Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chester and Dornbirn

For one person, living costs are similar in Chester and in Dornbirn: $2,365 and $2,306 a month, rent and utilities included.

115

Cost of Living Index in Chester
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Chester Living Index
112

Cost of Living Index in Dornbirn
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Dornbirn Living Index

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Chester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,365

/mo nomad

Dornbirn

🇦🇹 Austria

$2,306

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chester and in Dornbirn

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

A single person spends $2,365 per month in Chester vs $2,306 in Dornbirn, rent included.

Chester $2,365
Dornbirn $2,306

A couple spends around $3,402 per month in Chester vs $3,431 in Dornbirn, rent included.

Chester $3,402
Dornbirn $3,431

A family of three spends $4,438 per month in Chester vs $4,556 in Dornbirn, rent included.

Chester $4,438
Dornbirn $4,556

Chester costs about 3% more than Dornbirn, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chester and Dornbirn sit above the global median – Chester by 75%, Dornbirn by 71%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.64 £14.74

$18.06 €16.07

8.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.2 £65.4

$78.2 €69.6

11.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.43 £7.82

$11.06 €9.84

-5.70%

Cappuccino

$4.92 £3.69

$4.51 €4.01

9.09%

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

$2.49 £1.87

$4.21 €3.74

-40.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 £1.37

$3.57 €3.17

-48.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.48 £4.86

$5.14 €4.58

26.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.55 £4.92

$4.35 €3.87

50.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.66 €1.48

1.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 £1.34

$3.03 €2.70

-40.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 £1.78

$2.18 €1.94

9.17%

Eggs

$3.98 £2.99

$5.14 €4.57

-22.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.61 £6.46

$17.43 €15.50

-50.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.21 £6.16

$13.78 €12.26

-40.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.77 £10.33

$15.51 €13.79

-11.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 £2.26

$2.81 €2.50

7.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 £1.26

$2.36 €2.10

-28.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 £2.12

$3.89 €3.46

-27.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.90 £2.18

$3.94 €3.51

-26.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 £1.45

$2.19 €1.94

-11.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 £1.09

$2.36 €2.10

-38.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 £0.96

$1.93 €1.72

-33.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.02 €0.91

51.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.06 £17.30

$7.31 €6.50

215.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.14 £8.36

$10.23 €9.10

8.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 £2.13

$1.49 €1.32

90.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 £2.44

$1.88 €1.67

72.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 £1.96

$3.44 €3.06

-24.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.6 £51.5

$55.6 €49.49

23.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.33 £4.00

$5.07 €4.51

5.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 £1.04

$2.19 €1.95

-36.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.23 £16.68

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.55

$1.84 €1.63

11.96%

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

$37.8K £28.4K

$29.1K €25.9K

29.77%

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

$40.4K £30.3K

$27.9K €24.8K

45.00%

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

$339 £254

$306 €272

10.55%

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

$20.84 £15.63

$14.36 €12.77

45.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.75 £30.57

$30.22 €26.88

34.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.21 £36.16

$54.0 €48.03

-10.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.02 £11.27

Cinema Ticket

$13.28 £9.96

$15.70 €13.97

-15.41%

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

$1,591 £1,194

$435 €387

265.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K £11.8K

$32.9K €29.2K

-52.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 £65.9

$56.2 €49.95

56.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.24 £30.94

$60.7 €54.0

-32.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.2 £74.4

$44.72 €39.78

121.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.7 £66.5

$44.23 €39.34

100.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 £1,003

$1,210 €1,076

10.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 £789

$1,024 €911

2.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,972 £1,479

$1,902 €1,692

3.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,610 £1,207

$1,780 €1,583

-9.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,847 £2,886

$8,841 €7,865

-56.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,289 £2,467

$7,270 €6,467

-54.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,987 £2,991

$2,823 €2,511

41.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.15

3.61

42.66%

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

Last update for Chester: October 12, 2026

Last update for Dornbirn: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chester

$1.1K 44.5%

Dornbirn

$1K 44.4% 2.6% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chester

$400 16.9%

Dornbirn

$351 15.2% 12.3% $49

Eating Out

Chester

$310 13.1%

Dornbirn

$297 12.9% 4.1% $13

Groceries & Markets

Chester

$295 12.5%

Dornbirn

$370 16.1% 25.6% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Chester

$143 6%

Dornbirn

$93 4% 35.1% $50

Getting Around

Chester

$91 3.9%

Dornbirn

$85 3.7% 6.5% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Chester

$75 3.2%

Dornbirn

$85 3.7% 14.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,337 in Chester versus $1,210 in Dornbirn. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 41% higher in Chester, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $87.0 in Chester versus $78.0 in Dornbirn. Groceries tell a different story – $295 in Chester vs $370 in Dornbirn – so Chester wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Chester

🇦🇹 Dornbirn

🕒 Local time

02:37 2:37 AM

03:37 3:37 AM

1 h ahead of Chester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

119,000

51,222

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Chester Dornbirn 1,100 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Chester
Dornbirn

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

Chester vs Dornbirn: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chester costs about 3% more than Dornbirn, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,548 per month in Chester and $3,459 in Dornbirn. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dornbirn, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,591 per month in Chester and $435 in Dornbirn. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 26% cheaper in Chester – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Dornbirn, where all-in costs run around $2,306, than in Chester at $2,365. In Dornbirn it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chester it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Dornbirn – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Dornbirn. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chester makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.