Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Frankfurt and Tubingen

For one person, living is cheaper in Tubingen: $2,339 a month against $2,510 in Frankfurt, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Frankfurt outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

121

Cost of Living Index in Frankfurt
Learn more

Frankfurt Living Index
112

Cost of Living Index in Tubingen
Learn more

Tubingen Living Index

Jump to prices

Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,510

/mo nomad

Tubingen

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,339

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Frankfurt and in Tubingen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,510 in Frankfurt versus $2,339 in Tubingen.

Frankfurt $2,510
Tubingen $2,339

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,732 in Frankfurt versus $3,398 in Tubingen.

Frankfurt $3,732
Tubingen $3,398

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,954 in Frankfurt versus $4,458 in Tubingen.

Frankfurt $4,954
Tubingen $4,458

Living in Frankfurt is roughly 7% more expensive than in Tubingen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Frankfurt 84% above, Tubingen 72% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €15.02

$16.91 €15.09

-0.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.1 €78.6

$72.2 €64.5

21.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.85

$13.33 €11.89

-0.38%

Cappuccino

$4.54 €4.05

$4.39 €3.92

3.42%

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

$3.68 €3.28

$3.65 €3.26

0.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 €3.22

$3.43 €3.06

5.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.71 €5.09

$5.64 €5.03

1.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.12

$4.87 €4.35

17.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.23 €1.10

6.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.12 €1.89

3.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 €2.76

$3.86 €3.44

-19.95%

Eggs

$3.65 €3.26

$3.41 €3.04

7.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.55 €12.09

$14.90 €13.30

-9.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.86 €10.58

$11.47 €10.24

3.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.79 €19.44

$18.49 €16.50

17.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 €2.77

$3.16 €2.82

-1.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.00 €1.79

4.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.43 €2.17

-20.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.83 €3.41

$4.99 €4.46

-23.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.21 €1.08

47.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.19 €1.06

56.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.59 €1.42

-1.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.76 €0.68

38.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.49 €8.47

$9.89 €8.82

-4.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.01

$6.57 €5.86

-14.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.19 €1.06

-5.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.30

$1.51 €1.35

-3.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.29 €3.83

$3.69 €3.29

16.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.3 €61.8

$66.6 €59.4

4.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 €3.94

$5.20 €4.64

-15.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 €2.03

$3.00 €2.68

-24.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.89 €21.32

$43.10 €38.46

-44.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.02 €1.80

9.90%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$30.0K €26.8K

12.23%

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

$39.2K €34.9K

$37.9K €33.8K

3.29%

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

$385 €343

$387 €345

-0.60%

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

$19.76 €17.63

$32.69 €29.16

-39.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.58 €41.56

$52.5 €46.81

-11.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.4 €56.5

$35.90 €32.03

76.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.55 €26.36

$30.89 €27.56

-4.34%

Cinema Ticket

$16.84 €15.02

$12.53 €11.18

34.40%

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

$1,097 €978

$472 €422

132.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K €20.2K

$13.6K €12.1K

66.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 €77.0

$113 €101

-23.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.24 €29.66

$36.97 €32.99

-10.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.5 €73.6

$124 €111

-33.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €96.1

$214 €191

-49.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,418 €1,265

$997 €889

42.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,092 €974

$864 €771

26.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,713 €2,420

$1,835 €1,637

47.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 €1,713

$1,386 €1,237

38.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,738 €6,904

$5,247 €4,681

47.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,482 €3,999

$4,906 €4,377

-8.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,024 €3,590

$3,426 €3,056

17.48%

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 Tubingen: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Frankfurt

$1.1K 43.5%

Tubingen

$864 36.9% 20.9% $228

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Frankfurt

$451 18%

Tubingen

$472 20.2% 4.7% $21

Groceries & Markets

Frankfurt

$330 13.2%

Tubingen

$326 14% 1.1% $3.7

Eating Out

Frankfurt

$298 11.9%

Tubingen

$294 12.6% 1.3% $3.9

Clothing & Footwear

Frankfurt

$139 5.6%

Tubingen

$220 9.4% 57.7% $80

Getting Around

Frankfurt

$102 4.1%

Tubingen

$102 4.3% 0.7% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Frankfurt

$97 3.9%

Tubingen

$61 2.6% 37.2% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,418 in Frankfurt and $997 in Tubingen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Frankfurt pays 17% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $88 in Frankfurt vs $72 in Tubingen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $330 vs $326 per month, with Tubingen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Tubingen

🕒 Local time

05:36 5:36 AM

Same time as Frankfurt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

701,350

89,447

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Frankfurt Tubingen 180 km

From you

Frankfurt
Tubingen

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 Tubingen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tubingen is about 7% cheaper overall, especially in leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 17% 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 $997 in Tubingen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,097 in Frankfurt versus $472 in Tubingen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tubingen – a meal for two runs $72 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 Tubingen are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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