Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston upon Thames and Dortmund

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.

154

Cost of Living Index in Kingston upon Thames
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Kingston upon Thames Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Dortmund
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Dortmund Living Index

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Kingston upon Thames

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,212

/mo nomad

Dortmund

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,050

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Living in Kingston upon Thames is roughly 57% more expensive than in Dortmund, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.66 £16.17

$16.99 €15.21

27.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.7 £58.7

$78.5 €70.3

0.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.85 £7.35

$12.39 €11.10

-20.50%

Cappuccino

$5.33 £3.98

$3.79 €3.39

40.63%

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

$3.33 £2.48

$3.05 €2.73

9.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 £1.33

$2.85 €2.56

-37.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.05 £6.76

$5.71 €5.11

58.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.29 £6.94

$5.04 €4.52

84.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 £1.19

$1.38 €1.23

15.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.28

$2.37 €2.12

-27.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 £1.76

$3.74 €3.35

-36.90%

Eggs

$4.61 £3.44

$3.84 €3.44

20.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 £7.85

$15.18 €13.59

-30.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.20 £6.12

$11.48 €10.28

-28.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 £9.93

$22.96 €20.56

-42.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.00 £2.24

$3.30 €2.96

-9.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 £0.95

$2.20 €1.97

-41.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 £2.16

$2.21 €1.98

30.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.11 £1.58

$3.98 €3.56

-46.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 £1.61

$1.30 €1.16

66.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.60 €1.43

14.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 £0.86

$1.55 €1.38

-25.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 £1.29

$1.09 €0.97

58.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.09 £17.99

$9.45 €8.46

154.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.14 £8.31

$6.59 €5.90

69.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.03 £2.26

$1.10 €0.98

175.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.37

$1.71 €1.53

85.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.39 £1.79

$4.06 €3.64

-41.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.9 £64.1

$71.4 €64.0

20.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 £3.71

$5.29 €4.74

-6.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.61 £1.95

$2.83 €2.54

-7.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.79 £29.71

$37.59 €33.67

5.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 £1.45

$2.14 €1.92

-8.88%

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

$38.4K £28.7K

$32.3K €28.9K

19.14%

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

$39.9K £29.8K

$38.1K €34.1K

4.65%

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

$313 £234

$405 €362

-22.69%

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

$15.88 £11.86

$30.78 €27.57

-48.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.18 £30.00

$50.7 €45.41

-20.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 £77.2

$37.43 €33.52

176.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.84 £8.10

$26.30 €23.55

-58.78%

Cinema Ticket

$17.85 £13.33

$16.61 €14.87

7.47%

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

$2,089 £1,560

$406 €363

414.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K £17.7K

$28.3K €25.3K

-16.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 £69.6

$91.5 €82.0

1.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.64 £37.06

$52.5 €47.04

-5.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 £70.4

$87.7 €78.6

7.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 £80.3

$170 €152

-36.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,201 £1,644

$720 €644

205.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,787 £1,334

$578 €518

208.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,699 £2,762

$1,275 €1,142

190.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,870 £2,143

$1,108 €992

159.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.3K £7,658

$3,345 €2,996

206.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,139 £5,331

$2,379 €2,131

200.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,239 £3,912

$3,269 €2,928

60.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.12

3.95

29.62%

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

Last update for Kingston upon Thames: 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

Kingston upon Thames

$1.8K 55.6%

Dortmund

$578 28.2% 67.6% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston upon Thames

$369 11.5%

Dortmund

$486 23.7% 31.8% $117

Eating Out

Kingston upon Thames

$351 10.9%

Dortmund

$281 13.7% 20% $70

Groceries & Markets

Kingston upon Thames

$298 9.3%

Dortmund

$346 16.9% 16.4% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston upon Thames

$155 4.8%

Dortmund

$181 8.8% 16.5% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston upon Thames

$139 4.3%

Dortmund

$71 3.5% 49.2% $68

Getting Around

Kingston upon Thames

$113 3.5%

Dortmund

$107 5.2% 5.6% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,201 in Kingston upon Thames and $720 in Dortmund. 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 Kingston upon Thames vs $79 in Dortmund for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $346 per month, with Kingston upon Thames cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Kingston upon Thames

🇩🇪 Dortmund

🕒 Local time

19:41 7:41 PM

20:41 8:41 PM

1 h ahead of Kingston upon Thames

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,013

600,933

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

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

From you

Kingston upon Thames
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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

Kingston upon Thames vs Dortmund: 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.

Average pay runs 60% higher in Kingston upon Thames, 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: $2,201 in Kingston upon Thames versus $720 in Dortmund. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,089 in Kingston upon Thames versus $406 in Dortmund. 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. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch 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, Kingston upon Thames and Dortmund are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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.