Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Frankfurt and Dortmund

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.

121

Cost of Living Index in Frankfurt
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Frankfurt Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Dortmund
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Dortmund Living Index

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Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,510

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Dortmund

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,050

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Frankfurt and in Dortmund

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

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

Frankfurt $2,510
Dortmund $2,050

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

Frankfurt $3,732
Dortmund $3,121

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

Frankfurt $4,954
Dortmund $4,192

Living in Frankfurt is roughly 22% more expensive than in Dortmund, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €15.12

$16.99 €15.26

-0.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.1 €79.1

$78.5 €70.6

12.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.93

$12.39 €11.13

7.18%

Cappuccino

$4.54 €4.08

$3.79 €3.40

19.79%

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

$3.68 €3.30

$3.05 €2.74

20.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 €3.25

$2.85 €2.56

26.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.71 €5.13

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.15

$5.04 €4.53

13.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.38 €1.24

-5.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.37 €2.13

-7.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 €2.78

$3.74 €3.36

-17.38%

Eggs

$3.65 €3.28

$3.84 €3.45

-4.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.55 €12.18

$15.18 €13.64

-10.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.86 €10.65

$11.48 €10.32

3.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.79 €19.58

$22.96 €20.63

-5.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 €2.79

$3.30 €2.97

-6.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$2.20 €1.98

-5.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 €1.74

$2.21 €1.98

-12.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.83 €3.44

$3.98 €3.57

-3.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.60

$1.30 €1.17

36.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.60 €1.43

16.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.55 €1.39

1.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.94

$1.09 €0.98

-3.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.49 €8.53

$9.45 €8.49

0.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$6.59 €5.92

-14.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €1.01

$1.10 €0.99

1.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.31

$1.71 €1.53

-15.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.29 €3.86

$4.06 €3.65

5.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.3 €62.3

$71.4 €64.2

-2.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 €3.97

$5.29 €4.75

-16.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 €2.04

$2.83 €2.55

-19.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.89 €21.47

$37.59 €33.77

-36.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 €1.99

$2.14 €1.93

3.74%

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

$33.7K €30.3K

$32.3K €29.0K

4.34%

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

$39.2K €35.2K

$38.1K €34.2K

2.73%

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

$385 €346

$405 €364

-4.90%

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

$19.76 €17.75

$30.78 €27.66

-35.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.58 €41.85

$50.7 €45.56

-8.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.4 €56.9

$37.43 €33.63

69.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.55 €26.55

$26.30 €23.63

12.36%

Cinema Ticket

$16.84 €15.13

$16.61 €14.92

1.38%

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

$1,097 €985

$406 €365

170.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K €20.3K

$28.3K €25.4K

-20.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 €77.6

$91.5 €82.2

-5.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.24 €29.86

$52.5 €47.20

-36.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.5 €74.1

$87.7 €78.8

-6.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €96.8

$170 €153

-36.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,418 €1,274

$720 €647

97.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,092 €981

$578 €520

88.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,713 €2,437

$1,275 €1,146

112.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 €1,725

$1,108 €995

73.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,738 €6,953

$3,345 €3,006

131.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,482 €4,027

$2,379 €2,138

88.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,024 €3,616

$3,269 €2,937

23.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.64

3.95

-7.85%

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

Last update for Frankfurt: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dortmund: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Frankfurt

$1.1K 43.5%

Dortmund

$578 28.2% 47% $513

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Frankfurt

$451 18%

Dortmund

$486 23.7% 7.8% $35

Groceries & Markets

Frankfurt

$330 13.2%

Dortmund

$346 16.9% 5% $16

Eating Out

Frankfurt

$298 11.9%

Dortmund

$281 13.7% 5.8% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Frankfurt

$139 5.6%

Dortmund

$181 8.8% 29.7% $41

Getting Around

Frankfurt

$102 4.1%

Dortmund

$107 5.2% 4.7% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Frankfurt

$97 3.9%

Dortmund

$71 3.5% 27.2% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,418 in Frankfurt and $720 in Dortmund. 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: $88 in Frankfurt vs $79 in Dortmund. Groceries flip the comparison at $330 vs $346, with Frankfurt cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Dortmund

🕒 Local time

12:14 12:14 PM

Same time as Frankfurt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

701,350

600,933

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Frankfurt Dortmund 180 km

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Frankfurt
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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

Frankfurt vs Dortmund: 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.

Average pay runs 23% higher in Frankfurt, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,418 in Frankfurt versus $720 in Dortmund. 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 $2,510 per month in Frankfurt versus $2,050 in Dortmund – 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, Frankfurt and Dortmund 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.