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Living in Dortmund

In Dortmund, the median gross salary is €4,197 a month (2025), the official rent index for existing tenancies is €6.00 per m² a month (2025) and unemployment is 11.7% (2024).

Dortmund is in Germany; its population was 612,165 at the end of 2025. For Dortmund, the foreign population count was 114,124 in May 2022.

Last checked 2026-09-2446 sources

Population612,165people31 Dec 2025Official source · Stadt Dortmund Statistik
Median gross salary4,197EUR/month31 Dec 2025Official source · Sozialversicherungspflichtige Bruttoarbeitsentgelte – Deutschland, West/Ost, Länder und Kreise (Jahreszahlen), Stichtag 31.12.2025
Average net rent6EUR/m²/monthcountry median €5.81 — 3% aboveOfficial source · Stadt Dortmund — Amt für Wohnen, Südwall 2-4, 44137 Dortmund; unter Mitwirkung von Haus & Grund Dortmund e.V., Mieterverein Dortmund, VdW Rheinland Westfalen, Gutachterausschuss für Grundstückswerte — Dortmunder Mietspiegel 2025/2026 (Fortschreibung 2023/2024)
Unemployment rate11.7%country median 5.1% — 129% aboveOfficial source · Arbeitslosenquoten — Länder, Kreise und Gemeinden, Gesamt, 2024 annual average
Recorded crime12,283incidents per 100,000country median 9,397 — 31% aboveOfficial source · PKS 2024 T01 Grundtabelle - Fälle mit Häufigkeitszahl (HZ) - Städte
PM2.5, annual mean9.83µg/m³country median 8.0 — 23% aboveOfficial source · Official UBA station observation retained; station lies outside the exact target municipality and is not promoted.

Higher unemployment than any other German city that publishes it, more recorded crime than 88% of German cities that publish it and dirtier air than 90% of German cities that publish it.

Which Germany-wide rules apply when you move to Dortmund?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Housing and cost

A city-level estimate placed average net cold rent at €6 per m² per month at the start of 2025.

How much does it cost to rent in Dortmund?

Average net cold rent is 6 EUR/m² per month (January 2025), excluding heating and operating charges.

Published average over existing tenancies; a specific flat can sit either side of it. Asking-rent series, where present, are separate rows in the table.

  • Average net rent (nettokalt): 6 EUR/m²/month · Stadt Dortmund — Amt für Wohnen, Südwall 2-4, 44137 Dortmund; unter Mitwirkung von Haus & Grund Dortmund e.V., Mieterverein Dortmund, VdW Rheinland Westfalen, Gutachterausschuss für Grundstückswerte — Dortmunder Mietspiegel 2025/2026 (Fortschreibung 2023/2024)28
What recurs every month6 published recurring costs, € per month
Dortmund recurring monthly costs, € per month

€ / month

Utilities, 85 m² flat€281
Private kindergarten€232
Transport pass€70
Internet, 60 Mbps€35
Mobile plan, 10 GB€31
Fitness club€24

Supplemental estimate lane; these items are not official statistics.

Net rent across major citiesDortmund highlighted among comparable cities
Net rent across major cities with Dortmund highlighted

