Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dortmund and Frankfurt

For one person, living is cheaper in Dortmund: $2,050 a month against $2,510 in Frankfurt, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Frankfurt outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

99

Cost of Living Index in Dortmund
Learn more

Dortmund Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Frankfurt
Learn more

Frankfurt Living Index

Jump to prices

Dortmund

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,050

/mo nomad

Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dortmund and in Frankfurt

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,050 in Dortmund versus $2,510 in Frankfurt.

Dortmund $2,050
Frankfurt $2,510

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,121 in Dortmund versus $3,732 in Frankfurt.

Dortmund $3,121
Frankfurt $3,732

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,192 in Dortmund versus $4,954 in Frankfurt.

Dortmund $4,192
Frankfurt $4,954

Living in Dortmund costs roughly 18% less than in Frankfurt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dortmund 51% above, Frankfurt 84% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.99 €15.26

$16.83 €15.12

0.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.5 €70.6

$88.1 €79.1

-10.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.39 €11.13

$13.28 €11.93

-6.70%

Cappuccino

$3.79 €3.40

$4.54 €4.08

-16.52%

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

$3.05 €2.74

$3.68 €3.30

-17.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 €2.56

$3.61 €3.25

-21.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.71 €5.13

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.04 €4.53

$5.74 €5.15

-12.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 €1.24

$1.31 €1.17

5.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 €2.13

$2.20 €1.98

7.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.74 €3.36

$3.09 €2.78

21.04%

Eggs

$3.84 €3.45

$3.65 €3.28

5.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.18 €13.64

$13.55 €12.18

12.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.48 €10.32

$11.86 €10.65

-3.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.96 €20.63

$21.79 €19.58

5.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 €2.97

$3.10 €2.79

6.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.09 €1.88

5.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 €1.98

$1.94 €1.74

13.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 €3.57

$3.83 €3.44

3.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 €1.17

$1.78 €1.60

-26.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.86 €1.67

-13.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.39

$1.57 €1.41

-1.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.98

$1.05 €0.94

3.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.45 €8.49

$9.49 €8.53

-0.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.59 €5.92

$5.61 €5.04

17.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.12 €1.01

-1.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.45 €1.31

17.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.06 €3.65

$4.29 €3.86

-5.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.4 €64.2

$69.3 €62.3

3.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 €4.75

$4.42 €3.97

19.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.83 €2.55

$2.27 €2.04

24.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.59 €33.77

$23.89 €21.47

57.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 €1.93

$2.22 €1.99

-3.60%

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

$32.3K €29.0K

$33.7K €30.3K

-4.16%

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

$38.1K €34.2K

$39.2K €35.2K

-2.66%

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

$405 €364

$385 €346

5.15%

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

$30.78 €27.66

$19.76 €17.75

55.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 €45.56

$46.58 €41.85

8.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.43 €33.63

$63.4 €56.9

-40.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.30 €23.63

$29.55 €26.55

-11.00%

Cinema Ticket

$16.61 €14.92

$16.84 €15.13

-1.37%

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

$406 €365

$1,097 €985

-63.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K €25.4K

$22.6K €20.3K

25.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.5 €82.2

$86.3 €77.6

6.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.5 €47.20

$33.24 €29.86

58.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.7 €78.8

$82.5 €74.1

6.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$170 €153

$108 €96.8

57.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$720 €647

$1,418 €1,274

-49.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$578 €520

$1,092 €981

-47.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 €1,146

$2,713 €2,437

-52.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 €995

$1,920 €1,725

-42.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,345 €3,006

$7,738 €6,953

-56.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,379 €2,138

$4,482 €4,027

-46.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,269 €2,937

$4,024 €3,616

-18.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

3.64

8.52%

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

Last update for Dortmund: October 27, 2026

Last update for Frankfurt: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dortmund

$578 28.2%

Frankfurt

$1.1K 43.5% 88.8% $513

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dortmund

$486 23.7%

Frankfurt

$451 18% 7.2% $35

Groceries & Markets

Dortmund

$346 16.9%

Frankfurt

$330 13.2% 4.8% $16

Eating Out

Dortmund

$281 13.7%

Frankfurt

$298 11.9% 6.2% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Dortmund

$181 8.8%

Frankfurt

$139 5.6% 22.9% $41

Getting Around

Dortmund

$107 5.2%

Frankfurt

$102 4.1% 4.5% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Dortmund

$71 3.5%

Frankfurt

$97 3.9% 37.4% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $720 in Dortmund and $1,418 in Frankfurt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Frankfurt pays 23% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $79 in Dortmund vs $88 in Frankfurt. Groceries flip the comparison at $346 vs $330, with Frankfurt cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Dortmund

🇩🇪 Frankfurt

🕒 Local time

11:19 11:19 AM

Same time as Dortmund

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

600,933

701,350

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dortmund Frankfurt 180 km

From you

Dortmund
Frankfurt

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

Dortmund vs Frankfurt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dortmund wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Frankfurt. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Dortmund the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 19% lower in Dortmund. 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: $720 in Dortmund versus $1,418 in Frankfurt. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Dortmund – a meal for two runs $79 versus $88 in Frankfurt. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,050 per month in Dortmund versus $2,510 in Frankfurt – a 22% 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.

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

It comes down to priorities – Dortmund wins on affordability, Frankfurt on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.