Living in Frankfurt: The Complete Expat Guide

Overview

Frankfurt surprises people. Its skyline — a cluster of glass towers rising above the Main river that Germans affectionately call the Mainhattan — signals a city of global financial weight, and that reputation is accurate. The European Central Bank is here. So are Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank, and around 280 other financial institutions. Frankfurt Stock Exchange, operated by Deutsche Börse, is one of the world's largest by market capitalisation. This is, by most measures, Europe's financial capital after London.

What surprises newcomers is how liveable the city is behind that corporate facade. Frankfurt is compact — 775,000 residents, roughly the size of Leeds — and its residential neighbourhoods are characterful, green, and genuinely pleasant. Sachsenhausen has riverside apple wine taverns. Bornheim has the feel of a self-contained village. Nordend's streets are lined with Gründerzeit apartment buildings and independent cafés. The Museumsufer packs 15 museums along a single kilometre of the Main riverbank. The Palmengarten is one of Germany's finest botanical gardens. The city functions, in everyday life, more like a large provincial German town than the global financial hub its towers suggest.

For expats, Frankfurt's practical advantages are hard to match. It is Germany's most internationally connected city, with the busiest cargo airport in Europe and non-stop flights to over 275 destinations. English is the working language of the financial district and is widely spoken in professional, hospitality, and tech environments. International schools are numerous, expat communities are well established, and the Rhine-Main region offers considerable quality of life outside the city itself — the Taunus hills, the Rhine Valley, and the medieval towns of Rhineland-Palatinate are all within easy reach.

Key facts

Neighbourhoods

Frankfurt's residential districts are concentrated to the north, east, and south of the financial centre. Most expats avoid living in the Innenstadt (city centre) itself — it is commercial rather than residential in character — and instead choose one of the surrounding Stadtteile. Here are the main options.

Westend

Frankfurt's most prestigious neighbourhood, immediately adjacent to the banking district. Wide, leafy streets, high-end boutiques, and period Gründerzeit apartment buildings characterise Westend. The ECB's headquarters are on the eastern edge of the district. It is popular with senior bankers and executives, and rents are among the city's highest. The Palmengarten botanical garden is a short walk away.

Nordend

The most reliably popular neighbourhood for young and mid-career expats. Nordend has a strong café and restaurant culture, excellent U-Bahn connections, and a mix of Gründerzeit buildings and newer apartment stock. It sits between the financial district to the south and Bornheim to the east. Lively without being overwhelming, it is generally considered Frankfurt's best neighbourhood for quality of life.

Sachsenhausen

South of the Main river, Sachsenhausen is Frankfurt's apple wine (Äpfelwoi) district — a neighbourhood of cobbled streets, traditional taverns (Apfelweinstube), and the cultural spine of the Museumsufer. The riverside promenade is popular for cycling and running. It attracts a mixed expat and local crowd and offers somewhat lower rents than Nordend and Westend for comparable apartment quality.

Bornheim

Northeast of the centre, Bornheim retains a village character unusual for a district this close to a major financial city. The Berger Strasse is one of Frankfurt's liveliest local shopping streets, with a weekly farmers' market and a dense concentration of independent restaurants and bars. Popular with families and those looking for a neighbourhood with genuine local identity.

Bockenheim

Home to Goethe University's main campus, Bockenheim has a student and young professional character. Rents are among the lower end of Frankfurt's inner districts, and the neighbourhood has a diverse, international feel. It is well connected to the city centre by U-Bahn and tram.

Average monthly rent: 1-bedroom apartment (cold rent, 2025)

Transport

Frankfurt's public transport is operated by VGF (city network) and sits within the wider RMV (Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund) regional system. The city has 9 U-Bahn lines, a comprehensive S-Bahn network connecting the city to its suburbs and the airport, a tram network, and buses. For most residents in inner districts, the network is sufficient for all daily needs without a car.