net rent, € / m² / month

Munich€15.38
Hamburg€9.94
Stuttgart€9.72
Augsburg€9.10
Leipzig€6.27
Dortmund€6.00
Show the other 6 cities
Mannheim€9.09
Berlin€7.71
Dresden€7.20
Brunswick€6.79
Bielefeld€6.72
Duisburg€6.66
MetricValuePeriodSource
Fitness club membership, monthly24.31 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v246Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited35.41 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v246Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Private kindergarten, monthly232.2 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v246Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Meal at an inexpensive restaurant11.94 EUR31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v246Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB30.6 EUR/month31 Jul 2026Cost of Living in Dortmund. Jun 2026. Prices in Dortmund45Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Monthly transport pass69.66 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v246Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Basic utilities, 85 m² home281 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v246Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Dwellings318,781 dwellings31 Dec 2022Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) / Statistical Offices of the Länder32Official
Housing vacancy rate3.3 %31 Dec 2022Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) / Statistical Offices of the Länder32Official
Average net rent (nettokalt)6 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €5.811 Jan 2025Stadt Dortmund — Amt für Wohnen, Südwall 2-4, 44137 Dortmund; unter Mitwirkung von Haus & Grund Dortmund e.V., Mieterverein Dortmund, VdW Rheinland Westfalen, Gutachterausschuss für Grundstückswerte — Dortmunder Mietspiegel 2025/2026 (Fortschreibung 2023/2024)28Official
Average net rent (nettokalt)Alternative estimate9 EUR/m²/month2024BBSR INKAR — advertised asking rent for re-let flats (indicator 2113)16Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · district-level figure

Cost of living

Fixed monthly costs for one person in an 85 m² flat were about €927 in the latest published figures. From a median gross salary of €4,197, that leaves €3,270 before income tax and social contributions.

Where a Dortmund salary goesfixed monthly costs, share of the €927 basket · median gross salary €4,197/month
  • Net rent, 85 m² · 55%€510
  • Utilities, 85 m² · 30%€281
  • Transport pass · 8%€70
  • Internet and mobile · 7%€66

One person, 85 m² flat; the ring splits the €927 fixed basket before income tax and social contributions, latest published figures (checked 2026-09-24).

Is Dortmund a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile
Remote worker49%strong on work, weak on safety · range 41–57%
Skilled employee60%strong on work, weak on safety · range 52–68%
Student63%strong on education, weak on safety · range 56–70%
Family50%strong on education, weak on cost · range 43–57%
Retirement44%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 35–53%

Worked out from these numbers

What does a 60 m² flat cost?

About 360 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of 6 EUR/m² per month, before heating and operating charges.

Heating, water and operating charges come on top, and a specific flat can sit either side of an average.

Source period: January 2025

Is rent affordable on a local salary?

A 60 m² flat at the published average rent is about 360 EUR a month, which is 9% of the published median gross salary of 4,197 (2025). Gross, not take-home, and before heating and operating charges.

Source period: January 2025

Work and income

The unemployment rate was 11.7% in 2024.

What is the typical salary in Dortmund?

The median gross salary is about 4,197 EUR/month (2025). The regional series (home-region basis, 2024) is a separate labelled row in the table.

City-scope median, gross, before tax and social contributions.

  • Median gross salary: 4,197 EUR/month · Sozialversicherungspflichtige Bruttoarbeitsentgelte – Deutschland, West/Ost, Länder und Kreise (Jahreszahlen), Stichtag 31.12.202527
  • Median gross salary (regional): 4,000 EUR/month · 2026-07-29 · BA Entgelte im regionalen Vergleich — Medianentgelt Kreise Wohnort 20243

What is the unemployment rate in Dortmund?

The unemployment rate is 11.7 % (2024). Source: Arbeitslosenquoten — Länder, Kreise und Gemeinden, Gesamt, 2024 annual average2

Unemployment across cities in GermanyUnemployment in Dortmund is 11.7%. Of 3,080 cities with data, 1,332 have unemployment of 4 to under 6%.

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Fibre-to-the-building availability40.23 %31 Dec 2025data.bundesnetzagentur.de8Official
Gigabit broadband availability81.45 %31 Dec 2025Bundesnetzagentur / BMDV — Breitbandatlas7Official
Public employment offices1 count15 Sept 2026Agentur für Arbeit Dortmund — official office page1Official
People in employment272,810 people31 Dec 2022Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) / Statistical Offices of the Länder33Official
Median gross salary4,197 EUR/month31 Dec 2025Sozialversicherungspflichtige Bruttoarbeitsentgelte – Deutschland, West/Ost, Länder und Kreise (Jahreszahlen), Stichtag 31.12.202527Official
Median gross salary (regional)4,000 EUR/month31 Dec 2024BA Entgelte im regionalen Vergleich — Medianentgelt Kreise Wohnort 20243Official · regional context
Unemployment rate11.7 %country median 5.1%31 Dec 2024Arbeitslosenquoten — Länder, Kreise und Gemeinden, Gesamt, 2024 annual average2Official
Unemployment rate over time11 published observations, 2015–2025

Unemployment rate rose 42.0% between 2015 and 2025, from 8.4% to 12.0%.

