Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dortmund and Kingston upon Thames

For one person, living is cheaper in Dortmund: $2,050 a month against $3,212 in Kingston upon Thames, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Dortmund
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Dortmund Living Index
154

Cost of Living Index in Kingston upon Thames
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Kingston upon Thames Living Index

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Dortmund

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,050

/mo nomad

Kingston upon Thames

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,212

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dortmund and in Kingston upon Thames

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 Kingston upon Thames actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,050 in Dortmund versus $3,212 in Kingston upon Thames.

Dortmund $2,050
Kingston upon Thames $3,212

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,121 in Dortmund versus $4,557 in Kingston upon Thames.

Dortmund $3,121
Kingston upon Thames $4,557

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,192 in Dortmund versus $5,901 in Kingston upon Thames.

Dortmund $4,192
Kingston upon Thames $5,901

Living in Dortmund costs roughly 36% less than in Kingston upon Thames, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dortmund 51% above, Kingston upon Thames 136% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.99 €15.26

$21.66 £16.28

-21.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.5 €70.6

$78.7 £59.1

-0.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.39 €11.13

$9.85 £7.40

25.79%

Cappuccino

$3.79 €3.40

$5.33 £4.01

-28.89%

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

$3.05 €2.74

$3.33 £2.50

-8.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 €2.56

$1.78 £1.34

60.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.71 €5.13

$9.05 £6.80

-36.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.04 €4.53

$9.29 £6.98

-45.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 €1.24

$1.59 £1.20

-13.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 €2.13

$1.72 £1.29

37.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.74 €3.36

$2.36 £1.77

58.47%

Eggs

$3.84 €3.45

$4.61 £3.47

-16.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.18 €13.64

$10.51 £7.90

44.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.48 €10.32

$8.20 £6.16

40.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.96 €20.63

$13.30 £9.99

72.63%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 €2.97

$3.00 £2.26

10.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.28 £0.96

71.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 €1.98

$2.89 £2.17

-23.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 €3.57

$2.11 £1.59

88.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 €1.17

$2.16 £1.62

-39.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.83 £1.37

-12.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.39

$1.15 £0.86

34.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.98

$1.73 £1.30

-36.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.45 €8.49

$24.09 £18.11

-60.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.59 €5.92

$11.14 £8.37

-40.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.99

$3.03 £2.28

-63.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.53

$3.18 £2.39

-46.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.06 €3.65

$2.39 £1.80

69.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.4 €64.2

$85.9 £64.5

-16.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 €4.75

$4.96 £3.73

6.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.83 €2.55

$2.61 £1.96

8.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.59 €33.77

$39.79 £29.91

-5.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 €1.93

$1.95 £1.46

9.74%

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

$32.3K €29.0K

$38.4K £28.9K

-16.07%

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

$38.1K €34.2K

$39.9K £30.0K

-4.44%

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

$405 €364

$313 £235

29.35%

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

$30.78 €27.66

$15.88 £11.93

93.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 €45.56

$40.18 £30.20

26.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.43 €33.63

$103 £77.7

-63.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.30 €23.63

$10.84 £8.15

142.62%

Cinema Ticket

$16.61 €14.92

$17.85 £13.42

-6.95%

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

$406 €365

$2,089 £1,570

-80.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K €25.4K

$23.7K £17.8K

19.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.5 €82.2

$93.2 £70.1

-1.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.5 €47.20

$49.64 £37.30

5.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.7 €78.8

$94.3 £70.9

-6.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$170 €153

$108 £80.8

58.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$720 €647

$2,201 £1,654

-67.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$578 €520

$1,787 £1,343

-67.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 €1,146

$3,699 £2,780

-65.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 €995

$2,870 £2,157

-61.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,345 €3,006

$10.3K £7,708

-67.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,379 €2,138

$7,139 £5,366

-66.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,269 €2,937

$5,239 £3,938

-37.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

5.12

-22.85%

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

Last update for Dortmund: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kingston upon Thames: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dortmund

$578 28.2%

Kingston upon Thames

$1.8K 55.6% 209% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dortmund

$486 23.7%

Kingston upon Thames

$369 11.5% 24.1% $117

Groceries & Markets

Dortmund

$346 16.9%

Kingston upon Thames

$298 9.3% 14.1% $49

Eating Out

Dortmund

$281 13.7%

Kingston upon Thames

$351 10.9% 25% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Dortmund

$181 8.8%

Kingston upon Thames

$155 4.8% 14.2% $26

Getting Around

Dortmund

$107 5.2%

Kingston upon Thames

$113 3.5% 5.9% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

Dortmund

$71 3.5%

Kingston upon Thames

$139 4.3% 96.9% $68

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $720 in Dortmund and $2,201 in Kingston upon Thames. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kingston upon Thames pays 60% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $79 in Dortmund vs $79 in Kingston upon Thames. Groceries flip the comparison at $346 vs $298, with Kingston upon Thames cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Dortmund

🇬🇧 Kingston upon Thames

🕒 Local time

11:19 11:19 AM

10:19 10:19 AM

1 h behind Dortmund

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

600,933

43,013

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Dortmund Kingston upon Thames 540 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dortmund
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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 Kingston upon Thames: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dortmund wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Kingston upon Thames. 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 38% 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 $2,201 in Kingston upon Thames. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $406 in Dortmund versus $2,089 in Kingston upon Thames. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Dortmund runs roughly 17% less than in Kingston upon Thames. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

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 Kingston upon Thames 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, Kingston upon Thames on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.