Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dortmund and Gothenburg

For one person, living costs are similar in Dortmund and in Gothenburg: $2,050 and $2,008 a month, rent and utilities included.

99

Cost of Living Index in Dortmund
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Dortmund Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
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Gothenburg Living Index

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Dortmund

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,050

/mo nomad

Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,008

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dortmund and in Gothenburg

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 Gothenburg actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,050 in Dortmund versus $2,008 in Gothenburg.

Dortmund $2,050
Gothenburg $2,008

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,121 in Dortmund versus $3,067 in Gothenburg.

Dortmund $3,121
Gothenburg $3,067

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,192 in Dortmund versus $4,127 in Gothenburg.

Dortmund $4,192
Gothenburg $4,127

Living in Dortmund is roughly 2% more expensive than in Gothenburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dortmund 51% above, Gothenburg 48% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.99 €15.24

$13.67 SEK 136

24.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.5 €70.4

$86.7 SEK 862

-9.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.39 €11.11

$12.40 SEK 123

-0.08%

Cappuccino

$3.79 €3.40

$5.04 SEK 50.2

-24.80%

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

$3.05 €2.74

$2.99 SEK 29.70

2.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 €2.56

$2.33 SEK 23.20

22.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.71 €5.12

$6.88 SEK 68.4

-17.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.04 €4.52

$7.57 SEK 75.3

-33.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 €1.24

$1.73 SEK 17.20

-20.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 €2.12

$2.79 SEK 27.73

-15.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.74 €3.36

$3.26 SEK 32.40

14.72%

Eggs

$3.84 €3.44

$3.90 SEK 38.78

-1.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.18 €13.61

$11.25 SEK 112

34.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.48 €10.30

$11.57 SEK 115

-0.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.96 €20.59

$16.43 SEK 163

39.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 €2.96

$3.01 SEK 29.94

9.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.45 SEK 24.39

-10.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 €1.98

$2.90 SEK 28.86

-23.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 €3.57

$4.49 SEK 44.69

-11.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 €1.17

$1.83 SEK 18.19

-28.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.67 SEK 16.59

-4.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.39

$2.05 SEK 20.38

-24.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.60 SEK 15.93

-31.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.45 €8.47

$8.35 SEK 83.1

13.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.59 €5.91

$15.18 SEK 151

-56.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$2.04 SEK 20.31

-46.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.53

$2.25 SEK 22.42

-24.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.06 €3.64

$3.83 SEK 38.07

6.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.4 €64.1

$86.4 SEK 859

-17.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 €4.74

$6.21 SEK 61.7

-14.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.83 €2.54

$1.67 SEK 16.60

69.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.59 €33.72

$59.2 SEK 589

-36.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.75 SEK 17.43

22.29%

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

$32.3K €28.9K

$33.4K SEK 332.3K

-3.42%

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

$38.1K €34.2K

$33.8K SEK 336.2K

12.79%

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

$405 €363

$104 SEK 1,031

290.53%

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

$30.78 €27.61

$19.70 SEK 196

56.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 €45.48

$34.35 SEK 342

47.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.43 €33.57

$34.01 SEK 338

10.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.30 €23.59

$24.39 SEK 243

7.83%

Cinema Ticket

$16.61 €14.90

$16.98 SEK 169

-2.18%

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

$406 €364

$222 SEK 2,210

82.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K €25.4K

$4,336 SEK 43.1K

552.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.5 €82.1

$88.7 SEK 882

3.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.5 €47.12

$32.91 SEK 327

59.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.7 €78.7

$87.8 SEK 873

-0.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$170 €152

$134 SEK 1,333

26.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$720 €645

$1,107 SEK 11.0K

-35.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$578 €519

$874 SEK 8,691

-33.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 €1,144

$1,861 SEK 18.5K

-31.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 €994

$1,400 SEK 13.9K

-20.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,345 €3,001

$6,415 SEK 63.8K

-47.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,379 €2,134

$4,026 SEK 40.0K

-40.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,269 €2,932

$3,521 SEK 35.0K

-7.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

3.06

29.08%

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

Last update for Dortmund: October 27, 2026

Last update for Gothenburg: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dortmund

$578 28.2%

Gothenburg

$874 43.5% 51.1% $295

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dortmund

$486 23.7%

Gothenburg

$158 7.9% 67.6% $329

Groceries & Markets

Dortmund

$346 16.9%

Gothenburg

$360 17.9% 3.9% $13

Eating Out

Dortmund

$281 13.7%

Gothenburg

$278 13.8% 1% $2.9

Clothing & Footwear

Dortmund

$181 8.8%

Gothenburg

$155 7.7% 14.5% $26

Getting Around

Dortmund

$107 5.2%

Gothenburg

$116 5.8% 8.5% $9.1

Sport & Entertainment

Dortmund

$71 3.5%

Gothenburg

$68 3.4% 3.8% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $720 in Dortmund and $1,107 in Gothenburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 8% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $79 in Dortmund vs $87 in Gothenburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $360 per month, with Dortmund cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Dortmund

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🕒 Local time

09:32 9:32 AM

Same time as Dortmund

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

600,933

607,882

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 SEK = 10.05 USD

100 SEK = 9.03 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Dortmund Gothenburg 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dortmund
Gothenburg

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 Gothenburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gothenburg wins on cost – living expenses run 2% lower than in Dortmund. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Gothenburg the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 7% 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 $1,107 in Gothenburg. 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 $87 in Gothenburg. 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 $2,008 in Gothenburg – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Gothenburg 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 Gothenburg are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.