Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dresden and Portsmouth, NH

For one person, living is cheaper in Dresden: $1,950 a month against $2,763 in Portsmouth, NH, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Portsmouth, NH outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

94

Cost of Living Index in Dresden
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Dresden Living Index
135

Cost of Living Index in Portsmouth, NH
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Portsmouth, NH Living Index

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Dresden

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,950

/mo nomad

Portsmouth, NH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,763

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dresden and in Portsmouth, NH

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,950 in Dresden versus $2,763 in Portsmouth, NH.

Dresden $1,950
Portsmouth, NH $2,763

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,979 in Dresden versus $4,026 in Portsmouth, NH.

Dresden $2,979
Portsmouth, NH $4,026

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,008 in Dresden versus $5,289 in Portsmouth, NH.

Dresden $4,008
Portsmouth, NH $5,289

Living in Dresden costs roughly 29% less than in Portsmouth, NH, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dresden 43% above, Portsmouth, NH 103% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.79 €16.84

$20.24 $20.24

-7.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.6 €74.9

$102 $102

-17.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.10

$8.96 $8.96

25.78%

Cappuccino

$4.19 €3.76

$4.11 $4.11

1.95%

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

$3.57 €3.20

$2.64 $2.64

35.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 €2.81

$1.53 $1.53

104.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.01 €5.38

$7.08 $7.08

-15.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.44 €5.77

$7.33 $7.33

-12.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.27 $1.27

-1.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 €1.86

$5.12 $5.12

-59.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.52

$4.12 $4.12

-31.55%

Eggs

$3.82 €3.43

$3.48 $3.48

9.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.43 €15.62

$11.17 $11.17

56.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.73 €10.51

$12.93 $12.93

-9.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.15 €19.85

$16.86 $16.86

31.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.83

$5.27 $5.27

-40.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$2.06 $2.06

-4.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 €1.94

$4.58 $4.58

-52.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.83 €3.43

$4.35 $4.35

-11.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.61 $1.61

-4.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 €1.32

$2.62 $2.62

-43.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.34

$2.55 $2.55

-41.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.12

$3.00 $3.00

-58.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.56 €8.57

$13.49 $13.49

-29.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.74 €5.15

$16.13 $16.13

-64.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.02

$1.75 $1.75

-35.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.04 $2.04

-30.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.82 €3.42

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.7 €64.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.99

$5.85 $5.85

-23.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.70 €2.42

$4.82 $4.82

-43.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.89 €30.37

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 €2.08

$0.91 $0.91

156.04%

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

$33.3K €29.8K

$28.0K $28.0K

19.13%

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

$37.9K €34.0K

$26.1K $26.1K

45.38%

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

$391 €350

$192 $192

103.44%

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

$20.99 €18.81

$52.9 $52.9

-60.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.76 €39.21

$52.5 $52.5

-16.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.70 €31.10

$25.45 $25.45

36.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.48 €22.83

Cinema Ticket

$13.66 €12.24

$12.37 $12.37

10.43%

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

$902 €808

$832 $832

8.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K €13.9K

$33.8K $33.8K

-54.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.9 €77.9

$24.52 $24.52

254.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.49 €36.28

$37.34 $37.34

8.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.5

$51.9 $51.9

105.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$81.0 $81.0

47.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$749 €671

$2,145 $2,145

-65.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$523 €469

$1,570 $1,570

-66.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,571 €1,408

$4,185 $4,185

-62.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$972 €871

$2,494 $2,494

-61.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,645 €4,163

$4,895 $4,895

-5.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,684 €2,405

$3,078 $3,078

-12.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,989 €2,678

$5,986 $5,986

-50.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

6.1

-35.08%

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

Last update for Dresden: October 25, 2026

Last update for Portsmouth, NH: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dresden

$523 26.8%

Portsmouth, NH

$1.6K 56.8% 200% $1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dresden

$456 23.4%

Portsmouth, NH

$298 10.8% 34.7% $158

Groceries & Markets

Dresden

$341 17.5%

Portsmouth, NH

$423 15.3% 24.1% $82

Eating Out

Dresden

$304 15.6%

Portsmouth, NH

$305 11% 0.2% $0.7

Clothing & Footwear

Dresden

$159 8.2%

Portsmouth, NH

$88 3.2% 44.8% $71

Getting Around

Dresden

$105 5.4%

Portsmouth, NH

$30 * 1.1% 71.4% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Dresden

$62 3.2%

Portsmouth, NH

$50 1.8% 19.1% $12

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $749 in Dresden and $2,145 in Portsmouth, NH. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Portsmouth, NH pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $84 in Dresden vs $102 in Portsmouth, NH for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $341 vs $423 per month, with Dresden cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Dresden

🇺🇸 Portsmouth, NH

🕒 Local time

11:58 11:58 AM

05:58 5:58 AM

6 h behind Dresden

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

556,780

95,535

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Dresden Portsmouth, NH 6,100 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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Dresden
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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

Dresden vs Portsmouth, NH: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dresden wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Portsmouth, NH. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Dresden the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 50% lower in Dresden. 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: $749 in Dresden versus $2,145 in Portsmouth, NH. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Portsmouth, NH. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,950 per month in Dresden versus $2,763 in Portsmouth, NH – Dresden is about 29% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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, Dresden and Portsmouth, NH are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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