Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ingolstadt and Frankfurt

For one person, living is cheaper in Ingolstadt: $2,141 a month against $2,539 in Frankfurt, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Frankfurt outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

104

Cost of Living Index in Ingolstadt
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Ingolstadt Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Frankfurt
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Frankfurt Living Index

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Ingolstadt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,141

/mo nomad

Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,539

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ingolstadt and in Frankfurt

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,141 in Ingolstadt versus $2,539 in Frankfurt.

Ingolstadt $2,141
Frankfurt $2,539

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,155 in Ingolstadt versus $3,762 in Frankfurt.

Ingolstadt $3,155
Frankfurt $3,762

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,169 in Ingolstadt versus $4,984 in Frankfurt.

Ingolstadt $4,169
Frankfurt $4,984

Living in Ingolstadt costs roughly 16% less than in Frankfurt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.92 €15.94

$16.72 €14.87

7.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.1 €59.7

$88.4 €78.7

-24.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.03 €10.70

$13.36 €11.88

-9.96%

Cappuccino

$3.90 €3.47

$4.54 €4.04

-14.10%

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

$2.80 €2.49

$3.69 €3.28

-24.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.13

$3.60 €3.21

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.41 €3.92

$5.55 €4.94

-20.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 €3.92

$5.73 €5.09

-23.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.34 €1.20

5.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.21 €1.96

-10.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.02 €3.57

$2.98 €2.65

34.90%

Eggs

$4.07 €3.62

$3.85 €3.42

5.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.55 €12.94

$13.65 €12.14

6.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.27 €9.13

$11.78 €10.48

-12.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.59 €21.87

$21.85 €19.43

12.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 €2.91

$3.08 €2.74

6.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.09 €1.86

-0.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.91 €1.70

13.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.30 €3.83

$3.90 €3.47

10.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.80 €1.60

-31.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.93 €1.71

-32.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.57 €1.39

-1.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 €1.11

$0.99 €0.88

25.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.42 €8.38

$9.54 €8.48

-1.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.19 €5.50

$5.47 €4.87

13.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 €0.98

$1.16 €1.03

-4.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.40 €1.25

12.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.42 €3.05

$4.15 €3.69

-17.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.6 €61.0

$69.2 €61.6

-0.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$4.48 €3.99

-11.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 €2.01

$2.18 €1.94

3.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.94 €24.86

$23.71 €21.09

17.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.30 €2.05

-7.39%

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

$32.6K €29.0K

$32.7K €29.1K

-0.37%

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

$37.4K €33.3K

$38.2K €33.9K

-2.02%

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

$262 €233

$394 €351

-33.56%

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

$33.01 €29.36

$19.53 €17.38

69.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.24 €42.91

$47.62 €42.36

1.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 €50.2

$67.9 €60.4

-16.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.17 €13.49

$28.82 €25.64

-47.36%

Cinema Ticket

$16.61 €14.77

$16.62 €14.78

-0.06%

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

$340 €302

$1,068 €950

-68.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,625 €8,562

$22.9K €20.4K

-57.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.5 €79.6

$84.8 €75.4

5.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.2 €52.6

$33.61 €29.90

76.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 €71.5

$83.7 €74.5

-3.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$174 €154

$105 €93.0

66.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 €979

$1,345 €1,196

-18.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$809 €720

$1,111 €988

-27.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,678 €1,493

$2,720 €2,420

-38.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 €1,142

$1,936 €1,722

-33.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,693 €5,953

$7,856 €6,988

-14.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,373 €4,780

$4,296 €3,822

25.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,981 €3,541

$3,979 €3,539

0.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

3.61

9.42%

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

Last update for Ingolstadt: October 11, 2026

Last update for Frankfurt: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ingolstadt

$809 37.8%

Frankfurt

$1.1K 43.7% 37.3% $301

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ingolstadt

$343 16%

Frankfurt

$461 18.2% 34.4% $118

Groceries & Markets

Ingolstadt

$342 16%

Frankfurt

$330 13% 3.6% $12

Eating Out

Ingolstadt

$278 13%

Frankfurt

$297 11.7% 6.7% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Ingolstadt

$181 8.5%

Frankfurt

$138 5.4% 23.8% $43

Getting Around

Ingolstadt

$97 4.6%

Frankfurt

$101 4% 3.9% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Ingolstadt

$90 4.2%

Frankfurt

$101 4% 12.9% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,100 in Ingolstadt and $1,345 in Frankfurt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ingolstadt pays 0% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67.0 in Ingolstadt vs $88.0 in Frankfurt. Groceries flip the comparison at $342 vs $330, with Frankfurt cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Ingolstadt

🇩🇪 Frankfurt

🕒 Local time

17:52 5:52 PM

Same time as Ingolstadt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,886

701,350

💱 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

Ingolstadt vs Frankfurt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ingolstadt 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 0% higher in Ingolstadt, 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: $1,100 in Ingolstadt versus $1,345 in Frankfurt. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ingolstadt – 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 $2,141 per month in Ingolstadt versus $2,539 in Frankfurt – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,141 in Ingolstadt versus $2,539 in Frankfurt, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ingolstadt but tight or insufficient in Frankfurt. The gap between the two cities makes Ingolstadt the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ingolstadt 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, Ingolstadt and Frankfurt 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 Ingolstadt 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.