Germany
Frankfurt makes sense if
- Access to stronger healthcare matters most to you.
- You want the broader career options in this comparison.
Frankfurt vs Stuttgart
Frankfurt and Stuttgart are close on rent and healthcare, with different German-city personalities. Frankfurt leads career, healthcare and culture, while Stuttgart has the clear safety lead and a strong automotive and engineering base.
The grey shape is all 283 cities; each row says whether lower or higher is better. Ratings out of 10 are our reviewed estimates; the rest is published data. How we measure
The choice in one minute
Stuttgart makes sense if
- A calmer day-to-day safety profile matters most to you.
What matters to you
Set how much each area counts. The ranking updates as you go. Climate and values are left out because there is no better or worse there, only your taste.
Money
Nature & outdoors
City life
Safety & health
Work & family
Moving & settling in
- 1Frankfurt66
Leads on moving & settling in; stands out for flight connections and cycling infrastructure.
- 2Stuttgart66
Narrowly best on nature & outdoors: 52 vs Frankfurt's 49; stands out for hiking and less petty crime.
Scores out of 100, averaged from the areas you weighted. For a ranking built around your own situation, take the quiz.
Side by side
Money
Rent on a new lease, everyday prices and tax.
Section score out of 100
Frankfurt66Stuttgart66
One-bedroom rent
Per month, new lease, citywide
€118/mo€2,140/mo
- €1,034/mo
- €1,054/mo
Rent as share of local pay
One-bedroom rent vs. typical net local pay
21%120%
- ~31%
- ~32%
Everyday prices
Excluding rent · United States = 100
25131
- 85
- 85
Income tax + social contributions
Range: average-wage rate to top marginal rate; the dot marks its midpoint
0%46%
- 39–48%
- 39–48%
Climate
The year month by month. Whether it suits you is yours to judge.
Solid line: average daytime high. Dashed: night-time low. Point at the chart for any month; point at a city name to shade its range.
Bright days
Under 80% cloud and under 1 mm rain
30 days347 days
- 164 days
- 159 days
Muggy days
Days that feel sticky (dew point)
0 days365 days
- 14 days
- 16 days
Air pollution
Annual mean fine particles (PM2.5)
4.6 µg/m³84 µg/m³
- 10.3 µg/m³
- 8.9 µg/m³
Nature & outdoors
How easily you get to water, mountains and green space.
Section score out of 100
Stuttgart52Frankfurt49
Beach & sea
110
- 2/10
- 2/10
Mountains
110
- 3/10
- 4/10, leads
City parks
110
- 7/10
- 7/10
Weekend escapes
110
- 7/10
- 8/10, leads
City life
Getting around on foot, food, culture and the feel of the streets.
Section score out of 100
Frankfurt67Stuttgart67
Walkability
110
- 8/10, leads
- 6/10
Public transport
110
- 8/10
- 8/10
Restaurants
110
- 7/10
- 7/10
Public spaces
110
- 8/10, leads
- 7/10
Safety & health
Crime, how safe people feel, and the care you would get.
Section score out of 100
Stuttgart77Frankfurt74
Homicide rate
Per 100,000 residents per year
0.247
- 0.9
- 0.8
Feels safe day to day
110
- 7/10
- 8/10, leads
Healthcare quality
110
- 9/10, leads
- 8/10
English-speaking care
110
- 8/10
- 8/10
Work & family
Jobs, working culture, schools and raising kids.
Section score out of 100
Frankfurt74Stuttgart71
Job market
110
- 8/10
- 8/10
Jobs in English
110
- 7/10
- 7/10
Work–life balance
110
- 9/10
- 9/10
Schools
110
- 8/10
- 8/10
Moving & settling in
Visas, language, paperwork and staying connected.
Section score out of 100
Frankfurt68Stuttgart62
Visa & residence difficulty
Typical case; your passport changes this
110
- 5/10
- 5/10
Language barrier
For an English speaker
110
- 4/10
- 4/10
Openness to newcomers
110
- 6/10, leads
- 5/10
Flight connections
110
- 10/10, leads
- 7/10
Society & values
Where each city sits. There is no right end of these scales.
Social attitudes
ConservativeLiberal
- 8/10
- 8/10
LGBTQ+ acceptance
LowHigh
- 9/10
- 9/10
Diversity
HomogeneousDiverse
- 9/10
- 8/10
Religion in public life
ReligiousSecular
- 8/10
- 7/10
Life in each city
Daily life
Frankfurt
Frankfurt feels compact and easy to navigate without a car. Mixed-use neighbourhoods and strong walking access keep daily errands close, while the wider urban area remains under a million residents.
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is a mid-sized urban area with a walkable, mixed-use core and good-quality suburbs. Car use remains relevant beyond the centre, and housing tends to be tight.
Safety
Frankfurt
Frankfurt is safe in the ways that matter most, with very low serious crime and well-managed roads. Pickpocketing and street hassle around the main station drag the everyday feel down a notch, and it ranks below squeaky-clean Munich on perceived safety.
Stuttgart
Petty crime stays low by big-city standards, and traffic is well managed. The general civic orderliness that runs through southern Germany is on full display here.
Work and healthcare
Frankfurt
Frankfurt offers a deep local job market, strong professional networks, and low unemployment. Care here is excellent and well-resourced, with strong hospitals and reliable emergency services.
Stuttgart
The economic engine here is real, anchored by automotive and advanced engineering, with a dense professional network and some of the lowest unemployment in the country. Medical care is excellent, with strong hospitals and reliable emergency services typical of Germany's well-funded system.
Culture and public life
Frankfurt
For a finance town, the food and culture scene punches above expectations, with strong restaurants, world-class museums along the river, and a notably international crowd. Frankfurt holds itself in orderly banking-city fashion, clean overall if a touch rough around the station.
Stuttgart
Stuttgart's cultural and dining life is solid and unflashy, with good restaurants, cafes, and a respectable arts and museum calendar. Stuttgart is affluent and very orderly, its streets kept to a high standard.
Summary
Frankfurt fits internationally oriented finance and professional careers, with river museums and global dining. Stuttgart is the calmer choice for safety and engineering households, though its market leans more heavily on German.
Read on
Which of these fits you?
These numbers treat everyone the same. The quiz weighs them by your budget, climate taste, family and work, and ranks all 283 cities for you.