Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Dortmund

For one person, living is cheaper in Dortmund: $2,050 a month against $2,303 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Dortmund
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Dortmund Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Dortmund

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,050

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Dortmund

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Calgary and in Dortmund actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,303 in Calgary versus $2,050 in Dortmund.

Calgary $2,303
Dortmund $2,050

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Calgary versus $3,121 in Dortmund.

Calgary $3,366
Dortmund $3,121

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,428 in Calgary versus $4,192 in Dortmund.

Calgary $4,428
Dortmund $4,192

Living in Calgary is roughly 12% more expensive than in Dortmund, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 69% above, Dortmund 51% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.55 CA$24.66

$16.99 €15.26

3.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.4 CA$98.9

$78.5 €70.6

-10.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.69 CA$15.02

$12.39 €11.13

-13.72%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.46

$3.79 €3.40

2.64%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 CA$2.86

$3.05 €2.74

-33.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.64

$2.85 €2.56

-34.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 CA$6.88

$5.71 €5.13

-14.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 CA$8.12

$5.04 €4.53

14.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 CA$2.76

$1.38 €1.24

42.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 CA$3.85

$2.37 €2.13

15.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 CA$7.68

$3.74 €3.36

45.99%

Eggs

$3.69 CA$5.18

$3.84 €3.45

-3.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.80

$15.18 €13.64

-25.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 CA$16.21

$11.48 €10.32

0.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.38 CA$25.82

$22.96 €20.63

-19.95%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 CA$6.89

$3.30 €2.97

48.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 CA$2.00

$2.20 €1.98

-35.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.92

$2.21 €1.98

90.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 CA$5.65

$3.98 €3.57

1.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.79

$1.30 €1.17

106.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.74

$1.60 €1.43

66.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.67

$1.55 €1.39

68.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.24

$1.09 €0.98

46.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 CA$19.67

$9.45 €8.49

48.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.40 CA$21.64

$6.59 €5.92

133.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 CA$3.51

$1.10 €0.99

127.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.34

$1.71 €1.53

80.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 CA$4.12

$4.06 €3.65

-27.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 CA$125

$71.4 €64.2

25.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 CA$4.59

$5.29 €4.75

-38.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.90

$2.83 €2.55

-52.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.39 CA$38.48

$37.59 €33.77

-27.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.65

$2.14 €1.93

-45.33%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$27.9K CA$39.3K

$32.3K €29.0K

-13.42%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$21.0K CA$29.6K

$38.1K €34.2K

-44.81%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$167 CA$234

$405 €364

-58.80%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$38.27 CA$53.8

$30.78 €27.66

24.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 CA$71.6

$50.7 €45.56

0.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 CA$71.6

$37.43 €33.63

36.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.17 CA$25.53

$26.30 €23.63

-30.91%

Cinema Ticket

$14.44 CA$20.29

$16.61 €14.92

-13.06%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$545 CA$766

$406 €365

34.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$22.8K

$28.3K €25.4K

-42.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 CA$82.7

$91.5 €82.2

-35.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.75 CA$55.9

$52.5 €47.20

-24.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$87.7 €78.8

6.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$170 €153

-35.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,254 CA$1,762

$720 €647

74.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 CA$1,484

$578 €520

82.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,022 CA$2,841

$1,275 €1,146

58.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,629 CA$2,288

$1,108 €995

47.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,600 CA$5,059

$3,345 €3,006

7.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,243 CA$4,556

$2,379 €2,138

36.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,115 CA$4,377

$3,269 €2,937

-4.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

3.95

14.18%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dortmund: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9%

Dortmund

$578 28.2% 45.2% $478

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$393 17.1%

Dortmund

$346 16.9% 11.8% $46

Eating Out

Calgary

$271 11.8%

Dortmund

$281 13.7% 3.7% $9.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$256 11.1%

Dortmund

$486 23.7% 90% $230

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$136 5.9%

Dortmund

$181 8.8% 33% $45

Getting Around

Calgary

$111 4.8%

Dortmund

$107 5.2% 3.5% $3.9

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$80 3.5%

Dortmund

$71 3.5% 11.5% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,254 in Calgary and $720 in Dortmund. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dortmund pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $70 in Calgary vs $79 in Dortmund. Groceries flip the comparison at $393 vs $346, with Dortmund cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇩🇪 Dortmund

🕒 Local time

22:59 10:59 PM

05:59 5:59 AM

7 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

600,933

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.712 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.712 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.638 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Calgary Dortmund 7,360 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Dortmund

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Calgary vs Dortmund: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dortmund is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and utilities. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Calgary. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,254 in Calgary versus $720 in Dortmund. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Calgary – a meal for two runs $70 versus $79 in Dortmund. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,303 per month in Calgary versus $2,050 in Dortmund – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Dortmund is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.