Living in Frankfurt
Germany's finance hub and busiest airport: compact, very international, strong for banking, consulting and fintech.
Example monthly budget in Frankfurt: €1,784 for one employed adult in 50 m². Uses Q2 2026 asking cold rents plus planning allowances. Replace the assumptions with your own costs. Warm rent includes an assumed €3/m² for running costs and heating. Other costs use the same budget allowances in every city. Source: Kiel Institut für Weltwirtschaft auf Basis der VALUE Marktdatenbank.
Frankfurt is small but global: home to the European Central Bank, major banks and Germany's busiest airport. It has a large English-speaking professional community, though many jobs outside the international teams still expect German, so check each advert.
Neighbourhoods internationals look at
- Nordend and Bornheim: residential, cafés and restaurants
- Sachsenhausen: south of the Main, known for its apple-wine taverns
- Bockenheim: students, near the university
- Westend: central, mix of homes and offices
Getting started
- 1Find housing, then do your Anmeldung.
- 2Sort health insurance and a bank account. Your tax ID follows by post.
- 3Get a Deutschlandticket or an RMV ticket for local trains, trams and buses. It doesn't cover the ICE.