Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Solingen and Frankfurt

For one person, living is cheaper in Solingen: $2,001 a month against $2,539 in Frankfurt, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Frankfurt outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

98

Cost of Living Index in Solingen
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Solingen Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Frankfurt
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Frankfurt Living Index

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Solingen

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,001

/mo nomad

Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,539

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,001 in Solingen versus $2,539 in Frankfurt.

Solingen $2,001
Frankfurt $2,539

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,003 in Solingen versus $3,762 in Frankfurt.

Solingen $3,003
Frankfurt $3,762

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,006 in Solingen versus $4,984 in Frankfurt.

Solingen $4,006
Frankfurt $4,984

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Solingen 48% above, Frankfurt 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.24 €17.11

$16.72 €14.87

15.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.5 €65.4

$88.4 €78.7

-16.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.48 €11.99

$13.36 €11.88

0.90%

Cappuccino

$3.88 €3.45

$4.54 €4.04

-14.54%

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

$3.13 €2.78

$3.69 €3.28

-15.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 €2.59

$3.60 €3.21

-18.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.11 €4.55

$5.55 €4.94

-7.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.50 €4.00

$5.73 €5.09

-21.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.34 €1.20

-5.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.08 €1.85

$2.21 €1.96

-5.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.96 €2.63

$2.98 €2.65

-0.67%

Eggs

$3.91 €3.48

$3.85 €3.42

1.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.36 €14.55

$13.65 €12.14

19.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.79 €11.38

$11.78 €10.48

8.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.56 €20.06

$21.85 €19.43

3.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 €2.77

$3.08 €2.74

1.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.88

$2.09 €1.86

1.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.91 €1.70

11.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 €3.46

$3.90 €3.47

-0.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 €1.06

$1.80 €1.60

-33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.93 €1.71

-32.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.57 €1.39

0.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 €1.04

$0.99 €0.88

17.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.94 €8.84

$9.54 €8.48

4.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.01

$5.47 €4.87

3.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.94

$1.16 €1.03

-9.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.40 €1.25

4.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.43 €3.05

$4.15 €3.69

-17.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 €57.9

$69.2 €61.6

-6.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 €4.46

$4.48 €3.99

11.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.04 €2.71

$2.18 €1.94

39.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.45 €34.20

$23.71 €21.09

62.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.30 €2.05

-4.35%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$32.7K €29.1K

2.19%

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

$37.6K €33.5K

$38.2K €33.9K

-1.40%

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

$330 €294

$394 €351

-16.27%

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

$19.79 €17.61

$19.53 €17.38

1.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.22 €36.66

$47.62 €42.36

-13.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.77 €35.37

$67.9 €60.4

-41.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.78 €21.15

$28.82 €25.64

-17.49%

Cinema Ticket

$15.29 €13.60

$16.62 €14.78

-8.00%

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

$470 €418

$1,068 €950

-56.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,286 €8,260

$22.9K €20.4K

-59.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.6 €84.2

$84.8 €75.4

11.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.74 €37.13

$33.61 €29.90

24.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €99.2

$83.7 €74.5

33.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 €148

$105 €93.0

58.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$842 €749

$1,345 €1,196

-37.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$611 €543

$1,111 €988

-45.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,372 €1,220

$2,720 €2,420

-49.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 €910

$1,936 €1,722

-47.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,992 €4,441

$7,856 €6,988

-36.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,334 €2,966

$4,296 €3,822

-22.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,206 €4,631

$3,979 €3,539

30.84%

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 Solingen: October 12, 2026

Last update for Frankfurt: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Solingen

$611 30.5%

Frankfurt

$1.1K 43.7% 81.9% $500

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Solingen

$391 19.6%

Frankfurt

$461 18.2% 18% $70

Groceries & Markets

Solingen

$344 17.2%

Frankfurt

$330 13% 4% $14

Eating Out

Solingen

$300 15%

Frankfurt

$297 11.7% 1% $2.9

Clothing & Footwear

Solingen

$186 9.3%

Frankfurt

$138 5.4% 25.9% $48

Getting Around

Solingen

$99 5%

Frankfurt

$101 4% 2.2% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

Solingen

$70 3.5%

Frankfurt

$101 4% 43.8% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $842 in Solingen and $1,345 in Frankfurt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Solingen pays 31% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $73.0 in Solingen vs $88.0 in Frankfurt. Groceries flip the comparison at $344 vs $330, with Frankfurt cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Solingen

🇩🇪 Frankfurt

🕒 Local time

19:12 7:12 PM

Same time as Solingen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

164,205

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

Solingen vs Frankfurt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Solingen is cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and utilities. The 27% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 31% higher in Solingen, 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: $842 in Solingen 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 Solingen – a meal for two runs $73.0 versus $88.0 in Frankfurt. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,001 per month in Solingen versus $2,539 in Frankfurt – a 27% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,001 in Solingen versus $2,539 in Frankfurt, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Solingen but tight or insufficient in Frankfurt. The gap between the two cities makes Solingen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Solingen 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, Solingen 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 Solingen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Frankfurt. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.