What does a salary buy in Dortmund?

Take-home pay after tax, minus rent and the everyday bills this city publishes. Each line names its source.

Dortmund median gross pay: €4,197 (Sozialversicherungspflichtige Bruttoarbeitsentgelte – Deutschland, West/Ost, Länder und Kreise (Jahreszahlen), Stichtag 31.12.2025, 2025-12-31).
Left over each month€1,752of €2,709 take-home
  • Rent
  • Utilities
  • Transport
  • Internet
  • Mobile
  • Left over
Line-by-line breakdown and sources
Each month€
Take-home payOECD Taxing Wages 2025, single, no children. Includes central and local income tax and employee social contributions.€2,709
Rent, 60 m²€9.00/m² advertised for new lettings (market price · INKAR · 2024). Official average for existing leases: €6.00/m² (official · Stadt Dortmund · 2025-01-01).− €540
Public transport pass€70 · market price · Global Cost of Living · 2022-12-31− €70
Utilities, 85 m²€281 · market price · Global Cost of Living · 2022-12-31− €281
Internet€35 · market price · Global Cost of Living · 2022-12-31− €35
Mobile plan€31 · market price · Cost of Living in Dortmund. Jun 2026. Prices in Dortmund · 2026-07-31− €31
Left over€1,752
Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Dortmund Salary needed to live in Dortmund

Public employment offices in Dortmund

Agentur für Arbeit Dortmund lists 1 public employment office in Dortmund (checked 2026-09-16). Use the official office finder for addresses and appointments; registration and job search are also available online through the national service below.

Office count verified

Bundesagentur für Arbeit — Public employment service

Bundesagentur für Arbeit

Job Search

The office count comes from the service's own directory. Individual addresses and opening hours are not listed here yet. Sources checked through 16 Sept 2026.

Family and education

MetricValuePeriodSource
Public language course providers20 count9 Aug 2026Official accepted language-service location records21Official

School for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 6 to 15, and public school is free. Newly arrived pupils get support in the school language: Länder Sprachförderung (e.g. Sprachlernklassen BW/Berlin; vorklassen); Starting Opportunities Programme. How to enrol a child (kmk.org).

A country-wide rule for Germany; Dortmund's school authority applies it locally.

Sources: eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · 2025–2026.

Healthcare

MetricValuePeriodSource
Hospital beds per 100,000 residents594.4 beds per 100,00031 Dec 2024Bundesministerium für Gesundheit (Bundesklinik-Atlas)6Official
Hospitals12 count31 Dec 2024Krankenhausverzeichnis 202418Official

Yes — migrants receive medical care in Dortmund through valid health insurance.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide
Hospital beds per 100,000 residents594.4 beds per 100,000Verified 2026-08-03
Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Safety

How safe is Dortmund?

Police recorded 12,283 incidents per 100,000 (2024). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: PKS 2024 T01 Grundtabelle - Fälle mit Häufigkeitszahl (HZ) - Städte26

Recorded crime across major citiesDortmund highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Dortmund highlighted

