--- title: "Berlin vs Frankfurt: Class A office comparison" description: "Side-by-side Class A office comparison for Berlin and Frankfurt — rent, vacancy, talent, tax, lease norms, transit, and top submarkets." canonical: https://classa.info/compare/berlin-vs-frankfurt pageType: comparison lastUpdated: 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z license: "CC BY 4.0 with attribution to Class A Atlas (https://classa.info)." --- > Berlin ($53/sqft, 7.4% vacancy) and Frankfurt ($59/sqft, 8.4% vacancy) compete on different axes: Berlin on talent depth and Frankfurt on talent depth. ## TL;DR - Class A rent: Berlin $53/sqft vs Frankfurt $59/sqft. - Vacancy: Berlin 7.4% vs Frankfurt 8.4%. - Talent index: Berlin 88 vs Frankfurt 88. - Corporate tax: Berlin 30% vs Frankfurt 30%. - Premium flex/seat/month: Berlin $580 vs Frankfurt $1,080. # Berlin vs Frankfurt: Class A office comparison **Berlin ($53/sqft, 7.4% vacancy) and Frankfurt ($59/sqft, 8.4% vacancy) compete on different axes: Berlin on talent depth and Frankfurt on talent depth.** ## TL;DR - [Class A](/glossary/class-a) rent: Berlin $53/sqft vs Frankfurt $59/sqft. - Vacancy: Berlin 7.4% vs Frankfurt 8.4%. - Talent index: Berlin 88 vs Frankfurt 88. - Corporate tax: Berlin 30% vs Frankfurt 30%. - [Premium flex](/topics/lease-vs-flex)/seat/month: Berlin $580 vs Frankfurt $1,080. ## Market data side-by-side | Metric | Berlin | Frankfurt| | Region | EMEA | EMEA| | Country | Germany | Germany| | Class A rent (USD/sqft/yr) | $53 | $59| | Class A rent (local) | 44 EUR | 55 EUR| | Vacancy | 7.4% | 8.4%| | Trend | flat | flat| | Prime yield | 4.3% | 4.4%| | Premium flex / seat / month (USD) | $580 | $1,080| | Submarkets covered | 5 | 6| | Corporate tax | 30% | 30%| ## Lease norms | Metric | Berlin | Frankfurt| | Typical term | 5 yrs | 7 yrs| | Typical rent-free | 4 mos | 9 mos| | Lease norms | Net leases dominate. 5-10 year terms; tenants frequently negotiate break options at year 3 or 5. Free rent of 3-6 months on a 5-year deal; TI of €60-€100/sqm typical. | German leases run 5-10 years with break rights. Rent reviews are indexed to the CPI (Verbraucherpreisindex). Tenant pays Nebenkosten (operating costs) on top of base rent. Cautio (security deposit) of 3-6 months is typical.| | Tax note | 15% federal corporate income tax plus 5.5% solidarity surcharge plus Berlin trade tax (Gewerbesteuer) of about 14.35% for an effective combined rate of about 30%. | Combined federal + state + Gewerbesteuer (trade tax) effectively 30% in Frankfurt.| ## Talent | Metric | Berlin | Frankfurt| | Talent index (0–100) | 88 | 88| | Talent note | Deepest tech and creative talent pool in Germany. Strong feed from TU Berlin, HU, FU, and the rapidly growing Hertie School. Multilingual talent base supports non-German European HQs. | Deepest banking-and-regulatory talent pool in continental Europe. Average all-in compensation indexes 88.