The Deutschlandticket at 63 EUR/month is the clear default for most expats: it covers every U-Bahn, S-Bahn, tram, and bus in the RMV network — and in every other public transport network across Germany. Critically, it includes the S8 and S9 trains to Frankfurt Airport, which run every 15 minutes and take 11 minutes from the Hauptbahnhof. Many Frankfurt employers offer subsidised Jobticket versions; check with your HR team before purchasing individually.

Cost of living

Frankfurt sits alongside Munich and Hamburg as one of Germany's three most expensive cities. The figures below represent realistic monthly spending for a single person. They are illustrative; your actual costs will vary significantly by district, lifestyle, and employer benefits.

Monthly cost range: single person (total)

Healthcare

Germany's statutory health insurance (GKV) is mandatory for all employed residents earning below the annual threshold of approximately 66,150 EUR gross (2025 figure). Your employer registers you automatically and pays roughly half of your total GKV contribution. Private insurance (PKV) is an option for those earning above the threshold or for the self-employed.

Frankfurt's principal university hospital is Universitätsklinikum Frankfurt (part of Goethe University), with around 1,500 beds, 32 specialist clinics, and 460,000+ outpatient contacts per year. It holds Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation, making it accessible to international patients with foreign insurance. It is one of Hesse's designated Comprehensive Cancer Centres. The Krankenhaus Sachsenhausen serves south Frankfurt with general acute care, and the Markus-Krankenhaus provides a broad acute care offer in the northeast.

Physicians per 1,000 residents: international comparison

Working life

Frankfurt's economy has an unusually clear centre of gravity. Financial services account for over 66,000 banking jobs alone — approximately 280 financial institutions are based here, roughly three-quarters of them foreign-owned. The ECB and the Deutsche Bundesbank both have their headquarters in Frankfurt: the only city in the world with two central banks. The Frankfurt Stock Exchange, operated by Deutsche Börse, handles a substantial share of European equity trading. DWS and other major asset managers are also based here.

Alongside finance, Messe Frankfurt is the world's largest trade fair company by revenue, drawing hundreds of thousands of business visitors annually. Fraport operates the airport — itself a major employer with tens of thousands of direct and indirect jobs. Sanofi's German operations are headquartered in Frankfurt. A growing fintech and tech sector has developed in the Ostend and Europaviertel, attracted by the concentration of financial institutions and the city's connectivity.

Culture and leisure

Frankfurt's cultural credentials are consistently underestimated. The city has more museums per square kilometre than almost any other German city, a world-class orchestra, excellent theatre, one of Germany's finest botanical gardens, and an international airport that puts most of Europe within two hours.

Museumsufer

Fifteen museums line the south bank of the Main river on Schaumainkai. The Städel Museum — founded in 1815 and one of Germany's most important art museums — holds 700 years of European art from Rembrandt and Vermeer to Monet and Picasso. The annual Museumsuferfest in late August is Europe's largest museum festival, drawing around 1.8 million visitors over three days. Entry to many museums is reduced on specific days.

Römerberg and the Christmas Market

Frankfurt's medieval town square is the symbolic heart of the city. The Römer city hall dates to 1405, and the half-timbered houses on the east side of the square were reconstructed after World War II and re-completed in 2018 as part of the New Old Town (Neue Altstadt) project. The Frankfurt Christmas Market — one of Germany's oldest, held annually from late November to 23 December — fills the Römerberg and surrounding streets.

Palmengarten and green space

The 22-hectare Palmengarten in Westend is one of Germany's finest botanical gardens, housing tropical and subtropical collections across a series of glasshouses and open gardens. The city also has the Main riverside cycling and walking paths, the Niddapark in the northwest, and easy access to the Taunus hills — a forested range beginning just north of the city that offers walking, cycling, and skiing in winter.

Day trips

Frankfurt's connectivity is one of its most practical advantages. Heidelberg is 50 minutes by train. The Rhine Valley and its wine villages are under an hour. Cologne is 60 minutes on the ICE. Paris is 3.5 hours. The airport puts most of Europe within two hours' flight time.

