Solingen

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 Solingen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Solingen. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,345 in Frankfurt versus $842 in Solingen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Solingen – a meal for two runs $73.0 versus $88.0 in Frankfurt. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,539 per month in Frankfurt versus $2,001 in Solingen – a 27% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,001 in Solingen versus $2,539 in Frankfurt, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Solingen but tight or insufficient in Frankfurt. The gap between the two cities makes Solingen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Solingen 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 Solingen 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 Solingen 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.