Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dessau and Arnhem

For one person, living is cheaper in Dessau: $1,795 a month against $2,557 in Arnhem, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Dessau
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Dessau Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Arnhem
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Arnhem Living Index

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Dessau

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,795

/mo nomad

Arnhem

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,557

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dessau and in Arnhem

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,795 in Dessau versus $2,557 in Arnhem.

Dessau $1,795
Arnhem $2,557

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,880 in Dessau versus $3,743 in Arnhem.

Dessau $2,880
Arnhem $3,743

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,965 in Dessau versus $4,930 in Arnhem.

Dessau $3,965
Arnhem $4,930

Living in Dessau costs roughly 30% less than in Arnhem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dessau 33% above, Arnhem 89% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.43 €14.61

$21.91 €19.49

-25.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.7 €74.5

$85.2 €75.8

-1.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.15 €13.47

$14.98 €13.32

1.13%

Cappuccino

$4.27 €3.80

$4.07 €3.62

4.91%

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

$2.84 €2.53

$3.34 €2.97

-14.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 €3.77

$2.83 €2.52

49.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 €4.51

$5.62 €5.00

-9.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$5.47 €4.86

-0.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.48 €1.32

-6.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 €1.83

$1.99 €1.77

3.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.87 €3.44

$2.29 €2.04

69.00%

Eggs

$3.63 €3.23

$5.21 €4.64

-30.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.07 €8.95

$12.74 €11.33

-20.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.70 €10.40

$14.14 €12.58

-17.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.72 €19.32

$15.77 €14.03

37.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 €3.00

$2.82 €2.50

19.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$2.54 €2.26

-16.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.86 €1.65

16.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.63 €3.23

$5.39 €4.79

-32.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.88 €1.67

-33.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$2.39 €2.13

-51.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.22 €1.08

32.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 €1.09

$0.71 €0.63

73.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.58 €8.53

$14.23 €12.65

-32.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.73 €5.99

$7.15 €6.36

-5.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.44 €1.28

-25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 €1.48

$2.63 €2.34

-36.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 €2.25

$4.35 €3.87

-41.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.9 €57.7

$113 €100

-42.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.10 €4.53

$4.00 €3.56

27.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.38 €2.12

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.53 €29.83

$32.86 €29.23

2.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 €1.71

$2.39 €2.12

-19.67%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$41.8K €37.2K

-20.24%

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

$37.9K €33.7K

$39.7K €35.3K

-4.51%

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

$288 €256

$276 €245

4.51%

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

$25.96 €23.09

$22.71 €20.20

14.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.8 €45.19

$42.44 €37.75

19.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.1 €63.2

$41.30 €36.73

72.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.29 €19.83

$10.99 €9.78

102.82%

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 €10.63

$14.38 €12.79

-16.90%

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

$303 €269

$1,259 €1,120

-75.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,925 €5,270

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.1 €65.0

$95.3 €84.8

-23.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.38 €41.25

$29.13 €25.91

59.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 €117

$107 €94.8

23.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$171 €152

$152 €136

12.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$445 €396

$1,436 €1,278

-69.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$436 €388

$1,159 €1,031

-62.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$720 €641

$2,228 €1,982

-67.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$987 €878

$1,834 €1,632

-46.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,356 €2,985

$5,312 €4,725

-36.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,748 €1,555

$4,175 €3,714

-58.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,145 €1,908

$3,723 €3,312

-42.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

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

Last update for Dessau: October 10, 2026

Last update for Arnhem: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dessau

$436 24.3%

Arnhem

$1.2K 45.3% 166% $723

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dessau

$365 20.3%

Arnhem

$341 13.3% 6.6% $24

Groceries & Markets

Dessau

$324 18.1%

Arnhem

$335 13.1% 3.4% $11

Eating Out

Dessau

$293 16.3%

Arnhem

$333 13% 13.7% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Dessau

$190 10.6%

Arnhem

$173 6.8% 9.2% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Dessau

$95 5.3%

Arnhem

$70 2.7% 26.3% $25

Getting Around

Dessau

$92 5.1%

Arnhem

$146 5.7% 58.9% $54

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $445 in Dessau and $1,436 in Arnhem. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arnhem pays 74% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $84.0 in Dessau vs $85.0 in Arnhem for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $335 per month, with Dessau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Dessau

🇳🇱 Arnhem

🕒 Local time

00:01 12:01 AM

Same time as Dessau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

68,116

165,770

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Dessau
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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

Dessau vs Arnhem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dessau and Arnhem differ by about 42% in total monthly costs ($1,795 vs $2,557 including rent). Dessau is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 74% lower in Arnhem. 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: $445 in Dessau versus $1,436 in Arnhem. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Arnhem. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Dessau – a meal for two runs $84.0 versus $85.0 in Arnhem. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,795 in Dessau versus $2,557 in Arnhem, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Dessau but tight or insufficient in Arnhem. The gap between the two cities makes Dessau the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Dessau and Arnhem are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Dessau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Arnhem. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.