✦ Compare
Berlin vs
Frankfurt
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
To keep the same standard of living in Frankfurt, DE, you'd need
$77,513 / year
Frankfurt, DE is 3% more expensive overall
Category breakdown (Frankfurt, DE vs Berlin, DE)
- Housing+11%
- Food & groceries-2%
- Transport+4%
- Utilities-3%
- Healthcare0%
- Goods & services0%
◎ How Berlin, DE and Frankfurt, DE compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Berlin, DE | Frankfurt, DE | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 110 | 114 |
| Housing | 122 | 135 |
| Food | 108 | 106 |
| Transport | 85 | 88 |
| Utilities | 132 | 128 |
| Healthcare | 95 | 95 |
| Goods & services | 106 | 106 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,400/mo | $1,350/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $1,000/mo | $950/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $2,800/mo | $2,600/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $8,500 | $8,500 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $910 | $881 |
| Inexpensive meal | $15 | $15 |
| Monthly transit pass | $55 | $100 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 45% | 45% |
| VAT / sales tax | 19% | 19% |
| Social security (employee) | 20% | 20% |
| Corporate tax | 30% | 30% |
| Capital gains | 26.4% | 26.4% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $2,900/mo | $2,900/mo |
| Minimum wage | $2,200/mo | $2,200/mo |
| GDP per capita | $60,496 | $60,496 |
| Inflation (annual) | 2.2% | 2.2% |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | No |
| English proficiency | High | High |
| Coworking spaces | 120 | 45 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+1 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Safety index | 60 | 68 |
| Healthcare index | 78 | 84 |
| Pollution index | 55 | 40 |
| Internet speed | 120 Mbps | 150 Mbps |
| Walkability | 88 | 78 |
| Public transport | 90 | 85 |
| Family-friendly | 68 | 72 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Life expectancy | 81 yr | 81 yr |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +1 °C | +3 °C |
| July avg | +19 °C | +20 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 60 | 110 |
| Rainfall / year | 570 mm | 650 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1.5 h | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Germany vs Germany. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
Good to know before you move to Berlin
Germany's creative and startup magnet — still the cheapest major Western-European capital, though rents are climbing fast.
- Currency
- Euro (€ EUR)
- Languages
- German
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 120 Mbps
- English
- Widely spoken
- Safety
- 60/100
- Climate
- ❄ 1°C · ☀ 19°C · 60 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- F · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Kreuzberg · Mitte · Neukölln
Good to know before you move to Frankfurt
Germany's banking capital and its only real skyline — home to the ECB, the country's biggest airport and a compact, international core. Costs run high for Germany but sit below Munich, and the airport makes it the easiest base for anyone who flies a lot.
- Currency
- Euro (€ EUR)
- Languages
- German
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 150 Mbps
- English
- Widely spoken
- Safety
- 68/100
- Climate
- ❄ 3°C · ☀ 20°C · 110 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- F · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Nordend · Bornheim · Sachsenhausen · Westend
Plan your move to Berlin
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsNH Hotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
Sponsored
Plan your move to Frankfurt
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsNH Hotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Berlin to Frankfurt: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Berlin to Frankfurt, your cost of living will be roughly 3% more expensive. Frankfurt’s cost-of-living index is 114 versus 110 for Berlin (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Berlin cheaper than Frankfurt?
Frankfurt is about 3% more expensive than Berlin overall — its cost-of-living index is 114 versus 110 for Berlin.
How much do you need to earn in Frankfurt to live like in Berlin?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Berlin is worth about $77,513 in Frankfurt. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Berlin or Frankfurt?
Both cities are in the same country, so national income tax (45%) and VAT are identical; only local cost of living differs.
◷ More comparisons from Berlin
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.