Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Dortmund

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.

196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Dortmund
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Dortmund Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Dortmund

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,033

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

London $4,086
Dortmund $2,033

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

London $5,816
Dortmund $3,086

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

London $7,546
Dortmund $4,140

Living in London is roughly 101% more expensive than in Dortmund, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.62 £20.11

$16.71 €14.92

59.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.3

$79.2 €70.7

35.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 £7.85

$12.12 €10.82

-14.27%

Cappuccino

$5.79 £4.38

$3.82 €3.41

51.57%

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

$3.01 £2.27

$2.99 €2.67

0.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.63

$2.87 €2.56

-25.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.35 £7.06

$5.74 €5.12

62.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 £5.93

$4.97 €4.43

57.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.40 €1.25

27.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 £1.56

$2.35 €2.10

-12.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 £1.74

$3.78 €3.37

-38.89%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.82

$3.75 €3.35

34.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 £9.50

$15.55 €13.88

-19.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 £8.05

$11.72 €10.46

-9.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 £12.94

$23.53 €21.00

-27.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$3.38 €3.02

-10.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.07

$2.28 €2.03

-38.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.31

$2.20 €1.96

38.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.56

$4.10 €3.66

-17.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$1.30 €1.16

28.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.31

$1.62 €1.45

6.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.07

$1.62 €1.44

-12.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.09 €0.97

64.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.22 £17.55

$9.47 €8.45

145.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 £9.82

$6.78 €6.05

91.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.40

$1.13 €1.01

181.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 £3.33

$1.70 €1.52

159.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 £2.93

$4.00 €3.57

-3.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$250 £189

$66.3 €59.2

277.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 £4.31

$5.45 €4.87

4.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 £2.51

$2.86 €2.55

16.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.9 £43.76

$36.34 €32.43

59.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.54

$2.09 €1.87

-2.39%

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

$37.5K £28.4K

$33.5K €29.9K

11.93%

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

$40.9K £30.9K

$39.0K €34.8K

4.85%

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

$376 £284

$399 €356

-5.81%

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

$17.88 £13.51

$30.53 €27.25

-41.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.01 £30.24

$50.7 €45.21

-21.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 £46.22

$38.59 €34.44

58.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 £15.93

$27.25 €24.32

-22.68%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.57

$16.57 €14.79

8.33%

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

$2,865 £2,165

$408 €364

602.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.7K

$27.7K €24.7K

27.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.7

$90.5 €80.8

28.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 £40.87

$51.3 €45.78

5.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 £95.7

$87.7 €78.3

44.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 £120

$175 €157

-9.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,853 £2,156

$718 €641

297.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 £1,739

$586 €523

293.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,201 £3,931

$1,302 €1,162

299.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,723 £2,813

$1,094 €976

240.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.0K £14.4K

$3,056 €2,728

521.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,881 £5,955

$2,289 €2,043

244.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,818 £3,641

$3,170 €2,829

52.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

3.95

17.72%

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

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Last update for Dortmund: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.5%

Dortmund

$586 28.5% 74.6% $1.7K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$434 10.7%

Dortmund

$480 23.4% 10.7% $47

Eating Out

London

$397 9.7%

Dortmund

$278 13.5% 29.9% $119

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.6%

Dortmund

$353 17.2% 0.9% $3.2

Getting Around

London

$288 7.1%

Dortmund

$102 5% 64.5% $186

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5%

Dortmund

$182 8.9% 11.2% $23

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Dortmund

$72 3.5% 26.1% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,853 in London and $718 in Dortmund. 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: $108 in London vs $79.0 in Dortmund. Groceries flip the comparison at $349 vs $353, with London cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇩🇪 Dortmund

🕒 Local time

07:30 7:30 AM

08:30 8:30 AM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

600,933

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Dortmund 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

London
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

London vs Dortmund: 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.

Average pay runs 52% higher in London, 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: $2,853 in London versus $718 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 $79.0 versus $108 in London. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $4,086 per month in London versus $2,033 in Dortmund – 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, London 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.

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.