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Bremen15,424
Frankfurt14,600
Berlin13,900
Hanover13,192
Cologne12,343
Dortmund12,283
Dusseldorf12,172
Leipzig11,129
Essen9,619
Dresden8,853
Stuttgart8,552
Munich6,214
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents12,283 incidents per 100,000country median 9,39731 Dec 2024PKS 2024 T01 Grundtabelle - Fälle mit Häufigkeitszahl (HZ) - Städte26Official
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residentsAlternative estimate10,470 incidents per 100,0002022INKAR — Indikatoren und Karten zur Raum- und Stadtentwicklung, district (Kreis) indicator table16Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · district-level figure
Months covered by crime statistics12 months/year31 Dec 2025BKA PKS T01 Staedte-Falltabelle5Official

Mobility and administration

MetricValuePeriodSource
Destinations from nearest airport28 count13 Jun 2026OpenFlights — routes.dat24Official
Nearest airportDTM13 Jun 2026OurAirports — airports.csv25Official
Distance to nearest airport10 km13 Jun 2026OurAirports — airports.csv25Official

Language courses and integration in Dortmund

58 exact course-location records are linked to this city. Check the linked source for dates, availability and enrolment.

Verified locally
58verified local records
20publicly funded course providers
Exact city-linked records checked 2026-08-09. Showing 3 representative locations from 58 verified records. Provider-supplied records are supplemental and are not presented as official accreditation.

Find courses near Dortmund

Climate and air quality

Monthly mean temperatures were 2.8°C in January and 18.7°C in July. Monthly precipitation was 77 mm in January and 91 mm in July. Annual PM2.5 was 9.83 µg/m³ in 2024.

Is the air quality good in Dortmund?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 9.8 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³.

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

  • PM2.5 — annual mean: 9.83 µg/m³ · Official UBA station observation retained; station lies outside the exact target municipality and is not promoted.23
Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours
Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in GermanyAnnual PM2.5 in Dortmund is 9.8 µg/m³. Of 477 cities with data, 164 have annual PM2.5 of 8 to under 9 µg/m³.

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

MetricValuePeriodSource
NO₂ — annual mean24.37 µg/m³country median 13.72024Official UBA station observation retained; station lies outside the exact target municipality and is not promoted.23Official
NO₂ — latest reading21.14 µg/m³15 Jul 2026Official UBA station observation retained; station lies outside the exact target municipality and is not promoted.23Official
PM10 — annual mean14.88 µg/m³country median 13.52024Official UBA station observation retained; station lies outside the exact target municipality and is not promoted.23Official
PM2.5 — annual mean9.83 µg/m³country median 8.02024Official UBA station observation retained; station lies outside the exact target municipality and is not promoted.23Official
Monthly extreme high temperatureJan 12.26 · Feb 16.7 · Mar 20.58 · Apr 25.86 · May 30.57 · Jun 33.88 · Jul 39.18 · Aug 36.94 · Sep 32.01 · Oct 26.64 · Nov 19.4 · Dec 13.65 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center19Official
Monthly extreme low temperatureJan -14.92 · Feb -17.53 · Mar -9.95 · Apr -5.38 · May -1.59 · Jun 3.54 · Jul 6.56 · Aug 5.42 · Sep 3.32 · Oct -5.01 · Nov -7.27 · Dec -13.93 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center19Official
Average temperature by monthJan 2.8 · Feb 3.3 · Mar 6.1 · Apr 9.9 · May 13.8 · Jun 16.8 · Jul 18.7 · Aug 18.3 · Sep 14.4 · Oct 10.5 · Nov 6.5 · Dec 3.6 °C31 Dec 1991DWD multi-annual station means 1991-2020 (temperature)13Official
Average precipitation by monthJan 77 · Feb 68 · Mar 61 · Apr 48 · May 62 · Jun 73 · Jul 91 · Aug 85 · Sep 73 · Oct 72 · Nov 73 · Dec 82 mm31 Dec 1991DWD multi-annual station means 1991-2020 (precipitation)11Official
Average sunshine by monthJan 50 · Feb 72 · Mar 121 · Apr 173 · May 199 · Jun 199 · Jul 206 · Aug 194 · Sep 144 · Oct 104 · Nov 54 · Dec 40 hours31 Dec 1991DWD multi-annual station means 1991-2020 (sunshine)12Official
Annual mean temperature9.8 °C31 Dec 2020DWD Climate Data Center — Klimanormal 1991-2020, Jahresmittel Lufttemperatur 2m (1×1 km Raster)10Official · land
Annual PM2.5 over time8 published observations, 2014–2024

Annual PM2.5 fell 34.5% between 2014 and 2024, from 15.0 to 9.8.