Crime and safety

Frankfurt's headline crime figures require context. The 2024 Police Crime Statistics (PKS) recorded approximately 14,600 reported crimes per 100,000 residents — the second-highest rate among German cities after Bremen. However, Frankfurt's figure is substantially shaped by the city's enormous daily floating population: hundreds of thousands of airport transit passengers, commuters from the Rhine-Main region, and business travellers who are counted in the crime numerator but not in the resident population denominator. The Bahnhofsviertel near the main station has a visible drug and red-light district presence and accounts for a disproportionate share of the citywide total.

Reported crimes per 100,000 residents: selected German cities (PKS 2024)

For expats living in Nordend, Westend, Sachsenhausen, or Bornheim, day-to-day safety is high. Petty theft occurs most commonly around the Hauptbahnhof and Zeil shopping street. The Bahnhofsviertel has a complex character — its drug and sex trade is concentrated and visible — but it is also a gentrifying neighbourhood with well-regarded restaurants and bars. Many Frankfurt residents live and work near it without incident. Standard urban awareness applies.

Practical tips

Before you arrive

• Arrange health insurance before your start date. Your employer needs your GKV provider information during onboarding. BARMER, TK (Techniker Krankenkasse), and AOK are the most commonly used statutory providers; all offer English-language support online.
• Book a furnished short-term rental for your first 4–6 weeks. Frankfurt's rental market is tight and competitive; flat-hunting under pressure leads to poor decisions. A furnished base lets you search properly.
• Secure a SCHUFA credit report early. Many Frankfurt landlords request a SCHUFA-Auskunft as part of rental applications. You can request a free annual copy from schufa.de.
• EU/EEA nationals can work and reside freely in Germany. Non-EU nationals need a work permit or EU Blue Card — confirm your visa status and required documents before departure. Your employer will typically assist.

In your first two weeks

• Register your address (Anmeldung) at a Bürgerbüro within 14 days. Book online at frankfurt.de — appointments fill quickly. Bring your passport, completed registration form, and Wohnungsgeberbestätigung (written landlord confirmation).
• Collect your Meldebescheinigung at the appointment. This document is the key to opening a bank account, activating your tax ID, and processing your health insurance.
• Open a German bank account. N26, DKB, and Commerzbank all offer English-language onboarding. You will need your Meldebescheinigung and passport.
• Get the Deutschlandticket (63 EUR/month) via the RMV app or DB Navigator. Your employer may offer a subsidised Jobticket — check first.

Longer-term

• Frankfurt has 14 international schools; fees average around 15,000 EUR/year. Apply early: Frankfurt International School (FIS) and ISF International School both operate waitlists for popular year groups.
• Learn some German. Even at A1 level it will substantially improve your experience of the city outside the financial district expat bubble — particularly with landlords, doctors, and local services.
• Explore the Rhine-Main region. Heidelberg, the Rhine Valley, the Taunus hills, and the vineyards of Rheingau are all within 60 minutes. Frankfurt residents have access to exceptional day-trip options that are underused by newly arrived expats who stay in the city.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Mercer Quality of Living City Ranking 2024 — mercer.com
2. Frankfurt am Main Statistical Office, population data June 2024
3. Polizeiliche Kriminalstatistik (PKS) 2024, Bundeskriminalamt — bka.de
4. Deutschlandticket pricing, effective 1 January 2026 — bundesregierung.de
5. VGF Frankfurt fares 2025 — vgf-ffm.de
6. Investropa Frankfurt rental market data 2025 — investropa.com
7. Numbeo Cost of Living in Frankfurt — numbeo.com
8. Universitätsklinikum Frankfurt — kgu.de
9. OECD Health Statistics 2024, physicians per 1,000 population — stats.oecd.org
10. Fraport AG — Frankfurt Airport routes Summer 2025 — fraport.com
11. Frankfurt.de — Bürgerbüro Anmeldung — frankfurt.de
12. iamexpat.de — Frankfurt international schools guide — iamexpat.de