Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Germany and France

Name: France
Address: FR

For one person, living is cheaper in France: $1,934 a month against $2,065 in Germany, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Germany outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

100

Cost of Living Index in Germany
Learn more

Germany Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in France
Learn more

France Living Index

Jump to prices

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,065

/mo nomad

🇫🇷 France

$1,934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Germany and in France

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Germany and in France actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,065 in Germany versus $1,934 in France.

Germany $2,065
France $1,934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,136 in Germany versus $2,970 in France.

Germany $3,136
France $2,970

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,208 in Germany versus $4,006 in France.

Germany $4,208
France $4,006

Germany ($1,345–$2,663) and France ($1,191–$2,706) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Germany is roughly 7% more expensive than in France on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Germany 52% above, France 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.61 €14.77

$17.04 €15.16

-2.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.4 €64.4

$66.8 €59.4

8.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.15 €10.81

$13.20 €11.74

-7.95%

Cappuccino

$3.96 €3.52

$3.76 €3.34

5.32%

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

$3.45 €3.07

$3.24 €2.89

6.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 €2.72

$2.07 €1.84

47.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.19 €4.62

$6.83 €6.08

-24.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.59 €4.08

$5.74 €5.11

-20.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.36 €1.21

-6.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.97 €1.76

8.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.56 €3.17

$2.64 €2.35

34.85%

Eggs

$3.79 €3.37

$4.23 €3.76

-10.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.65 €13.03

$19.95 €17.74

-26.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.78 €10.48

$13.50 €12.01

-12.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.78 €18.48

$21.59 €19.21

-3.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 €2.82

$3.15 €2.80

0.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.34 €2.08

-15.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 €1.96

$3.00 €2.67

-26.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 €3.81

$3.73 €3.32

14.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.20 €1.96

-34.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 €1.33

$2.50 €2.22

-40.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.67 €1.49

$1.58 €1.40

5.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$0.77 €0.68

38.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.90 €8.81

$14.09 €12.54

-29.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.56 €5.83

$7.91 €7.04

-17.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$2.67 €2.38

-59.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 €1.43

$3.19 €2.84

-49.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 €3.42

$2.11 €1.88

81.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.9 €63.1

$56.6 €50.4

25.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.52 €4.91

$4.98 €4.43

10.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.74 €2.44

$2.15 €1.91

27.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.54 €34.28

$37.60 €33.44

2.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.87

$2.18 €1.94

-3.21%

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

$33.0K €29.3K

$34.6K €30.8K

-4.76%

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

$38.7K €34.4K

$38.1K €33.9K

1.73%

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

$338 €301

$218 €194

55.35%

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

$24.76 €22.02

$20.37 €18.12

21.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.37 €42.13

$34.06 €30.30

39.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.14 €36.59

$35.62 €31.68

15.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.41 €24.38

$20.41 €18.16

34.30%

Cinema Ticket

$14.31 €12.73

$13.44 €11.95

6.47%

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

$573 €510

$878 €781

-34.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.6K

$12.2K €10.8K

44.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 €79.3

$103 €91.4

-13.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.77 €38.04

$46.41 €41.28

-7.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.5 €88.5

$105 €93.6

-5.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €117

$139 €124

-5.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$896 €797

$868 €772

3.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$703 €625

$677 €602

3.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,675 €1,490

$1,552 €1,381

7.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,314 €1,169

$1,214 €1,080

8.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,163 €5,482

$5,377 €4,783

14.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,027 €3,582

$3,585 €3,189

12.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,219 €2,864

$2,686 €2,389

19.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

3.78

4.76%

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

Last update for Germany: October 19, 2026

Last update for France: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Germany

$703 34%

France

$677 35% 3.6% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Germany

$410 19.9%

France

$272 14.1% 33.7% $138

Groceries & Markets

Germany

$335 16.2%

France

$376 19.4% 12.2% $41

Eating Out

Germany

$278 13.5%

France

$288 14.9% 3.6% $9.9

Clothing & Footwear

Germany

$163 7.9%

France

$177 9.2% 8.4% $14

Getting Around

Germany

$105 5.1%

France

$81 4.2% 23.4% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Germany

$70 3.4%

France

$63 3.2% 10.4% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $800 in Germany, $789 in France. Capital cities: $1,398 in Berlin vs $1,579 in Paris.

National salary averages: $3,119 in Germany, $2,717 in France. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Dining out costs 11% more in Germany.

Public transport is 35% more expensive in Germany.

Salaries are 15% higher in Germany, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Germany.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Germany

🇫🇷 France

🕒 Local time

20:52 8:52 PM

Same time as Germany

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

84,358,845

68,373,433

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Germany France 880 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Germany
France

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

Germany vs France: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,934 per month in France and $2,065 in Germany, there's a 7% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $800 in Germany and $789 in France. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In France, $3,000 covers most cities easily; in Germany it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: France wins on affordability; Germany may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.