Population and city profile

How many people live in Dortmund?

The published population was 612,165 people in 2025. Source: Stadt Dortmund Statistik29

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Cars per 1,000 residents497 cars/1000 residents1 Jan 2026Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt — FZ 3 vehicle stock by municipality17Official
City area280.7 km²31 Dec 2025Stadt Dortmund Statistik29Official
Foreign-resident share20.3 %31 Dec 2024Eurostat14Official
Foreign residents114,124 people15 May 2022Zensus 2022 regional tables — Germany municipalities35Official
Population density2,150 people/km²31 Dec 2024Official municipality population divided by official municipality area from the same Destatis row.22Official
Female residents303,601 people31 Dec 2022Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) / Statistical Offices of the Länder35Official
Male residents294,641 people31 Dec 2022Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) / Statistical Offices of the Länder35Official
Population612,165 people31 Dec 2025Stadt Dortmund Statistik29Official
Population covered by crime statistics595,471 people31 Dec 2024BKA PKS Bevölkerungsdaten (04-KR-BV-insg, Quelle Statistisches Bundesamt)4Official
Population over time14 published observations, 2012–2025

Population rose 7.1% between 2012 and 2025, from 571,403 to 612,165.

Foreign residents over time10 published observations, 2016–2025

Foreign residents rose 36.0% between 2016 and 2025, from 91,972 to 125,079.

People and communities

MetricValuePeriodSource
Catholic residents139,600 people31 Dec 2022Destatis9Official
Catholic share23.3 %31 Dec 2022Destatis9Official
No religion or other310,996 people31 Dec 2022Destatis9Official
No religion or other, share52 %31 Dec 2022Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis)9Official
Protestant residents147,649 people31 Dec 2022Destatis9Official
Protestant share24.7 %31 Dec 2022Destatis9Official

