Living in Frankfurt: A Student’s Guide

I have been living in Frankfurt for about 10 months now and thought I should write my experiences down so that you can all learn from my mistakes. So without further ado, here are the five things you need to know about living in Frankfurt before moving here…

1. Frankfurt is well-connected.

Frankfurt is beautifully connected with the rest of Germany, Europe, and the world. It boasts the largest airport in Europe, as well as one of the busiest train stations in Europe. Getting to the city by car or bus is also easy, with several highways each heading to or coming from different parts of Europe. In fact, during my recent adventures I was surprised to learn just how many places you can get to from Frankfurt by bus.

2. Frankfurt is safe.

Frankfurt is probably one of the safest cities on the planet. I often go running or biking way past midnight and even at these ungodly hours I have always felt safe. In fact I cannot think of a single time where I have heard of someone getting hurt or robbed while I’ve been living in Frankfurt.

3. It’s not the cheapest city in Europe.

Frankfurt is the second most expensive city in Germany (after Munich), mainly because of its renown as a banking city. This can make it somewhat unattractive to students, many of whom are of course on a tight budget. For example: I pay €300 euros per month for an empty apartment (of 20 square meters) with heating. The shower and bath is shared and I still have to pay for electricity, internet, insurance, and some other more complex German regulations stuff. Food is also quite expensive. Summary: living in Frankfurt is not especially cheap. (However, studying in Germany overall is still a relatively low-cost option, especially when compared to the US.)

4. The university is fantastic.

The University of Frankfurt (my current university) is a world-class educational institution, especially in the fields of economics and German law. One of its campuses (Westend) has been called the nicest campus in Europe. Germany and the local government have invested a lot of money into raising the university’s international prestige in recent years.

5. There’s lots of culture to explore.

Lastly, Frankfurt has a lot of culture. There are lots of concerts, theaters and other cultural venues to sample. It is also a very clean and healthy city with lots of parks and running/biking paths.

All in all, Frankfurt is an amazing city that many tragically underestimate. But it is definitely a city worth considering for working or studying abroad.