✦ Compare
Chicago 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
$82,885 / year
Frankfurt, DE is 11% more expensive overall
Category breakdown (Frankfurt, DE vs Chicago, IL)
- Housing+16%
- Food & groceries+12%
- Transport-13%
- Utilities+42%
- Healthcare-3%
- Goods & services+8%
Median 1-bed rent
$1,900 /mo
Chicago, IL overview →
Median 1-bed rent
$1,350 /mo
Frankfurt, DE overview →
◎ How Chicago, IL and Frankfurt, DE compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Chicago, IL | Frankfurt, DE | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 103 | 114 |
| Housing | 116 | 135 |
| Food | 95 | 106 |
| Transport | 101 | 88 |
| Utilities | 90 | 128 |
| Healthcare | 98 | 95 |
| Goods & services | 98 | 106 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,900/mo | $1,350/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $1,450/mo | $950/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $3,600/mo | $2,600/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $5,500 | $8,500 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $973 | $881 |
| Inexpensive meal | $18 | $15 |
| Monthly transit pass | $105 | $100 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 37% | 45% |
| VAT / sales tax | 0% | 19% |
| Social security (employee) | 7.7% | 20% |
| Corporate tax | 21% | 30% |
| Capital gains | 20% | 26.4% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $4,300/mo | $2,900/mo |
| Minimum wage | $1,257/mo | $2,200/mo |
| GDP per capita | $90,027 | $60,496 |
| Inflation (annual) | — | 2.2% |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | No |
| English proficiency | Native | High |
| Coworking spaces | 90 | 45 |
| Time zone | UTC-6 | UTC+1 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Safety index | 48 | 68 |
| Healthcare index | 80 | 84 |
| Pollution index | 45 | 40 |
| Internet speed | 200 Mbps | 150 Mbps |
| Walkability | 78 | 78 |
| Public transport | 78 | 85 |
| Family-friendly | 60 | 72 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Health insurance | $450/mo | — |
| Life expectancy | 79 yr | 81 yr |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | -4 °C | +3 °C |
| July avg | +24 °C | +20 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 189 | 110 |
| Rainfall / year | 950 mm | 650 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1 h | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: United States vs Germany. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
Good to know before you move to Chicago
Big-city amenities and architecture at Midwest prices — the winters, though, are famously brutal.
- Currency
- US dollar ($ USD)
- Languages
- English
- Time zone
- UTC-6
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Native language
- Safety
- 48/100
- Climate
- ❄ -4°C · ☀ 24°C · 189 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 120V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Loop · Wicker Park · Lincoln Park
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 Chicago
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsNH Hotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Parking & carWay.com
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 Chicago to Frankfurt: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Chicago to Frankfurt, your cost of living will be roughly 11% more expensive. Frankfurt’s cost-of-living index is 114 versus 103 for Chicago (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Chicago cheaper than Frankfurt?
Frankfurt is about 11% more expensive than Chicago overall — its cost-of-living index is 114 versus 103 for Chicago.
How much do you need to earn in Frankfurt to live like in Chicago?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Chicago is worth about $82,885 in Frankfurt. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Chicago or Frankfurt?
United States has the lower top income-tax rate — 37% versus 45% in Germany.
◷ More comparisons from Chicago
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.