--- title: "Dublin vs Frankfurt: Class A office comparison" description: "Side-by-side Class A office comparison for Dublin and Frankfurt — rent, vacancy, talent, tax, lease norms, transit, and top submarkets." canonical: https://classa.info/compare/dublin-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)." --- > Dublin ($78/sqft, 14.3% vacancy) and Frankfurt ($59/sqft, 8.4% vacancy) compete on different axes: Dublin on rent and tax and Frankfurt on talent depth. ## TL;DR - Class A rent: Dublin $78/sqft vs Frankfurt $59/sqft. - Vacancy: Dublin 14.3% vs Frankfurt 8.4%. - Talent index: Dublin 86 vs Frankfurt 88. - Corporate tax: Dublin 12.5% vs Frankfurt 30%. - Premium flex/seat/month: Dublin $720 vs Frankfurt $1,080. # Dublin vs Frankfurt: Class A office comparison **Dublin ($78/sqft, 14.3% vacancy) and Frankfurt ($59/sqft, 8.4% vacancy) compete on different axes: Dublin on rent and tax and Frankfurt on talent depth.** ## TL;DR - [Class A](/glossary/class-a) rent: Dublin $78/sqft vs Frankfurt $59/sqft. - Vacancy: Dublin 14.3% vs Frankfurt 8.4%. - Talent index: Dublin 86 vs Frankfurt 88. - Corporate tax: Dublin 12.5% vs Frankfurt 30%. - [Premium flex](/topics/lease-vs-flex)/seat/month: Dublin $720 vs Frankfurt $1,080. ## Market data side-by-side | Metric | Dublin | Frankfurt| | Region | EMEA | EMEA| | Country | Ireland | Germany| | Class A rent (USD/sqft/yr) | $78 | $59| | Class A rent (local) | 65 EUR | 55 EUR| | Vacancy | 14.3% | 8.4%| | Trend | softening | flat| | Prime yield | 4.8% | 4.4%| | Premium flex / seat / month (USD) | $720 | $1,080| | Submarkets covered | 5 | 6| | Corporate tax | 12.5% | 30%| ## Lease norms | Metric | Dublin | Frankfurt| | Typical term | 10 yrs | 7 yrs| | Typical rent-free | 12 mos | 9 mos| | Lease norms | FRI (Full Repairing and Insuring) leases dominate. 10-year terms with tenant break options at year 5 standard. Free rent of 9-15 months and TI of €60-€110/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 | 12.5% headline corporate tax on trading income; 25% on passive income. Knowledge Development Box (KDB) effective 6.25% rate available for qualifying IP income. R&D tax credit at 30% supplements. | Combined federal + state + Gewerbesteuer (trade tax) effectively 30% in Frankfurt.| ## Talent | Metric | Dublin | Frankfurt| | Talent index (0–100) | 86 | 88| | Talent note | Deep tech, pharma, finance, and legal services talent. EU talent pool accessible without immigration friction. Strong feed from TCD, UCD, and the broader Irish university system. | Deepest banking-and-regulatory talent pool in continental Europe. Average all-in compensation indexes 88.| ## Transit & commute **Dublin:** Dublin Bus, Luas tram (Red, Green Lines), DART rail. MetroLink under construction (target 2031). Dublin Airport is bus-served (no rail). The Docklands trophy core is Luas Red Line and DART-served. **Frankfurt:** Hauptbahnhof anchors S-Bahn, U-Bahn, ICE, and regional rail. Frankfurt Airport is 11 minutes by ICE. ## Top submarkets — Dublin - [**Docklands & Grand Canal**](/cities/dublin/docklands-grand-canal) — [trophy tier](/topics/trophy-asset-selection) · €70/sqm/mo · ≈ $84.3 PSF/yr USD - [**CBD / St Stephen's Green**](/cities/dublin/cbd-st-stephens-green) — prime tier · €60/sqm/mo · ≈ $72.2 PSF/yr USD - [**Ballsbridge & Dublin 4**](/cities/dublin/ballsbridge-dublin-4) — prime tier · €56/sqm/mo · ≈ $67.4 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 Frankfurt is the cheaper Class A market on a USD basis. ### Pick by talent depth Frankfurt has the deeper talent index (88/100 vs 86/100). ### Pick by tax Dublin has the lower headline corporate tax (12.5% vs 30%). Local incentives can change the effective rate materially. ### Pick by lease optionality Dublin typical term is 10 years with 12 months free; Frankfurt runs 7 years with 9 months free. ### Pick by transit Dublin: Dublin Bus, Luas tram (Red, Green Lines), DART rail. MetroLink under construction (target 2031). Dublin Airport is bus-served (no rail). The Docklands trophy core is Luas Red Line and DART-served. Frankfurt: Hauptbahnhof anchors S-Bahn, U-Bahn, ICE, and regional rail. Frankfurt Airport is 11 minutes by ICE. ## Run a 4-city comparison Score Dublin, 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 Dublin or Frankfurt?**** : Frankfurt is cheaper on a USD basis: $59/sqft vs $78/sqft. ****Which has better talent depth, Dublin or Frankfurt?**** : Frankfurt indexes higher on talent depth (88 vs 86). ****Which has more sublease availability, Dublin or Frankfurt?**** : Dublin carries higher vacancy (14.3% vs 8.4%) and therefore typically more [sublease](/topics/sublease-strategy)">sublease overhang. ****What lease term should I expect in Dublin vs Frankfurt?**** : Dublin typical term is 10 years with 12 months rent-free; Frankfurt typical term is 7 years with 9 months rent-free. ****How does transit and commuter access compare?**** : Dublin: Dublin Bus, Luas tram (Red, Green Lines), DART rail. MetroLink under construction (target 2031). Dublin Airport is bus-served (no rail). The Docklands trophy core is Luas Red Line and DART-served. 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/dublin-vs-frankfurt), updated 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z.