Frankfurt am Main

1. Frankfurt is home to the world's largest book fair, the Frankfurter Buchmesse, which attracts publishers, authors, and literary enthusiasts from around the globe each October, making it a significant cultural event in the literary world. 2. The city has a unique skyline, often referred to as “Mainhattan,” due to its juxtaposition of modern skyscrapers and traditional architecture, including the historic Römer, a medieval building that serves as the city hall. 3. Frankfurt is known for its green spaces, with over 60% of the city area covered in parks, gardens, and natural reserves. The Palmengarten, a botanical garden, features a wide variety of plant species and offers a peaceful retreat from the urban environment.

Frankfurt am Main’s housing market remains highly competitive and is experiencing renewed growth in both rents and property prices in 2025. About 80-85% of residents rent their homes, while only 15-20% own their property, reflecting Germany’s historically low homeownership rate. The median monthly rent for apartments in Frankfurt is around 14.55 euros per square meter for existing units. Purchase prices for condominiums are stable after recent corrections, with a median price of approximately 6,090 euros per square meter. Publicly owned housing in Frankfurt refers to stock held by the city or state, but this is not the same as social housing. Social housing specifically denotes units with rent and occupancy restrictions for lower-income groups, often subsidized to ensure affordability. Public housing includes all municipally or state-owned homes, whether or not they are subject to social restrictions. In practice, about 30% of new units in large projects like the Schönhof Quarter are publicly funded and reserved for low-income tenants, with rents starting from as little as 5 euros per square meter for eligible households. Cooperative housing also plays a modest role, making up about 5-8% of housing stock. The city allocates significant funds—about 250 million euros in the 2024/25 budget—to expand subsidized housing, but competition for affordable homes remains strong due to a persistent supply shortage and very low vacancy rates.

Frankfurt am Main is facing an acute housing crisis characterized by a severe shortage of affordable homes, very low vacancy rates, and steadily rising rents and property prices. In 2025, the city’s residential vacancy rate stands at just 0.3%, one of the lowest among major German cities, highlighting the extreme competition for available apartments. Although the completion of new housing units in 2023 rose by 24%, building permits have since plunged by 30%, signaling that new supply will remain inadequate in coming years. Median asking rents for existing apartments are around 14.55 euros per square meter, while purchase prices for condominiums stabilized at roughly 6,090 euros per square meter after previous corrections. However, experts note that demand continues to outpace supply, driving prices higher. Rental costs have risen by about 3% annually and by over 5% year-on-year recently, putting additional strain on tenants. About 80-85% of Frankfurt’s residents rent, making them particularly vulnerable to these pressures. Those most affected include low-income households, pensioners, single parents, students, and increasingly, middle-income earners—many of whom struggle to find affordable housing as soon as it becomes available. The persistent undersupply has led to fierce competition for homes, with long waiting lists and a growing risk of social exclusion for vulnerable groups. The structural shortage and affordability crisis thus reach far into the urban middle class.

Frankfurt am Main’s city administration is prioritizing a significant expansion of affordable and sustainable housing. Recently communicated targets reflect ambitions to build or retrofit thousands of high-efficiency, energy-saving homes, with particular focus on social and affordable rental units. Federal and state strategies aim to lower financing costs and encourage construction of apartments with rents below 15 euros per square meter, including direct incentives, tax relief, and public guarantees to stimulate private and nonprofit development. Concrete initiatives include large-scale subsidized housing projects in outer districts, such as the Hilgenfeld estate, and ongoing programs like “Social Housing Construction” and “Young Living,” which support cost-accessible homes for low-income families, apprentices, and students. These are supplemented by regional investments—like the Hesse Affordable Housing program—which finances both new builds and energy-efficient retrofits in the Frankfurt metropolitan area, ensuring alignment with strict EU environmental standards. The city leverages a combination of subsidies, public land allocation, and planning incentives to ensure a mix of income-restricted and communal housing in major new developments. At the same time, Frankfurt supports blue-green infrastructure upgrades and modernizations to enhance sustainability across the existing housing stock. These efforts are backed by significant budget allocations and are complemented by national-level reforms designed to streamline approval processes, reduce construction costs, and reinforce long-term affordability and climate resilience.

Wohnungsgenossenschaften in Frankfurt am Main sind ein fester Bestandteil des Wohnungsmarktes, nehmen aber mit etwa 5 bis 8 Prozent aller Wohnungen nur einen vergleichsweise kleinen Anteil ein. Trotz dieses begrenzten Anteils wird genossenschaftliches Wohnen als wichtiger Baustein für bezahlbaren und gemeinschaftlich verwalteten Wohnraum angesehen. Ihr Beitrag liegt vor allem darin, nicht-profitorientiert und dauerhaft leistbar Wohnungen bereitzustellen sowie demokratische Mitbestimmung der Mitglieder zu sichern. Die Dynamik des Sektors ist geprägt von wachsender Bedeutung im Zuge der anhaltenden Wohnraumknappheit und steigender Mieten. Neue Genossenschaftsinitiativen entstehen, häufig mit Fokus auf nachhaltigem Bauen, sozialer Durchmischung und gemeinschaftlicher Selbstverwaltung. Gleichzeitig stehen viele Genossenschaften vor Herausforderungen wie begrenztem Zugang zu städtischen Grundstücken und Konkurrenz zu kommerziellen Investoren. Zur Förderung setzt die Stadt gezielt Anreize: Sie stellt städtische Flächen im Erbbaurecht bevorzugt Genossenschaften zur Verfügung, gewährt Zuschüsse im Rahmen kommunaler Förderprogramme und berücksichtigt bei Neubauprojekten gezielt Genossenschaften als Partner. Ergänzend profitieren Genossenschaften von Landes- und Bundesprogrammen, die zinsgünstige Darlehen, Investitionszuschüsse und steuerliche Erleichterungen für sozialen und genossenschaftlichen Wohnungsbau bieten. So will Frankfurt die Rolle der Genossenschaften langfristig stärken und ihren Anteil am Wohnungsbestand sukzessive ausbauen.