Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulm and Frankfurt

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulm: $2,140 a month against $2,539 in Frankfurt, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Ulm
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Ulm Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Frankfurt
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Frankfurt Living Index

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Ulm

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,140

/mo nomad

Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,539

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,140 in Ulm versus $2,539 in Frankfurt.

Ulm $2,140
Frankfurt $2,539

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,245 in Ulm versus $3,762 in Frankfurt.

Ulm $3,245
Frankfurt $3,762

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,350 in Ulm versus $4,984 in Frankfurt.

Ulm $4,350
Frankfurt $4,984

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.80 €14.94

$16.72 €14.87

0.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.6 €59.2

$88.4 €78.7

-24.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.31 €11.84

$13.36 €11.88

-0.37%

Cappuccino

$3.84 €3.42

$4.54 €4.04

-15.42%

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

$4.64 €4.13

$3.69 €3.28

25.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 €1.71

$3.60 €3.21

-46.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.62 €4.11

$5.55 €4.94

-16.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 €3.92

$5.73 €5.09

-23.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.30

$1.34 €1.20

9.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 €1.83

$2.21 €1.96

-7.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.14 €3.68

$2.98 €2.65

38.93%

Eggs

$3.64 €3.24

$3.85 €3.42

-5.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.34 €12.76

$13.65 €12.14

5.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.83 €8.74

$11.78 €10.48

-16.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.54 €22.72

$21.85 €19.43

16.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 €3.06

$3.08 €2.74

11.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 €1.96

$2.09 €1.86

5.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.91 €1.70

0.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.91 €3.48

$3.90 €3.47

0.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.80 €1.60

-40.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.93 €1.71

-41.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.57 €1.39

5.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.06

$0.99 €0.88

21.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.59 €8.53

$9.54 €8.48

0.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$5.47 €4.87

3.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.16 €1.03

-0.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.40 €1.25

8.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.10 €2.76

$4.15 €3.69

-25.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.4 €57.3

$69.2 €61.6

-6.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.48 €3.99

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.18 €1.94

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.71 €21.09

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.30 €2.05

-7.39%

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

$32.2K €28.6K

$32.7K €29.1K

-1.53%

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

$37.9K €33.7K

$38.2K €33.9K

-0.79%

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

$377 €336

$394 €351

-4.32%

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

$34.04 €30.28

$19.53 €17.38

74.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.9 €47.05

$47.62 €42.36

11.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.61 €29.89

$67.9 €60.4

-50.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.70 €20.19

$28.82 €25.64

-21.24%

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 €11.95

$16.62 €14.78

-19.13%

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

$441 €393

$1,068 €950

-58.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K €11.6K

$22.9K €20.4K

-43.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.3 €80.3

$84.8 €75.4

6.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 €49.08

$33.61 €29.90

64.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.4 €79.6

$83.7 €74.5

6.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 €131

$105 €93.0

41.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$931 €828

$1,345 €1,196

-30.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$749 €666

$1,111 €988

-32.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,830 €1,628

$2,720 €2,420

-32.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,471 €1,308

$1,936 €1,722

-24.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,901 €5,249

$7,856 €6,988

-24.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,961 €3,524

$4,296 €3,822

-7.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,737 €3,324

$3,979 €3,539

-6.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.97

3.61

9.97%

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

Last update for Ulm: October 13, 2026

Last update for Frankfurt: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ulm

$749 35%

Frankfurt

$1.1K 43.7% 48.3% $362

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulm

$464 21.7%

Frankfurt

$461 18.2% 0.6% $2.7

Groceries & Markets

Ulm

$339 15.9%

Frankfurt

$330 13% 2.7% $9.1

Eating Out

Ulm

$279 13%

Frankfurt

$297 11.7% 6.5% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Ulm

$172 8%

Frankfurt

$138 5.4% 19.9% $34

Getting Around

Ulm

$77 * 3.6%

Frankfurt

$101 4% 31.8% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Ulm

$60 2.8%

Frankfurt

$101 4% 67.2% $41

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $931 in Ulm and $1,345 in Frankfurt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Frankfurt pays 6% 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: $67.0 in Ulm vs $88.0 in Frankfurt. Groceries flip the comparison at $339 vs $330, with Frankfurt cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Ulm

🇩🇪 Frankfurt

🕒 Local time

23:29 11:29 PM

Same time as Ulm

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

121,648

701,350

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Ulm Frankfurt 210 km

From you

Ulm
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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

Ulm vs Frankfurt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ulm is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and leisure. The 19% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 6% lower in Frankfurt. 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: $931 in Ulm 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 Ulm – 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 $2,140 per month in Ulm versus $2,539 in Frankfurt – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,140 in Ulm versus $2,539 in Frankfurt, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Ulm but tight or insufficient in Frankfurt. The gap between the two cities makes Ulm the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ulm 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, Ulm 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 Ulm 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.