International community in Dortmund

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Country of birth

Persons · 2022-05-15

Published groupPeopleShare
Total598,246100.0%
Germany447,74774.8%
Poland25,3574.2%
Turkey19,6823.3%
Syrian Arab Republic11,6451.9%
Ukraine7,6091.3%
Russian Federation7,2361.2%
Morocco5,9891.0%
Romania4,9120.8%
Kazakhstan4,2990.7%
Bulgaria3,7950.6%
Show 156 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Spain3,4720.6%
Iraq3,0830.5%
Greece2,7490.5%
Italy2,6310.4%
Iran, Islamic Republic of2,6090.4%
Serbia2,4390.4%
Bosnia and Herzegovina2,3070.4%
Macedonia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of2,2230.4%
Kosovo1,9990.3%
Afghanistan1,6130.3%
Croatia1,5240.3%
Not stated1,5090.3%
Lebanon1,3040.2%
India1,2660.2%
Albania1,2270.2%
China1,1780.2%
Hungary1,1530.2%
Portugal1,1360.2%
Sri Lanka1,0610.2%
Czech Republic9190.2%
Tunisia9130.2%
Ghana8900.1%
Moldova, Republic of8120.1%
United Kingdom8000.1%
Nigeria7780.1%
France7270.1%
Guinea7190.1%
Austria6950.1%
Cameroon6900.1%
Viet Nam5920.1%
Netherlands5690.1%
Egypt5680.1%
Lithuania5570.1%
Kyrgyzstan5310.1%
Brazil5070.1%
Somalia4990.1%
Pakistan4880.1%
Thailand4660.1%
United States4230.1%
Eritrea3830.1%
Algeria3680.1%
Latvia3670.1%
Uzbekistan3540.1%
Tajikistan3520.1%
Bangladesh3390.1%
Belarus3110.1%
Jordan2960.0%
Korea, Republic of2960.0%
Philippines2940.0%
Georgia2740.0%
Azerbaijan2700.0%
Slovenia2560.0%
Switzerland2420.0%
Gambia2420.0%
Indonesia2210.0%
Belgium2140.0%
Armenia2030.0%
Colombia1990.0%
Montenegro1970.0%
Slovakia1840.0%
Angola1780.0%
Mexico1690.0%
Libya1640.0%
Palestinian territories1440.0%
Saudi Arabia1400.0%
Israel1380.0%
Congo, the Democratic Republic of the1340.0%
Chile1200.0%
Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of1150.0%
Cuba1130.0%
Japan1060.0%
Sweden1050.0%
Dominican Republic1040.0%
Estonia1000.0%
Kenya990.0%
Togo970.0%
Senegal960.0%
Denmark930.0%
United Arab Emirates850.0%
Peru830.0%
South Africa820.0%
Luxembourg750.0%
Ireland740.0%
Ethiopia720.0%
Taiwan, Province of China720.0%
Ecuador690.0%
Canada690.0%
Côte D'Ivoire680.0%
Mauritania680.0%
Finland670.0%
Australia660.0%
Nepal630.0%
Argentina620.0%
Kuwait580.0%
Sudan550.0%
Turkmenistan520.0%
Yemen500.0%
Mali490.0%
Malaysia480.0%
Mongolia440.0%
Sierra Leone430.0%
Norway380.0%
Congo340.0%
Rwanda340.0%
Jamaica330.0%
Guinea-Bissau300.0%
Lao People'S Democratic Republic300.0%
Niger290.0%
Liberia270.0%
Zimbabwe260.0%
Burundi250.0%
Malta240.0%
Cyprus240.0%
Uruguay240.0%
Benin230.0%
Chad230.0%
Bolivia, Plurinational State of230.0%
Paraguay230.0%
Uganda210.0%
El Salvador180.0%
Burkina Faso170.0%
Korea, Democratic People'S Republic of170.0%
Costa Rica160.0%
Singapore160.0%
Namibia140.0%
Tanzania, United Republic of140.0%
Guatemala140.0%
Mauritius130.0%
Panama120.0%
Gabon110.0%
Mozambique110.0%
New Zealand110.0%
Bhutan100.0%
Haiti90.0%
Honduras80.0%
Trinidad and Tobago80.0%
Myanmar80.0%
Cambodia80.0%
Oman80.0%
Madagascar70.0%
Bahrain70.0%
Qatar70.0%
Papua New Guinea60.0%
Iceland50.0%
Cape Verde50.0%
Equatorial Guinea50.0%
Botswana40.0%
Nicaragua40.0%
Brunei Darussalam40.0%
Malawi30.0%
Zambia30.0%
Seychelles30.0%
Guyana30.0%
Dominica30.0%
Fiji30.0%
Vanuatu30.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source31

