Find Indian friends in Frankfurt
New in Frankfurt or considering a move? Then let us show you the ins and outs of life in this German city with our Indian community. After all, exploring Germany and its culture can be fun, but sometimes you just need to spend time with someone who understands your perspective.
Whether it’s to celebrate Holi or Diwali, seek advice on navigating life in Germany, find the best Indian grocery store for all your favorite ingredients, or simply look for buddies to watch cricket with, our expat community has got you covered.
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Francis White
I had the pleasure to meet so many interesting expats at a Frankfurt bar night that I found myself a new social circle in no time at all.
Caroline Stiles
Cultural events, aperitivos, Cantonese dinners - there's so much going on in 51ԹϺFrankfurt that I don't know where to start.
Why you'll love 51ԹϺin Frankfurt
and countless possibilities for fun and friendship!
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Why Indians move abroad (& how they like it)
Every year, we run one of the biggest global surveys among expats and ask them to rate various aspects of their life. Learn what motivated our Indian members to move abroad, what keeps them there, as well as what they struggle with or miss about home.
The pros & cons of living in Frankfurt
No place is perfect, there’s always the good, the bad and the ugly. So read on to find out what our Indian members love about Frankfurt, as well as the challenges they face.
Pros:
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High standard of living: Frankfurt offers a comparatively high quality of life. This includes public services like healthcare and tuition-free education.
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Vacation days: India already sees many public holidays during the year, and on average around 15 paid vacation days. Working in Frankfurt, you’ll have a minimum of 20 paid vacations days and many additional public holidays to enjoy. This gives you the freedom of traveling back to India when necessary.
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Public transportation: Transportation in Frankfurt is efficient, cheap, and clean. With it, you can get to almost anywhere in Frankfurt.
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Possibility of permanent residence: After three years of living in Germany, you might be eligible for permanent residency. This is a great opportunity for Indians who’re considered skilled workers in Germany.
Cons:
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Cost of living: Compared to India, the cost of living in Frankfurt is very high and can be difficult to adjust to.
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Language barrier: Normal day-to day activities and interactions are passable without knowledge of German. But doctor appointments, any official paperwork, finding rental apartments, and so on are much harder to handle without speaking the language. Most expats also find learning German quite difficult.
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Bureaucracy: German bureaucracy has been known to annoy not only expats with its refusal to be more modernized. Get ready for a lot of red tape and formalities when registering your address, applying for a work permit, and handling any other necessary paperwork.
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Cultural differences: It’s pretty common to experience some culture shock at first. Indians are generally warm and expressive, while Germans might initially come across as more restrained and distant.
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Climate: Depending on where you’re from in India, adjusting to the cold weather might take a while. Across the year, Frankfurt sees mean temperatures ranging from 3°C to 21°C.
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What Indian expats have to say about living in Frankfurt
We asked tens of thousands of expats about their lives abroad in our Expat Insider surveys. In addition to our standard questions, we invite them to share what they like or dislike about their experiences in their own words. Here, we’ve selected some of the most interesting or representative quotes about expat life in Frankfurt from Indians, grouped into positive and negative opinions.
Let's start with the positive ones.
On the downside, here's are some negative experiences from Indians expats in Frankfurt
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Meet Indian expats at our events in Frankfurt
Making friends and building a network in a new city can be hard. At our events, everyone’s from somewhere else, so it’s completely normal to introduce yourself to people and ask them about their own expat journey.
You’ll get to know a bunch of international people and other Indians in no time and get first-hand information about your new home. Simply check out our upcoming events and become part of Frankfurt’s large expat family.
Especially our Newcomers’ Events are geared towards people new to the city. Let our welcoming event hosts, called Ambassadors, greet you with open arms and introduce you to other expats living in Frankfurt.
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Frequent questions about life in Frankfurt
Holi is popular in Frankfurt and other German cities, providing a great opportunity to meet other Indians. Many organizations also host Diwali celebrations. Alternatively, you could meet Indians at sports bars or Indian restaurants that broadcast cricket games — watching cricket together is always a great bonding experience.
But that’s doing it the hard way, in our opinion. Why not join events specifically tailored to Indians or other expats? The Indian consulate in Frankfurt, for example, regularly hosts events. And 51ԹϺevents and groups are also an excellent way to meet other Indians or English-speaking expats. Our Newcomers’ Events in particular are especially designed to introduce newbies to the community, making it much easier to find your first friends in Frankfurt.
The average cost of living in Frankfurt can range from 1,800 to 2,700 EUR depending on if you’re a single person or a family of four. Most people say to live comfortably in Germany with your family, you should earn about 5,000 EUR monthly.
Let’s break down the costs of living in Frankfurt:
| INR per month | Local currency per month | |
Rent for a studio apartment | 108,000 INR | 1,200 EUR |
Rent for a small family home | 193,000 INR | 2,150 EUR |
Utilities (power, water, etc.) | 26,000 INR | 290 EUR |
Mobile phone & internet | 2,250 INR | 25 EUR |
Basic health insurance (public) | min. 14.6% of gross salary | |
Public transportation | 4,500 INR | 50 EUR |
Groceries (per person) | 17,900–27,500 INR | 200-300 EUR |
Meal at a restaurant (per person) | 1,800 INR | 20 EUR |
Frankfurt is a very international city that receives a substantial number of tourists every year. So, it’s not too hard to get around with no to very limited German skills.
The most challenging moments usually occur when you must get official paperwork done, are looking for a flat, need to see a doctor, and similar. So to not run into the proverbial language barrier and get frustrated, you might want to treat your time in Frankfurt as an opportunity to learn some German.
There’s a variety of language schools to get you started, and of course, these days there are also very capable apps that allow you to improve on your own time and budget.
To make your time in Frankfurt a bit easier, we’ve also collected some services that cater to English speakers specifically (these services are not affiliated with or endorsed by InterNations):
General practitioner (GP) |
A list of English-speaking doctors in Frankfurt and their locations |
Dentist |
A list of English-speaking dentists in Frankfurt am Main |
Urgent care |
The airport hospital located in terminal 1 provides emergency care in English |
Immigration assistance |
Immigration lawyers for immigration in Germany and the EU |
Tax advisor |
Tax lawyer in Frankfurt; speaks fluent English |
Instant interpreting service |
Get connected to a native German speaker on your phone and use it to have an instant interpreter with you |
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Our Global Partners
Pursue your hobbies with amazing new friends
There’s a variety of 51ԹϺGroups you can join to continue with your hobbies — or discover new ones. These groups are run by dedicated Consuls with at least one activity each month, such as visiting Frankfurt’s finest restaurants with the Lunch & Dinner Group or joining an after-work fitness session with the Outdoor Activities Group.
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Enjoy the international experience with 51ԹϺ
We’re not just active in Frankfurt! 51ԹϺoffers lively communities in most of Germany’s major cities. So whether you’re travelling or moving elsewhere in the country, check out our Indian communities in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, üǰ, Essen, Cologne, Bonn, Regensburg, Heidelberg , Stuttgart, and more ...
But that’s not all: we have communities in over 420 cities worldwide. So if you’re in the mood for a nice night out while traveling further abroad or simply want to connect with people in other countries, too, then we’ve got your back! Browse all 51ԹϺCommunities worldwide.
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Indian expats in Germany
Other Nationalities in Frankfurt
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