Is Class A office cheaper in Frankfurt or Warsaw?

Frankfurt is cheaper on a USD basis: $60/sqft vs $270/sqft.

Which has better talent depth, Frankfurt or Warsaw?

Frankfurt indexes higher on talent depth (88 vs 80).

Which has more sublease availability, Frankfurt or Warsaw?

Warsaw carries higher vacancy (11.4% vs 8.4%) and therefore typically more sublease overhang.

What lease term should I expect in Frankfurt vs Warsaw?

Frankfurt typical term is 7 years with 9 months rent-free; Warsaw typical term is 5 years with 6 months rent-free.

Frankfurt ($60/sqft, 8.4% vacancy) and Warsaw ($270/sqft, 11.4% vacancy) compete on different axes: Frankfurt on talent depth and Warsaw on rent and tax.

Class A rent: Frankfurt $60/sqft vs Warsaw $270/sqft.
Vacancy: Frankfurt 8.4% vs Warsaw 11.4%.
Talent index: Frankfurt 88 vs Warsaw 80.
Corporate tax: Frankfurt 30% vs Warsaw 19%.
Premium flex/seat/month: Frankfurt $1,080 vs Warsaw $380.

Frankfurt vs Warsaw: Class A office comparison

Frankfurt ($60/sqft, 8.4% vacancy) and Warsaw ($270/sqft, 11.4% vacancy) compete on different axes: Frankfurt on talent depth and Warsaw on rent and tax.

TL;DR

Class A rent: Frankfurt $60/sqft vs Warsaw $270/sqft.
Vacancy: Frankfurt 8.4% vs Warsaw 11.4%.
Talent index: Frankfurt 88 vs Warsaw 80.
Corporate tax: Frankfurt 30% vs Warsaw 19%.
Premium flex/seat/month: Frankfurt $1,080 vs Warsaw $380.

Market data side-by-side

Metric	Frankfurt	Warsaw
Region	EMEA	EMEA
Country	Germany	Poland
Class A rent (USD/sqft/yr)	$60	$270
Class A rent (local)	55 EUR	1080 PLN
Vacancy	8.4%	11.4%
Trend	flat	rising
Prime yield	4.4%	5.6%
Premium flex / seat / month (USD)	$1,080	$380
Submarkets covered	6	5
Corporate tax	30%	19%

Lease norms

Metric	Frankfurt	Warsaw
Typical term	7 yrs	5 yrs
Typical rent-free	9 mos	6 mos
Lease norms	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.	Net leases (tenant pays opex, taxes, insurance separately). 5-7 year terms standard. Free rent of 4-9 months and TI of PLN 250-400/sqm typical.
Tax note	Combined federal + state + Gewerbesteuer (trade tax) effectively 30% in Frankfurt.	19% Polish corporate income tax (CIT). 9% reduced rate for small taxpayers. R&D tax credit available. Estonian-style CIT regime available for SMEs.

Talent

Metric	Frankfurt	Warsaw
Talent index (0–100)	88	80
Talent note	Deepest banking-and-regulatory talent pool in continental Europe. Average all-in compensation indexes 88.	Deepest tech, banking, and business services talent in Central Europe. Strong feed from University of Warsaw, Warsaw University of Technology, and Warsaw School of Economics. Polish-English bilingual professional base.

Transit & commute

Frankfurt: Hauptbahnhof anchors S-Bahn, U-Bahn, ICE, and regional rail. Frankfurt Airport is 11 minutes by ICE.

Warsaw: Warsaw Metro (M1, M2 lines), tram, and bus. SKM commuter rail. Warsaw Chopin Airport is connected via SKM commuter rail (~25 minutes). Modlin Airport serves low-cost carriers.

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

Top submarkets — Warsaw

Wola — trophy tier · PLN 1,100/sqm/yr · ≈ $25.5 PSF/yr USD
Centrum (CBD) — prime tier · PLN 1,000/sqm/yr · ≈ $23.2 PSF/yr USD
Powiśle & Praga — prime tier · PLN 800/sqm/yr · ≈ $18.6 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 80/100).

Pick by tax

Warsaw has the lower headline corporate tax (19% vs 30%). Local incentives can change the effective rate materially.

Pick by lease optionality

Frankfurt typical term is 7 years with 9 months free; Warsaw runs 5 years with 6 months free.

Pick by transit

Frankfurt: Hauptbahnhof anchors S-Bahn, U-Bahn, ICE, and regional rail. Frankfurt Airport is 11 minutes by ICE. Warsaw: Warsaw Metro (M1, M2 lines), tram, and bus. SKM commuter rail. Warsaw Chopin Airport is connected via SKM commuter rail (~25 minutes). Modlin Airport serves low-cost carriers.

Run a 4-city comparison

Score Frankfurt, Warsaw 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 Frankfurt or Warsaw?: Frankfurt is cheaper on a USD basis: $60/sqft vs $270/sqft.
Which has better talent depth, Frankfurt or Warsaw?: Frankfurt indexes higher on talent depth (88 vs 80).
Which has more sublease availability, Frankfurt or Warsaw?: Warsaw carries higher vacancy (11.4% vs 8.4%) and therefore typically more sublease">sublease overhang.
What lease term should I expect in Frankfurt vs Warsaw?: Frankfurt typical term is 7 years with 9 months rent-free; Warsaw typical term is 5 years with 6 months rent-free.
How does transit and commuter access compare?: Frankfurt: Hauptbahnhof anchors S-Bahn, U-Bahn, ICE, and regional rail. Frankfurt Airport is 11 minutes by ICE. Warsaw: Warsaw Metro (M1, M2 lines), tram, and bus. SKM commuter rail. Warsaw Chopin Airport is connected via SKM commuter rail (~25 minutes). Modlin Airport serves low-cost carriers.

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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