Citizenship

Persons · 2022-05-15

Published groupPeopleShare
Total598,246100.0%
Germany484,12380.9%
Turkey19,4053.2%
Syrian Arab Republic12,5812.1%
Poland8,5251.4%
Ukraine5,9281.0%
Romania5,3550.9%
Spain5,3130.9%
Bulgaria4,2880.7%
Greece3,6930.6%
Italy3,6880.6%
Show 149 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Morocco3,1980.5%
Iraq2,7220.5%
Serbia2,4220.4%
Croatia2,3840.4%
Macedonia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of2,3590.4%
Bosnia and Herzegovina1,9410.3%
Russian Federation1,7640.3%
Kosovo1,6600.3%
Afghanistan1,5680.3%
Portugal1,5230.3%
Iran, Islamic Republic of1,1340.2%
Hungary1,1300.2%
India1,0840.2%
China1,0510.2%
Albania1,0280.2%
Nigeria8510.1%
Uncertain8220.1%
Guinea7710.1%
Netherlands7570.1%
Lebanon7390.1%
Somalia7310.1%
Ghana5990.1%
Austria5890.1%
Sri Lanka5860.1%
Tunisia5800.1%
Cameroon4910.1%
Eritrea4620.1%
Lithuania4530.1%
United Kingdom4480.1%
Egypt4380.1%
France4070.1%
Pakistan3790.1%
Thailand3470.1%
Viet Nam3290.1%
Bangladesh3120.1%
United States2820.0%
Latvia2750.0%
Brazil2730.0%
Tajikistan2700.0%
Kazakhstan2640.0%
Gambia2550.0%
Korea, Republic of2540.0%
Jordan2230.0%
Montenegro2210.0%
Azerbaijan2060.0%
Belarus1950.0%
Moldova, Republic of1940.0%
Belgium1890.0%
Armenia1890.0%
Algeria1830.0%
Stateless1760.0%
Georgia1610.0%
Indonesia1570.0%
Czech Republic1500.0%
Angola1360.0%
Slovakia1270.0%
Slovenia1220.0%
Colombia1100.0%
Philippines1090.0%
Sweden1030.0%
Congo, the Democratic Republic of the1020.0%
Libya960.0%
Mexico950.0%
Ireland930.0%
Switzerland890.0%
Japan880.0%
Israel680.0%
Kenya670.0%
Canada660.0%
Kyrgyzstan660.0%
Senegal650.0%
Uzbekistan630.0%
Cuba620.0%
Togo560.0%
Finland540.0%
Denmark520.0%
Nepal510.0%
Chile480.0%
Norway460.0%
Mauritania460.0%
Dominican Republic440.0%
Côte D'Ivoire430.0%
Mali430.0%
Taiwan, Province of China430.0%
Peru410.0%
Malaysia400.0%
Estonia390.0%
Mongolia390.0%
Sudan370.0%
Yemen350.0%
Ethiopia340.0%
South Africa340.0%
Luxembourg320.0%
Palestinian territories310.0%
Not stated310.0%
Congo290.0%
Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of290.0%
Ecuador280.0%
Australia250.0%
Rwanda240.0%
Argentina230.0%
Niger210.0%
Sierra Leone200.0%
Cyprus190.0%
Benin190.0%
Zimbabwe180.0%
Guinea-Bissau160.0%
El Salvador150.0%
Jamaica140.0%
Liberia130.0%
Bolivia, Plurinational State of130.0%
Malta120.0%
Saudi Arabia120.0%
Uganda110.0%
Turkmenistan110.0%
Burundi100.0%
Mauritius90.0%
Burkina Faso90.0%
Madagascar80.0%
Guatemala80.0%
Lao People'S Democratic Republic80.0%
Costa Rica70.0%
Panama70.0%
New Zealand70.0%
Gabon60.0%
Myanmar60.0%
Iceland50.0%
Tanzania, United Republic of50.0%
Honduras50.0%
Paraguay50.0%
Uruguay50.0%
Trinidad and Tobago50.0%
Zambia40.0%
Haiti40.0%
China (Hong Kong)40.0%
Bahrain40.0%
Singapore40.0%
Botswana30.0%
Cape Verde30.0%
Mozambique30.0%
Malawi30.0%
Namibia30.0%
Suriname30.0%
Saint Kitts and Nevis30.0%
Bhutan30.0%
Korea, Democratic People'S Republic of30.0%
Cambodia30.0%
United Arab Emirates30.0%
Papua New Guinea30.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source30

Additional context

MetricValuePeriodSource
Owner-occupied homes27.02 %31 Dec 2022Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) / Statistical Offices of the Länder32Official
Labour force301,790 people31 Dec 2022Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) / Statistical Offices of the Länder33Official
Local business-tax multiplier485 %31 Dec 2022www.statistikportal.de34Official
Local property-tax multiplier610 %31 Dec 2022www.statistikportal.de34Official

Alternatives for people set on Dortmund

Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.

