Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Dortmund Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Dortmund

🙂 Solo nomad: Berlin is 4.8% cheaper than Dortmund without rent, and 13.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Berlin is 0.8% more expensive than Dortmund without rent, and 9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Berlin
Dortmund
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.13 €14.79
$17.4 €15.02
-1.55%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$80.3 €69.3
$63.4 €54.7
26.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.98 €11.21
$12.9 €11.14
0.62%
Cappuccino
$4.3 €3.71
$3.67 €3.17
17.17%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.3 €2.85
$2.86 €2.47
15.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.87 €2.48
$2.77 €2.39
3.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.33 €4.6
$5.92 €5.11
-9.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.5 €3.88
$4.08 €3.53
10.29%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Berlin
Dortmund
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.35 €1.17
$1.2 €1.04
12.50%
White Bread (500g)
$2.04 €1.76
$2.34 €2.02
-12.82%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.62 €3.12
$3.21 €2.77
12.77%
Eggs
$3.89 €3.36
$3.78 €3.26
2.91%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.44 €12.47
$14.71 €12.7
-1.84%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.86 €9.37
$14.53 €12.54
-25.26%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.02 €16.43
$19.07 €16.46
-0.26%
Apples (1kg)
$3.31 €2.86
$3.35 €2.89
-1.19%
Banana (1kg)
$2.08 €1.79
$1.97 €1.7
5.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.83 €2.45
$2.37 €2.04
19.41%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.98 €3.44
$4.92 €4.25
-19.11%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 €1.67
$1.78 €1.54
8.99%
Onion (1kg)
$1.74 €1.51
$1.89 €1.63
-7.94%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.66 €1.43
$2 €1.72
-17.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.04 €0.9
$1.13 €0.98
-7.96%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.08 €8.71
$9.28 €8.01
8.62%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.87 €5.93
$7.02 €6.06
-2.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 €1.02
$1.05 €0.91
12.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.9 €1.64
$1.66 €1.43
14.46%
🚌 Getting Around
Berlin
Dortmund
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.98 €3.43
$3.89 €3.36
2.31%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$67.1 €57.9
$60.7 €52.4
10.56%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.88 €5.08
$5.62 €4.85
4.63%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.34 €2.02
$1.96 €1.69
19.39%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$42.01 €36.27
$68.8 €59.4
-38.97%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.94 €1.68
$1.99 €1.72
-2.51%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.1K €27.7K
$31.1K €26.9K
3.07%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.6K €32.5K
$37.9K €32.7K
-0.78%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Berlin
Dortmund
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$371 €320
$429 €370
-13.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.98 €17.25
$36.17 €31.23
-44.76%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$46.51 €40.16
$54.8 €47.34
-15.17%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Berlin
Dortmund
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.37 €32.27
$44.22 €38.18
-15.49%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.66 €24.75
$23.49 €20.28
22.01%
Cinema Ticket
$14.22 €12.28
$17.56 €15.16
-19.02%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Berlin
Dortmund
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$198 €171
$418 €361
-52.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.5K €9,109
$28.9K €25K
-63.56%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Berlin
Dortmund
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$94.5 €81.6
$92.6 €79.9
2.06%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.04 €38.02
$45.7 €39.46
-3.63%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 €91.1
$108 €93
-1.99%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$130 €112
$179 €155
-27.75%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Berlin
Dortmund
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,412 €1,219
$793 €685
78.06%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,059 €915
$617 €532
71.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,652 €2,290
$1,344 €1,161
97.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,934 €1,670
$1,376 €1,188
40.58%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,766 €7,568
$3,104 €2,680
182.44%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,041 €5,216
$2,453 €2,118
146.29%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Berlin
Dortmund
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,577 €3,089
$3,452 €2,980
3.65%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.68
3.98
-7.54%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Berlin: October 28, 2025

Last update for Dortmund: October 28, 2025

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