Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portsmouth, NH and Dresden

For one person, living is cheaper in Dresden: $1,933 a month against $2,779 in Portsmouth, NH, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Portsmouth, NH outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

136

Cost of Living Index in Portsmouth, NH
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Portsmouth, NH Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Dresden
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Dresden Living Index

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Portsmouth, NH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,779

/mo nomad

Dresden

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,933

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,779 in Portsmouth, NH versus $1,933 in Dresden.

Portsmouth, NH $2,779
Dresden $1,933

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,019 in Portsmouth, NH versus $2,928 in Dresden.

Portsmouth, NH $4,019
Dresden $2,928

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,259 in Portsmouth, NH versus $3,924 in Dresden.

Portsmouth, NH $5,259
Dresden $3,924

Living in Portsmouth, NH is roughly 44% more expensive than in Dresden, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Portsmouth, NH 106% above, Dresden 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.79 $20.79

$17.05 €15.17

21.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$83.5 €74.3

21.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.77 $8.77

$11.26 €10.01

-22.11%

Cappuccino

$3.88 $3.88

$4.41 €3.92

-12.02%

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

$2.57 $2.57

$3.68 €3.27

-30.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$3.03 €2.70

-50.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.86 $6.86

$5.93 €5.27

15.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.65 $7.65

$6.71 €5.97

14.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.23 €1.10

6.50%

White Bread (500g)

$5.28 $5.28

$2.14 €1.90

146.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.18 $4.18

$2.92 €2.60

43.15%

Eggs

$3.60 $3.60

$3.80 €3.38

-5.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.20 $11.20

$16.24 €14.44

-31.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.87 $12.87

$11.75 €10.45

9.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.37 $17.37

$22.12 €19.68

-21.47%

Apples (1kg)

$5.28 $5.28

$3.04 €2.71

73.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.97 €1.75

8.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.68 $4.68

$1.97 €1.76

137.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$3.81 €3.39

13.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.49 €1.33

5.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.41 €1.25

87.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.48 €1.32

64.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.12 €1.00

165.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.22 $14.22

$9.97 €8.87

42.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.72 $15.72

$5.65 €5.02

178.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.07 €0.95

66.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.40 €1.24

42.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.77 €3.35

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.5 €65.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.93 $5.93

$4.43 €3.94

33.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.83 $4.83

$2.61 €2.32

85.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.82 €29.19

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$2.32 €2.06

-62.93%

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

$37.1K $37.1K

$33.1K €29.4K

12.15%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$37.5K €33.3K

-30.69%

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

$195 $195

$386 €344

-49.44%

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

$52.6 $52.6

$20.77 €18.48

153.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 $53.1

$43.01 €38.26

23.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.52 $24.52

$33.36 €29.67

-26.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.61 €21.89

Cinema Ticket

$12.03 $12.03

$13.34 €11.87

-9.82%

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

$826 $826

$883 €786

-6.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.8K $33.8K

$15.2K €13.5K

122.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.06 $25.06

$87.4 €77.8

-71.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.36 $37.36

$41.81 €37.19

-10.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.1 $51.1

$106 €93.9

-51.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.0 $80.0

$119 €106

-32.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,149 $2,149

$733 €652

192.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,581 $1,581

$530 €472

198.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,227 $4,227

$1,566 €1,393

169.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,454 $2,454

$938 €834

161.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,838 $4,838

$4,874 €4,335

-0.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,081 $3,081

$2,592 €2,306

18.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,066 $6,066

$2,972 €2,644

104.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.1

3.96

54.04%

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

Last update for Portsmouth, NH: October 11, 2026

Last update for Dresden: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Portsmouth, NH

$1.6K 56.9%

Dresden

$530 27.4% 66.5% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Portsmouth, NH

$426 15.3%

Dresden

$335 17.3% 21.6% $92

Eating Out

Portsmouth, NH

$305 11%

Dresden

$293 15.2% 4% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portsmouth, NH

$301 10.8%

Dresden

$450 23.3% 49.5% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Portsmouth, NH

$87 3.1%

Dresden

$159 8.2% 82.7% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Portsmouth, NH

$49 1.8%

Dresden

$60 3.1% 23.6% $11

Getting Around

Portsmouth, NH

$30 * 1.1%

Dresden

$106 5.5% 253% $76

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 $2,149 in Portsmouth, NH and $733 in Dresden. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Portsmouth, NH pays 104% 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: $101 in Portsmouth, NH vs $84.0 in Dresden for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $426 vs $335 per month, with Dresden cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Portsmouth, NH

🇩🇪 Dresden

🕒 Local time

02:50 2:50 AM

08:50 8:50 AM

6 h ahead of Portsmouth, NH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,535

556,780

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

From you

Portsmouth, NH
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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

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

Dresden wins on cost – living expenses run 44% 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.

Average pay runs 104% higher in Portsmouth, NH, 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: $2,149 in Portsmouth, NH versus $733 in Dresden. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Portsmouth, NH. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,779 per month in Portsmouth, NH versus $1,933 in Dresden – a 44% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,933 in Dresden versus $2,779 in Portsmouth, NH, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Dresden but tight or insufficient in Portsmouth, NH. The gap between the two cities makes Dresden the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Dresden delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,933 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Dresden hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Portsmouth, NH and Dresden 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 Dresden gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Portsmouth, NH. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.