Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gothenburg and Dortmund

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

97

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
Learn more

Gothenburg Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Dortmund
Learn more

Dortmund Living Index

Jump to prices

Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,008

/mo nomad

Dortmund

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,050

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gothenburg 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 Gothenburg and in Dortmund actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Gothenburg $2,008
Dortmund $2,050

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

Gothenburg $3,067
Dortmund $3,121

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

Gothenburg $4,127
Dortmund $4,192

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.67 SEK 136

$16.99 €15.26

-19.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.7 SEK 863

$78.5 €70.6

10.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.40 SEK 123

$12.39 €11.13

0.08%

Cappuccino

$5.04 SEK 50.2

$3.79 €3.40

32.98%

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

$2.99 SEK 29.72

$3.05 €2.74

-1.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 SEK 23.22

$2.85 €2.56

-18.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 SEK 68.5

$5.71 €5.13

20.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.57 SEK 75.4

$5.04 €4.53

50.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 SEK 17.21

$1.38 €1.24

25.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 SEK 27.75

$2.37 €2.13

17.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 SEK 32.42

$3.74 €3.36

-12.83%

Eggs

$3.90 SEK 38.80

$3.84 €3.45

1.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.25 SEK 112

$15.18 €13.64

-25.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.57 SEK 115

$11.48 €10.32

0.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.43 SEK 164

$22.96 €20.63

-28.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 SEK 29.96

$3.30 €2.97

-8.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 SEK 24.40

$2.20 €1.98

11.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 SEK 28.88

$2.21 €1.98

31.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 SEK 44.72

$3.98 €3.57

12.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 SEK 18.21

$1.30 €1.17

40.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 SEK 16.60

$1.60 €1.43

4.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 SEK 20.39

$1.55 €1.39

32.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 SEK 15.94

$1.09 €0.98

46.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.35 SEK 83.1

$9.45 €8.49

-11.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.18 SEK 151

$6.59 €5.92

130.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 SEK 20.32

$1.10 €0.99

85.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 SEK 22.43

$1.71 €1.53

31.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.83 SEK 38.09

$4.06 €3.65

-5.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.4 SEK 860

$71.4 €64.2

20.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 SEK 61.8

$5.29 €4.75

17.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 SEK 16.61

$2.83 €2.55

-40.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.2 SEK 589

$37.59 €33.77

57.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 SEK 17.44

$2.14 €1.93

-18.22%

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

$33.4K SEK 332.5K

$32.3K €29.0K

3.54%

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

$33.8K SEK 336.4K

$38.1K €34.2K

-11.34%

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

$104 SEK 1,031

$405 €364

-74.39%

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

$19.70 SEK 196

$30.78 €27.66

-36.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.35 SEK 342

$50.7 €45.56

-32.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.01 SEK 338

$37.43 €33.63

-9.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.39 SEK 243

$26.30 €23.63

-7.26%

Cinema Ticket

$16.98 SEK 169

$16.61 €14.92

2.23%

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

$222 SEK 2,211

$406 €365

-45.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,336 SEK 43.2K

$28.3K €25.4K

-84.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 SEK 883

$91.5 €82.2

-3.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.91 SEK 328

$52.5 €47.20

-37.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.8 SEK 873

$87.7 €78.8

0.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 SEK 1,334

$170 €153

-21.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 SEK 11.0K

$720 €647

53.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$874 SEK 8,696

$578 €520

51.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 SEK 18.5K

$1,275 €1,146

45.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 SEK 13.9K

$1,108 €995

26.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,415 SEK 63.8K

$3,345 €3,006

91.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,026 SEK 40.1K

$2,379 €2,138

69.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,521 SEK 35.0K

$3,269 €2,937

7.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.06

3.95

-22.53%

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

Last update for Gothenburg: October 27, 2026

Last update for Dortmund: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gothenburg

$874 43.5%

Dortmund

$578 28.2% 33.8% $295

Groceries & Markets

Gothenburg

$360 17.9%

Dortmund

$346 16.9% 3.7% $13

Eating Out

Gothenburg

$278 13.8%

Dortmund

$281 13.7% 1% $2.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gothenburg

$158 7.9%

Dortmund

$486 23.7% 208% $329

Clothing & Footwear

Gothenburg

$155 7.7%

Dortmund

$181 8.8% 17% $26

Getting Around

Gothenburg

$116 5.8%

Dortmund

$107 5.2% 7.9% $9.1

Sport & Entertainment

Gothenburg

$68 3.4%

Dortmund

$71 3.5% 3.9% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,107 in Gothenburg and $720 in Dortmund. 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: $87 in Gothenburg vs $79 in Dortmund for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $360 vs $346 per month, with Dortmund cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🇩🇪 Dortmund

🕒 Local time

10:26 10:26 AM

Same time as Gothenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

607,882

600,933

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.05 USD

100 SEK = 9.03 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.95 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.08 SEK (100 SEK = 9.03 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gothenburg Dortmund 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Gothenburg
Dortmund

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

Gothenburg vs Dortmund: 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.

Average pay runs 8% higher in Gothenburg, 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: $1,107 in Gothenburg 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 $87 in Gothenburg. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,008 per month in Gothenburg versus $2,050 in Dortmund – 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, Gothenburg 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.