Cost of living comparison
compared to
France vs. Germany Cost of Living Summary
France is 0.6% cheaper than Germany overall.
France vs. Germany Cost Breakdown
If you lived in France instead of Germany, you would:
pay 8.7% less for restaurants
Germany | France | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $16.25 €14.27 | $17.40 €15.27 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $11.88 €10.43 | $12.58 €11.05 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $3.29 €2.89 | $2.85 €2.51 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.93 €2.58 | $1.92 €1.69 | |
Germany vs. France - Cost of restaurants
pay 12.2% more for groceries
Germany | France | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $2.25 €1.98 | $2.00 €1.75 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $7.39 €6.48 | $9.90 €8.69 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $4.79 €4.21 | $5.07 €4.45 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $3.84 €3.37 | $4.06 €3.56 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $6.58 €5.78 | $6.32 €5.55 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.45 €1.28 | $1.38 €1.21 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.82 €0.72 | $1.04 €0.91 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.05 €0.92 | $1.32 €1.16 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.20 €1.93 | $1.53 €1.34 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.71 €0.62 | $0.96 €0.84 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.72 €0.63 | $1.09 €0.96 | |
Germany vs. France - Cost of groceries
pay 5.2% less for transportation
Germany | France | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $7.59 €6.67 | $7.83 €6.88 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $62.94 €55.26 | $55.31 €48.56 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $31,651.13 €27,789.76 | $35,101.00 €30,818.75 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $27.45 €24.10 | $21.22 €18.64 | |
Germany vs. France - Cost of transportation
pay 21.1% less for housing
Germany | France | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $48.64 €42.70 | $32.49 €28.52 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $874.65 €767.94 | $812.51 €713.38 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $695.68 €610.81 | $661.67 €580.95 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $258.10 €226.61 | $156.40 €137.32 | |
Germany vs. France - Cost of housing
pay 9.1% more for childcare
Germany | France | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $497.10 €436.46 | $772.72 €678.45 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $16,538.74 €14,521.05 | $10,376.63 €9,110.70 | |
Germany vs. France - Cost of childcare
pay 12.0% more for entertainment and sports
Germany | France | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $5.05 €4.44 | $7.00 €6.15 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $3.95 €3.47 | $3.57 €3.13 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $9.74 €8.55 | $13.51 €11.86 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $40.02 €35.14 | $39.74 €34.89 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $14.41 €12.65 | $13.44 €11.80 | |
Germany vs. France - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 2.4% less for clothing
Germany | France | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $91.81 €80.61 | $95.54 €83.88 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $46.05 €40.43 | $41.45 €36.39 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $102.53 €90.03 | $99.85 €87.67 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $134.07 €117.71 | $132.46 €116.30 | |
Germany vs. France - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2026
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