Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kempten and Frankfurt

For one person, living is cheaper in Kempten: $1,977 a month against $2,543 in Frankfurt, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Kempten, Germany
Frankfurt, Germany
Kempten
🇩🇪 Germany
$1,977
/mo nomad
Frankfurt
🇩🇪 Germany
$2,543
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kempten 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 Kempten and in Frankfurt actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,977 in Kempten versus $2,543 in Frankfurt.

  • Kempten $1,977
  • Frankfurt $2,543

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,950 in Kempten versus $3,752 in Frankfurt.

  • Kempten $2,950
  • Frankfurt $3,752

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,924 in Kempten versus $4,960 in Frankfurt.

  • Kempten $3,924
  • Frankfurt $4,960

Living in Kempten costs roughly 22% less than in Frankfurt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kempten 46% above, Frankfurt 88% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kempten
Frankfurt
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.69 €15.82
$16.49 €14.74
7.28%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$56.0 €50.1
$87.8 €78.5
-36.22%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.73 €8.70
$13.34 €11.93
-27.06%
Cappuccino
$4.06 €3.63
$4.49 €4.02
-9.58%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.79 €2.49
$3.53 €3.16
-20.96%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.36 €2.11
$3.54 €3.17
-33.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.87 €4.35
$5.67 €5.07
-14.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.43 €3.06
$5.56 €4.97
-38.31%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kempten
Frankfurt
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.28 €1.15
$1.35 €1.21
-5.19%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 €2.04
$2.15 €1.92
6.51%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.11 €2.78
$2.97 €2.65
4.71%
Eggs
$4.37 €3.91
$3.69 €3.30
18.43%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.66 €14.90
$13.51 €12.08
23.32%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.67 €11.33
$11.71 €10.47
8.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.81 €15.03
$22.10 €19.76
-23.94%
Apples (1kg)
$2.45 €2.19
$3.22 €2.88
-23.91%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 €1.27
$2.05 €1.83
-30.73%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.58 €1.41
$1.98 €1.77
-20.20%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.10 €3.66
$3.82 €3.42
7.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.68 €1.51
$1.78 €1.59
-5.62%
Onion (1kg)
$1.61 €1.44
$1.95 €1.74
-17.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$1.58 €1.41
-6.96%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 €0.48
$1.00 €0.89
-46.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.05 €8.09
$9.56 €8.55
-5.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.51 €4.93
$5.52 €4.94
-0.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 €0.97
$1.15 €1.03
-5.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.09 €0.97
$1.41 €1.26
-22.70%
🚌 Getting Around
Kempten
Frankfurt
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.15 €2.81
$4.17 €3.73
-24.46%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$60.6 €54.2
$69.2 €61.8
-12.41%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 €4.25
$4.57 €4.09
4.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.87 €2.56
$2.64 €2.36
8.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$39.80 €35.59
$42.55 €38.05
-6.46%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.10 €1.88
$2.29 €2.05
-8.30%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.5K €30.0K
$32.6K €29.1K
2.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.0K €29.5K
$38.5K €34.4K
-14.33%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kempten
Frankfurt
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$312 €279
$381 €340
-17.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.72 €15.85
$21.51 €19.23
-17.62%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.47 €38.87
$46.50 €41.58
-6.52%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kempten
Frankfurt
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.1 €50.2
$64.2 €57.4
-12.59%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.35 €23.56
$29.64 €26.50
-11.10%
Cinema Ticket
$13.08 €11.70
$16.75 €14.97
-21.91%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kempten
Frankfurt
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$318 €284
$1,079 €964
-70.54%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.2K €19.8K
$22.7K €20.3K
-2.18%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kempten
Frankfurt
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$80.4 €71.9
$83.2 €74.4
-3.34%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.26 €38.68
$33.29 €29.77
29.95%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.0 €85.9
$85.1 €76.1
12.83%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$139 €124
$108 €96.7
28.65%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kempten
Frankfurt
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$894 €799
$1,393 €1,245
-35.83%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$680 €608
$1,131 €1,011
-39.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,544 €1,380
$2,672 €2,389
-42.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,213 €1,084
$1,933 €1,729
-37.28%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,054 €5,413
$7,757 €6,936
-21.95%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,882 €4,366
$4,393 €3,928
11.13%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kempten
Frankfurt
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,872 €3,463
$4,060 €3,631
-4.63%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.6
3.64
-28.57%

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

Last update for Kempten: November 2, 2026

Last update for Frankfurt: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Kempten
$680
Frankfurt
$1.1K 66.3% $451
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kempten
$374
Frankfurt
$449 20.1% $75
Groceries & Markets
Kempten
$316
Frankfurt
$330 4.3% $13
Eating Out
Kempten
$271
Frankfurt
$294 8.2% $22
Clothing & Footwear
Kempten
$161
Frankfurt
$139 13.7% $22
Getting Around
Kempten
$92
Frankfurt
$104 12.3% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Kempten
$82
Frankfurt
$98 18.7% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $894 in Kempten and $1,393 in Frankfurt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Frankfurt pays 5% 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: $56 in Kempten vs $88 in Frankfurt for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $330 per month, with Kempten cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇩🇪 Kempten
🇩🇪 Frankfurt
🕒 Local time
19:38 7:38 PM
19:38 7:38 PM
Same time as Kempten
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
61,399
701,350
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.894 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kempten Frankfurt 290 km
From you
  • Kempten
  • Frankfurt

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
Kempten vs Frankfurt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kempten cheaper than Frankfurt?
Kempten is about 22% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Kempten or Frankfurt?
On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Kempten. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Kempten and Frankfurt?
Rent for a central apartment: $894 in Kempten versus $1,393 in Frankfurt. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Kempten or in Frankfurt?
Dining out is cheaper in Kempten – a meal for two runs $56 versus $88 in Frankfurt. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
What are total monthly expenses in Kempten and in Frankfurt?
All in, you’ll spend $1,977 per month in Kempten versus $2,543 in Frankfurt – Kempten is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Is $3,000 enough for either Kempten or Frankfurt?
Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Kempten gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is it better to live in Kempten or in Frankfurt?
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.
Which city is safer, Kempten or Frankfurt?
Safety-wise, Kempten and Frankfurt are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Kempten gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Frankfurt. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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