Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Frankfurt and Wilhelmshaven

For one person, living is cheaper in Wilhelmshaven: $1,835 a month against $2,536 in Frankfurt, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 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
89

Cost of Living Index in Wilhelmshaven
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Wilhelmshaven Living Index

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Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,536

/mo nomad

Wilhelmshaven

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Frankfurt and in Wilhelmshaven

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,536 in Frankfurt versus $1,835 in Wilhelmshaven.

Frankfurt $2,536
Wilhelmshaven $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,763 in Frankfurt versus $2,750 in Wilhelmshaven.

Frankfurt $3,763
Wilhelmshaven $2,750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,990 in Frankfurt versus $3,664 in Wilhelmshaven.

Frankfurt $4,990
Wilhelmshaven $3,664

Living in Frankfurt is roughly 38% more expensive than in Wilhelmshaven, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Frankfurt 87% above, Wilhelmshaven 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.72 €14.87

$16.51 €14.68

1.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.2 €78.5

$70.2 €62.4

25.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.43 €11.95

$13.58 €12.08

-1.10%

Cappuccino

$4.45 €3.96

$4.73 €4.21

-5.92%

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

$3.86 €3.43

$4.22 €3.75

-8.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 €3.29

$3.28 €2.92

12.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.02

$5.57 €4.96

1.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 €5.11

$4.78 €4.25

20.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.08 €0.96

31.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.24 €1.99

$2.64 €2.35

-15.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$2.91 €2.59

2.75%

Eggs

$3.63 €3.23

$4.24 €3.78

-14.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.58 €12.08

$12.35 €10.99

9.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.64 €10.35

$12.14 €10.79

-4.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.44 €19.96

$18.70 €16.63

20.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$2.50 €2.22

26.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.81 €1.61

17.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$2.18 €1.94

-8.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 €3.42

$4.17 €3.71

-7.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 €1.54

$1.87 €1.67

-6.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.57 €1.40

19.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.71 €1.52

-8.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 €0.89

$1.15 €1.02

-13.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.00 €8.90

$9.74 €8.66

2.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.56 €4.95

$5.47 €4.87

1.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.12 €1.00

3.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.24

$1.32 €1.17

6.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.20 €3.73

$2.87 €2.56

46.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.2 €63.3

$55.7 €49.55

27.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.44 €3.95

$6.82 €6.06

-34.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.01 €2.67

-24.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.30 €20.73

$43.30 €38.52

-46.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 €2.04

$2.00 €1.78

15.00%

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

$33.6K €29.9K

$32.3K €28.8K

3.92%

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

$38.2K €34.0K

$38.9K €34.6K

-1.64%

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

$390 €347

$290 €258

34.73%

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

$19.63 €17.46

$11.36 €10.11

72.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.45 €42.21

$39.81 €35.41

19.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.0 €59.6

$27.55 €24.50

143.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.11 €25.89

Cinema Ticket

$16.96 €15.08

$15.79 €14.04

7.41%

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

$1,096 €975

$499 €444

119.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K €20.5K

$13.4K €11.9K

71.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.5 €76.1

$83.8 €74.6

2.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.20 €29.53

$37.59 €33.43

-11.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 €75.1

$55.6 €49.46

51.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €94.9

$118 €105

-9.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 €1,171

$785 €699

67.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,105 €983

$595 €529

85.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,677 €2,381

$1,049 €933

155.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,935 €1,721

$1,016 €904

90.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,920 €7,045

$3,901 €3,470

103.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,273 €3,801

$2,207 €1,963

93.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,027 €3,582

$3,125 €2,780

28.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.61

3.69

-2.17%

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

Last update for Frankfurt: October 19, 2026

Last update for Wilhelmshaven: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Frankfurt

$1.1K 43.6%

Wilhelmshaven

$595 32.4% 46.2% $510

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Frankfurt

$457 18%

Wilhelmshaven

$341 18.6% 25.5% $116

Groceries & Markets

Frankfurt

$332 13.1%

Wilhelmshaven

$321 17.5% 3.3% $11

Eating Out

Frankfurt

$297 11.7%

Wilhelmshaven

$297 16.2% 0.1% $0.3

Clothing & Footwear

Frankfurt

$139 5.5%

Wilhelmshaven

$133 7.2% 4.7% $6.6

Getting Around

Frankfurt

$104 4.1%

Wilhelmshaven

$89 4.9% 14.2% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Frankfurt

$101 4%

Wilhelmshaven

$59 3.2% 41.4% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,316 in Frankfurt and $785 in Wilhelmshaven. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Frankfurt pays 29% 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 $70.0 in Wilhelmshaven for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $321 per month, with Wilhelmshaven cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Wilhelmshaven

🕒 Local time

13:40 1:40 PM

Same time as Frankfurt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

701,350

75,728

💱 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 Wilhelmshaven: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wilhelmshaven is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 38% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 29% 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: $1,316 in Frankfurt versus $785 in Wilhelmshaven. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Wilhelmshaven – a meal for two runs $70.0 versus $88.0 in Frankfurt. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,536 per month in Frankfurt versus $1,835 in Wilhelmshaven – a 38% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,835 in Wilhelmshaven versus $2,536 in Frankfurt, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Wilhelmshaven but tight or insufficient in Frankfurt. The gap between the two cities makes Wilhelmshaven the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Wilhelmshaven 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 Wilhelmshaven 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 Wilhelmshaven gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Frankfurt. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.