Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dortmund and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Dortmund: $2,033 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $24,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Dortmund
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Dortmund Living Index
196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Dortmund

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,033

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dortmund and in London

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,033 in Dortmund versus $4,086 in London.

Dortmund $2,033
London $4,086

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,086 in Dortmund versus $5,816 in London.

Dortmund $3,086
London $5,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,140 in Dortmund versus $7,546 in London.

Dortmund $4,140
London $7,546

Living in Dortmund costs roughly 50% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dortmund 52% above, London 205% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.71 €14.92

$26.62 £20.11

-37.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.2 €70.7

$108 £81.3

-26.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 €10.82

$10.39 £7.85

16.65%

Cappuccino

$3.82 €3.41

$5.79 £4.38

-34.02%

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

$2.99 €2.67

$3.01 £2.27

-0.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 €2.56

$2.15 £1.63

33.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.12

$9.35 £7.06

-38.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.97 €4.43

$7.84 £5.93

-36.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.79 £1.35

-21.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 €2.10

$2.06 £1.56

14.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.78 €3.37

$2.31 £1.74

63.64%

Eggs

$3.75 €3.35

$5.05 £3.82

-25.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.55 €13.88

$12.57 £9.50

23.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.72 €10.46

$10.66 £8.05

9.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.53 €21.00

$17.13 £12.94

37.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 €3.02

$3.03 £2.29

11.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.41 £1.07

61.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$3.05 £2.31

-27.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.10 €3.66

$3.38 £2.56

21.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.67 £1.26

-22.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 €1.45

$1.73 £1.31

-6.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.41 £1.07

14.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.79 £1.35

-39.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.47 €8.45

$23.22 £17.55

-59.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.78 €6.05

$12.99 £9.82

-47.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.01

$3.18 £2.40

-64.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.52

$4.41 £3.33

-61.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.00 €3.57

$3.87 £2.93

3.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.3 €59.2

$250 £189

-73.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 €4.87

$5.71 £4.31

-4.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.86 €2.55

$3.33 £2.51

-14.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.34 €32.43

$57.9 £43.76

-37.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.04 £1.54

2.45%

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

$33.5K €29.9K

$37.5K £28.4K

-10.66%

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

$39.0K €34.8K

$40.9K £30.9K

-4.62%

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

$399 €356

$376 £284

6.17%

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

$30.53 €27.25

$17.88 £13.51

70.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 €45.21

$40.01 £30.24

26.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.59 €34.44

$61.2 £46.22

-36.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.25 €24.32

$21.07 £15.93

29.33%

Cinema Ticket

$16.57 €14.79

$17.95 £13.57

-7.69%

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

$408 €364

$2,865 £2,165

-85.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.7K €24.7K

$35.3K £26.7K

-21.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.5 €80.8

$116 £87.7

-21.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.3 €45.78

$54.1 £40.87

-5.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.7 €78.3

$127 £95.7

-30.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$175 €157

$159 £120

10.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$718 €641

$2,853 £2,156

-74.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$586 €523

$2,301 £1,739

-74.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,162

$5,201 £3,931

-74.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,094 €976

$3,723 £2,813

-70.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,056 €2,728

$19.0K £14.4K

-83.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,289 €2,043

$7,881 £5,955

-70.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,170 €2,829

$4,818 £3,641

-34.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

4.65

-15.05%

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

Last update for Dortmund: October 4, 2026

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dortmund

$586 28.5%

London

$2.3K 56.5% 293% $1.7K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dortmund

$480 23.4%

London

$434 10.7% 9.7% $47

Groceries & Markets

Dortmund

$353 17.2%

London

$349 8.6% 0.9% $3.2

Eating Out

Dortmund

$278 13.5%

London

$397 9.7% 42.7% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Dortmund

$182 8.9%

London

$205 5% 12.6% $23

Getting Around

Dortmund

$102 5%

London

$288 7.1% 182% $186

Sport & Entertainment

Dortmund

$72 3.5%

London

$97 2.4% 35.3% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $718 in Dortmund and $2,853 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 52% 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: $79.0 in Dortmund vs $108 in London. Groceries flip the comparison at $353 vs $349, with London cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Dortmund

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

07:31 7:31 AM

06:31 6:31 AM

1 h behind Dortmund

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

600,933

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Dortmund London 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dortmund
London

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 London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dortmund wins on cost – living expenses run 101% lower than in London. 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 52% lower in London. 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: $718 in Dortmund versus $2,853 in London. 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 $79.0 versus $108 in London. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,033 per month in Dortmund versus $4,086 in London – a 101% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,033 in Dortmund versus $4,086 in London, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Dortmund but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Dortmund the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Dortmund delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,033 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Dortmund hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Dortmund and London 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 Dortmund gentler on the wallet – expenses run 101% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.