Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Recklinghausen and Frankfurt

For one person, living is cheaper in Recklinghausen: $1,980 a month against $2,510 in Frankfurt, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Frankfurt outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

95

Cost of Living Index in Recklinghausen
Learn more

Recklinghausen Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Frankfurt
Learn more

Frankfurt Living Index

Jump to prices

Recklinghausen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,980

/mo nomad

Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,980 in Recklinghausen versus $2,510 in Frankfurt.

Recklinghausen $1,980
Frankfurt $2,510

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,932 in Recklinghausen versus $3,732 in Frankfurt.

Recklinghausen $2,932
Frankfurt $3,732

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,885 in Recklinghausen versus $4,954 in Frankfurt.

Recklinghausen $3,885
Frankfurt $4,954

Living in Recklinghausen costs roughly 21% less than in Frankfurt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Recklinghausen 45% above, Frankfurt 84% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.39 €18.26

$16.83 €15.07

21.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.3 €74.6

$88.1 €78.9

-5.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.20 €10.92

$13.28 €11.90

-8.13%

Cappuccino

$3.38 €3.03

$4.54 €4.06

-25.55%

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

$2.86 €2.56

$3.68 €3.29

-22.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.99

$3.61 €3.24

-38.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 €4.96

$5.71 €5.11

-2.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 €3.02

$5.74 €5.14

-41.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.31 €1.17

-6.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.11 €1.89

$2.20 €1.97

-4.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 €2.86

$3.09 €2.77

3.24%

Eggs

$3.50 €3.14

$3.65 €3.27

-4.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.68 €14.94

$13.55 €12.14

23.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.51 €10.31

$11.86 €10.62

-2.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.02 €21.51

$21.79 €19.52

10.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.22 €2.88

$3.10 €2.78

3.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 €1.80

$2.09 €1.87

-3.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$1.94 €1.74

16.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.06 €4.53

$3.83 €3.43

32.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.78 €1.59

-23.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.86 €1.66

-32.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 €1.62

$1.57 €1.40

14.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.05 €0.94

8.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.66 €8.65

$9.49 €8.50

1.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.83 €6.12

$5.61 €5.03

21.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.12 €1.00

-8.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 €1.42

$1.45 €1.30

8.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.66 €3.28

$4.29 €3.85

-14.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.7 €58.9

$69.3 €62.1

-5.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 €2.96

$4.42 €3.96

-25.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 €0.89

$2.27 €2.03

-56.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.17 €29.70

$23.89 €21.40

38.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.01

$2.22 €1.99

1.35%

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

$30.9K €27.6K

$33.7K €30.2K

-8.33%

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

$37.8K €33.9K

$39.2K €35.1K

-3.43%

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

$374 €335

$385 €345

-2.77%

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

$34.22 €30.65

$19.76 €17.70

73.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.2 €47.63

$46.58 €41.72

14.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.44 €20.10

$63.4 €56.8

-64.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.88 €14.22

$29.55 €26.46

-46.26%

Cinema Ticket

$10.75 €9.63

$16.84 €15.08

-36.16%

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

$459 €411

$1,097 €982

-58.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,410 €8,428

$22.6K €20.2K

-58.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.1 €85.2

$86.3 €77.3

10.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.80 €30.27

$33.24 €29.77

1.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €99.5

$82.5 €73.8

34.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €128

$108 €96.5

32.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$639 €572

$1,418 €1,270

-54.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$566 €507

$1,092 €978

-48.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$950 €851

$2,713 €2,429

-64.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$869 €778

$1,920 €1,719

-54.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,738 €6,930

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,482 €4,014

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,801 €2,509

$4,024 €3,604

-30.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

3.64

8.79%

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

Last update for Recklinghausen: October 24, 2026

Last update for Frankfurt: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Recklinghausen

$566 28.6%

Frankfurt

$1.1K 43.5% 92.8% $525

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Recklinghausen

$462 23.3%

Frankfurt

$451 18% 2.3% $10

Groceries & Markets

Recklinghausen

$352 17.8%

Frankfurt

$330 13.2% 6.2% $22

Eating Out

Recklinghausen

$295 14.9%

Frankfurt

$298 11.9% 1% $3.1

Clothing & Footwear

Recklinghausen

$172 8.7%

Frankfurt

$139 5.6% 19.1% $33

Getting Around

Recklinghausen

$89 4.5%

Frankfurt

$102 4.1% 15.4% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Recklinghausen

$44 2.2%

Frankfurt

$97 3.9% 121% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $639 in Recklinghausen and $1,418 in Frankfurt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Frankfurt pays 44% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $83 in Recklinghausen vs $88 in Frankfurt. Groceries flip the comparison at $352 vs $330, with Frankfurt cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Recklinghausen

🇩🇪 Frankfurt

🕒 Local time

20:50 8:50 PM

Same time as Recklinghausen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,320

701,350

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Recklinghausen Frankfurt 200 km

From you

Recklinghausen
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

Recklinghausen vs Frankfurt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Recklinghausen is about 21% cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 30% lower in Recklinghausen. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $639 in Recklinghausen versus $1,418 in Frankfurt. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Recklinghausen – a meal for two runs $83 versus $88 in Frankfurt. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,980 per month in Recklinghausen versus $2,510 in Frankfurt – Recklinghausen is about 21% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,980 in Recklinghausen versus $2,510 in Frankfurt, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Recklinghausen but tight or insufficient in Frankfurt. The gap between the two cities makes Recklinghausen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Recklinghausen and Frankfurt are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Recklinghausen wins on affordability, Frankfurt on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.