| ## Transit & commute **Berlin:** BVG U-Bahn (10 lines), S-Bahn (15 lines), tram, and bus. Berlin is highly walkable and U-Bahn-served. BER airport (opened 2020) is connected via the S-Bahn S9. **Frankfurt:** Hauptbahnhof anchors S-Bahn, U-Bahn, ICE, and regional rail. Frankfurt Airport is 11 minutes by ICE. ## Top submarkets — Berlin - [**Mitte**](/cities/berlin/mitte) — [trophy tier](/topics/trophy-asset-selection) · €50/sqm/mo · ≈ $60.2 PSF/yr USD - [**Mediaspree (Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg)**](/cities/berlin/mediaspree) — trophy tier · €46/sqm/mo · ≈ $55.4 PSF/yr USD - [**Potsdamer Platz**](/cities/berlin/potsdamer-platz) — prime tier · €44/sqm/mo · ≈ $53 PSF/yr USD ## Top submarkets — Frankfurt - [**Bankenviertel**](/cities/frankfurt/bankenviertel) — trophy tier · €60/sqft/yr · ≈ $64.8 PSF/yr USD - [**Bahnhofsviertel**](/cities/frankfurt/bahnhofsviertel) — trophy tier · €50/sqft/yr · ≈ $54 PSF/yr USD - [**Westend**](/cities/frankfurt/westend) — prime tier · €50/sqft/yr · ≈ $54 PSF/yr USD ## Decision criteria ### Pick by cost Berlin is the cheaper Class A market on a USD basis. ### Pick by talent depth Talent data not available for comparison. ### Pick by tax Tax data not available for comparison. ### Pick by lease optionality Berlin typical term is 5 years with 4 months free; Frankfurt runs 7 years with 9 months free. ### Pick by transit Berlin: BVG U-Bahn (10 lines), S-Bahn (15 lines), tram, and bus. Berlin is highly walkable and U-Bahn-served. BER airport (opened 2020) is connected via the S-Bahn S9. Frankfurt: Hauptbahnhof anchors S-Bahn, U-Bahn, ICE, and regional rail. Frankfurt Airport is 11 minutes by ICE. ## Run a 4-city comparison Score Berlin, Frankfurt and up to two more markets side-by-side on Class A rent, vacancy, talent, corporate tax, and premium flex pricing — all in USD. [**Run a 4-city comparison →**](/tools/city-comparator) ## Frequently asked questions ****Is Class A office cheaper in Berlin or Frankfurt?**** : Berlin is cheaper on a USD basis: $53/sqft vs $59/sqft. ****Which has better talent depth, Berlin or Frankfurt?**** : Roughly comparable. ****Which has more sublease availability, Berlin or Frankfurt?**** : Frankfurt carries higher vacancy (8.4% vs 7.4%) and therefore typically more [sublease](/topics/sublease-strategy)">sublease overhang. ****What lease term should I expect in Berlin vs Frankfurt?**** : Berlin typical term is 5 years with 4 months rent-free; Frankfurt typical term is 7 years with 9 months rent-free. ****How does transit and commuter access compare?**** : Berlin: BVG U-Bahn (10 lines), S-Bahn (15 lines), tram, and bus. Berlin is highly walkable and U-Bahn-served. BER airport (opened 2020) is connected via the S-Bahn S9. Frankfurt: Hauptbahnhof anchors S-Bahn, U-Bahn, ICE, and regional rail. Frankfurt Airport is 11 minutes by ICE. ## Editorial provenance Reviewed by [**Samuel Okafor**](/about/authors/samuel-okafor) — EMEA contributing editor. Last updated 2026-04-15. See our [methodology](/about/methodology) and [editorial standards](/about/editorial-standards). ### Primary sources for this page - [CBRE Marketview reports](https://www.cbre.com/insights) — CBRE - [JLL Office Insight](https://www.jll.com/en/trends-and-insights) — JLL - [Cushman & Wakefield Marketbeat](https://www.cushmanwakefield.com/en/insights) — Cushman & Wakefield - [Savills World Research](https://www.savills.com/research_articles/) — Savills - [Colliers Global Office Outlook](https://www.colliers.com/en/research) — Colliers [Full sources index](/about/sources) · [Submit a correction](/about/corrections) --- Citation: Source: Class A Atlas (https://classa.info/compare/berlin-vs-frankfurt), updated 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z.