What's considered a good salary for foreigners in Frankfurt?

Frankfurt am Main is one of the most diverse cities in the country.

Of the some 800,000 people who live in Frankfurt, almost a third (just under 31 percent) had a migration background in 2022, according to the latest figures from Statista.

As Germany's bustling financial hub - and as the home to the country's largest airport - there are plenty of job opportunities, including for English speakers. 

Banks aside, there are roles in IT, biotechnology and life sciences, logistics and creative industries. 

Some notable employers are Deutsche Bahn, Deutsche Bank, KPMG, Lufthansa and the Goethe University Frankfurt.

All of this makes it a draw for international residents looking to settle in Germany. 

READ ALSO: Is Frankfurt a good place for foreigners to live?

But when it comes to wages, trying to decide what’s considered a good salary can be difficult. We've compiled some figures to help you get a picture of what you can expect in Frankfurt (and Germany in general) as well as the cost of living. 

What's the average and median wage in Germany?

According to data published by Germany’s statistical office (Destatis), the average monthly salary across Germany in 2023 for full-time employees was €4,479. This corresponds to an annual salary of approximately €53,748 before tax.

The average is calculated by adding up all of the individual values and dividing this total by the total number of values.

Another way to look at this is through the median. It is calculated by taking the 'middle' value, the value for which half of the salaries - in this case - are larger and half are smaller. Is is often thought to give a more realistic picture. 

According to career portal Stepstone's 2024 report, the median gross salary in Germany is around €3,645 monthly, which works out at around €43,740 per year before tax. 

But salaries in Germany can differ significantly depending on where you live.

What can you expect in Frankfurt?

According to Stepstone's analysis released at the start of 2024 and based on findings from November 2023, the median salary in the state of Hesse, where Frankfurt is, stands at €47,500 (before tax). That's the second highest amount out of all Germany's 16 states. In case you're wondering - at the top of the list is the city state of Hamburg, where the median salary is almost €50,000.

Frankfurt ranks highly when it comes to German cities, with the median gross salary for full-time employees reaching €54,250. It is placed third behind Stuttgart and Munich. Munich is the city with the highest salaries in Germany, with a median wage of €56,000. 

READ ALSO: Munich vs Berlin - what's considered a good salary for foreign workers?

To give a snapshot of how different salaries in Germany can be, the median salary in Schwerin, the capital of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, is €39,000, according to this analysis, while in Berlin it's €46,500. 

What’s left after tax?

Your gross salary (Bruttolohn) isn't what you take home so it is important to think about what your net salary after taxes (Nettolohn) will be, which is what you’ll have left to spend. 

Germany's tax rate starts at 14 percent for people earning just over the €11,784 threshold, but most full-time workers can expect a tax rate of between 25 and 42 percent on earnings over the threshold.  Your exact tax rate depends on how much you earn and other factors including your marital status and whether you have children or not.

You also have to pay social security contributions. As an employee, you pay a fixed percentage of your salary for social security membership, and your employer pays a fixed percentage as well. The amount you'll pay will be split evenly between you and your employer. 

Meanwhile, if you are a member of the church, you will pay church tax to the tax office. 

Any extra income you make on top of your wage must also be declared to the tax office and you have to pay tax on it.

READ ALSO: 10 things Frankfurt residents might take for granted

Is cost of living high in Frankfurt?

High inflation following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has resulted in the cost of everyday goods and services across Germany rocketing upwards.

Although inflation has calmed down somewhat in the last months, it's still a big factor affecting people's lives.

Frankfurt has never been known to be on the cheaper side. And a recent ranking illustrated that it is helpful to have a good salary to live there.

In this year's Mercer Cost of Living survey, eight German cities were said to be among the 100 most expensive cities in the world.

Berlin took the top spot as the most expensive German city, mainly due to the spiralling costs of renting an apartment.

But another shocking find of the survey was that Frankfurt climbed 13 places in the past year to land in second place in Germany - even beating Munich. In the global ranking of the world's most expensive cities Berlin landed in 31st place and Frankfurt took the 35th spot. 

READ ALSO: Which German cities are the most expensive for residents in 2024?

According to cost of living site Numbeo, which compiles information from users and reputable sources, a single person in Frankfurt faces monthly costs of around €1,000 without rent, while a family of four's living costs amount to about €3,500. 

Rent can be high. A one-bedroom apartment in the city centre could set you back around €1,250 per month, and about €930 outside of the centre of Frankfurt, according to these figures. 

Meanwhile, a three-bedroom flat could be around €2,200 in a central location in Frankfurt, and about €1,500 in a less central zone. 

Which jobs pay the most or the least?

Stepstone's 2024 salary report for Germany lists median salaries for a number of professions.

According to the report, medical doctors earn the most with a gross median salary of €94,750 This means they earn more than twice as much as the national average.

Employees in the banking and finance sector, with €57,000 gross per year, and engineers with €56,000, are also among the top earners.

At the other end of the scale are retail, catering and hotel employees, with a gross median salary of around €35,500 per year.

Germany’s minimum wage (€12.41 per hour in 2024) amounts to about €26,000.