Is Class A office cheaper in Dublin or Frankfurt?

Frankfurt is cheaper on a USD basis: $60/sqft vs $70/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 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.

Dublin ($70/sqft, 14.3% vacancy) and Frankfurt ($60/sqft, 8.4% vacancy) compete on different axes: Dublin on rent and tax and Frankfurt on talent depth.

Class A rent: Dublin $70/sqft vs Frankfurt $60/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 ($70/sqft, 14.3% vacancy) and Frankfurt ($60/sqft, 8.4% vacancy) compete on different axes: Dublin on rent and tax and Frankfurt on talent depth.

TL;DR

Class A rent: Dublin $70/sqft vs Frankfurt $60/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.

Market data side-by-side

Metric	Dublin	Frankfurt
Region	EMEA	EMEA
Country	Ireland	Germany
Class A rent (USD/sqft/yr)	$70	$60
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 — trophy tier · €70/sqm/mo · ≈ $84.3 PSF/yr USD
CBD / St Stephen's Green — prime tier · €60/sqm/mo · ≈ $72.2 PSF/yr USD
Ballsbridge & Dublin 4 — prime tier · €56/sqm/mo · ≈ $67.4 PSF/yr USD

Top submarkets — Frankfurt

Bankenviertel — trophy tier · €60/sqft/yr · ≈ $64.8 PSF/yr USD
Bahnhofsviertel — trophy tier · €50/sqft/yr · ≈ $54 PSF/yr USD
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 →

Frequently asked questions

Is Class A office cheaper in Dublin or Frankfurt?: Frankfurt is cheaper on a USD basis: $60/sqft vs $70/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">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 — EMEA contributing editor. Last updated 2026-04-15. See our methodology and editorial standards.

Primary sources for this page

CBRE Marketview reports — CBRE
JLL Office Insight — JLL
Cushman & Wakefield Marketbeat — Cushman & Wakefield
Savills World Research — Savills
Colliers Global Office Outlook — Colliers

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