Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Frankfurt and Ulm

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulm: $2,140 a month against $2,539 in Frankfurt, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
104

Cost of Living Index in Ulm
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Ulm Living Index

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Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,539

/mo nomad

Ulm

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,140

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Frankfurt and in Ulm

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,539 in Frankfurt versus $2,140 in Ulm.

Frankfurt $2,539
Ulm $2,140

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,762 in Frankfurt versus $3,245 in Ulm.

Frankfurt $3,762
Ulm $3,245

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,984 in Frankfurt versus $4,350 in Ulm.

Frankfurt $4,984
Ulm $4,350

Living in Frankfurt is roughly 19% more expensive than in Ulm, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Frankfurt 88% above, Ulm 59% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.72 €14.87

$16.80 €14.94

-0.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.4 €78.7

$66.6 €59.2

32.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.36 €11.88

$13.31 €11.84

0.38%

Cappuccino

$4.54 €4.04

$3.84 €3.42

18.23%

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

$3.69 €3.28

$4.64 €4.13

-20.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 €3.21

$1.92 €1.71

87.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.55 €4.94

$4.62 €4.11

20.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 €5.09

$4.41 €3.92

29.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.47 €1.30

-8.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 €1.96

$2.05 €1.83

7.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$4.14 €3.68

-28.02%

Eggs

$3.85 €3.42

$3.64 €3.24

5.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.65 €12.14

$14.34 €12.76

-4.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.78 €10.48

$9.83 €8.74

19.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.85 €19.43

$25.54 €22.72

-14.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 €2.74

$3.44 €3.06

-10.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.21 €1.96

-5.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.92 €1.71

-0.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 €3.47

$3.91 €3.48

-0.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.08 €0.96

66.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 €1.71

$1.12 €1.00

72.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.39

$1.66 €1.48

-5.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 €0.88

$1.20 €1.06

-17.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.54 €8.48

$9.59 €8.53

-0.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.47 €4.87

$5.67 €5.04

-3.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.15 €1.02

0.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.52 €1.35

-7.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.15 €3.69

$3.10 €2.76

33.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.2 €61.6

$64.4 €57.3

7.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.48 €3.99

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.18 €1.94

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.71 €21.09

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 €2.05

$2.13 €1.89

7.98%

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

$32.7K €29.1K

$32.2K €28.6K

1.55%

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

$38.2K €33.9K

$37.9K €33.7K

0.80%

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

$394 €351

$377 €336

4.52%

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

$19.53 €17.38

$34.04 €30.28

-42.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.62 €42.36

$52.9 €47.05

-9.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.9 €60.4

$33.61 €29.89

101.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.82 €25.64

$22.70 €20.19

26.96%

Cinema Ticket

$16.62 €14.78

$13.44 €11.95

23.66%

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

$1,068 €950

$441 €393

141.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K €20.4K

$13.0K €11.6K

75.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.8 €75.4

$90.3 €80.3

-6.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.61 €29.90

$55.2 €49.08

-39.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.7 €74.5

$89.4 €79.6

-6.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 €93.0

$148 €131

-29.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,345 €1,196

$931 €828

44.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,111 €988

$749 €666

48.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,720 €2,420

$1,830 €1,628

48.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,936 €1,722

$1,471 €1,308

31.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,856 €6,988

$5,901 €5,249

33.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,296 €3,822

$3,961 €3,524

8.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,979 €3,539

$3,737 €3,324

6.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.61

3.97

-9.07%

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

Last update for Frankfurt: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ulm: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Frankfurt

$1.1K 43.7%

Ulm

$749 35% 32.6% $362

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Frankfurt

$461 18.2%

Ulm

$464 21.7% 0.6% $2.7

Groceries & Markets

Frankfurt

$330 13%

Ulm

$339 15.9% 2.8% $9.1

Eating Out

Frankfurt

$297 11.7%

Ulm

$279 13% 6.1% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Frankfurt

$138 5.4%

Ulm

$172 8% 24.8% $34

Getting Around

Frankfurt

$101 4%

Ulm

$77 * 3.6% 24.1% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Frankfurt

$101 4%

Ulm

$60 2.8% 40.2% $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 $1,345 in Frankfurt and $931 in Ulm. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Frankfurt pays 6% 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 $67.0 in Ulm. Groceries flip the comparison at $330 vs $339, with Frankfurt cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Ulm

🕒 Local time

00:04 12:04 AM

Same time as Frankfurt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

701,350

121,648

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Frankfurt Ulm 210 km

From you

Frankfurt
Ulm

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 Ulm: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ulm is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and leisure. The 19% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 6% 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: $1,345 in Frankfurt versus $931 in Ulm. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ulm – a meal for two runs $67.0 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 $2,140 in Ulm – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,140 in Ulm versus $2,539 in Frankfurt, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Ulm but tight or insufficient in Frankfurt. The gap between the two cities makes Ulm the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ulm 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 Ulm 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 Ulm gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Frankfurt. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.