Essen as a Dortmund alternative in the same region

32 km away, better on 5 of 6 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1. Rent cannot be compared like for like.

  • Nearest airport: 23.7 km Essen vs 10.0 km Dortmund+137%
  • Rent: €6.72/m² (2022) Essen vs €6.00/m² (2025) Dortmundno percentage
  • Recorded crime, per 100k: 9,619 Essen vs 12,283 Dortmund−22%
  • Empty flats: 3.9% Essen vs 3.3% Dortmund+19%
  • Hospital beds, per 100k: 709.2 Essen vs 594.4 Dortmund+19%
  • Basic utilities, 85 m²: €220 Essen vs €281 Dortmund−22%
  • Unemployment: 10.8% Essen vs 11.7% Dortmund−8%

Nuremberg as a Dortmund alternative in the same country

A move, not a commute, at 343 km, better on 6 of 6 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0. Rent cannot be compared like for like.

  • Unemployment: 6.7% Nuremberg vs 11.7% Dortmund−43%
  • Rent: €8.21/m² (2022) Nuremberg vs €6.00/m² (2025) Dortmundno percentage
  • Recorded crime, per 100k: 7,428 Nuremberg vs 10,470 Dortmund−29%
  • Nearest airport: 5.1 km Nuremberg vs 10.0 km Dortmund−49%
  • Foreign residents: 25.7% Nuremberg vs 20.3% Dortmund+27%
  • Annual PM2.5: 8.4 µg/m³ Nuremberg vs 9.8 µg/m³ Dortmund−15%
  • Basic utilities, 85 m²: €223 Nuremberg vs €281 Dortmund−21%

Alternatives with a better balance

same official-source families, comparable grain — left of gross salary after the same fixed costs

Nearby is not always better: the greyed row leaves less than Dortmund at the same fixed-cost basket. Every alternative publishes the same metric families, each with its own source and date.

Cities near Dortmund

Published cities within 25 km, nearest first. Distances are straight-line.

Schwerte Commuting Zone · 10.3 km away
Rent
5.81 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2022-05-15
Castrop-Rauxel Commuting Zone · 11.0 km away
Rent
5.92 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2022-05-15
Luenen Commuting Zone · 12.0 km away
Rent
5.67 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2022-05-15
Herdecke Commuting Zone · 12.9 km away
Rent
6.16 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2022-05-15
Waltrop Commuting Zone · 13.1 km away
Rent
5.95 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2022-05-15
Wetter (Ruhr) Commuting Zone · 15.4 km away
Rent
5.78 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2022-05-15
Unna Commuting Zone · 15.6 km away
Rent
5.99 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2022-05-15
Bergkamen Commuting Zone · 16.3 km away
Rent
5.44 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2022-05-15

Alternative cities in Germany

Other cities in Germany to compare with Dortmund, nearest in population first.

All Germany cities

How does Dortmund compare?

Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Dortmund's.

Dortmund in rankings

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

Is Dortmund expensive?

Fixed monthly costs for one person in an 85 m² flat — net rent, utilities, a transport pass, internet and mobile — came to about €927 against a median gross salary of €4,197, leaving about €3,270 before income tax. Sources: the rent, recurring-cost and salary series published on this page, each with its own source and date.

How many people live in Dortmund?

The published population was 612,165 people in 2025. Source: Stadt Dortmund Statistik.

How much does it cost to rent in Dortmund?

Average net cold rent is 6 EUR/m² per month (January 2025), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 420 EUR a month before utilities. Source: Stadt Dortmund — Amt für Wohnen, Südwall 2-4, 44137 Dortmund; unter Mitwirkung von Haus & Grund Dortmund e.V., Mieterverein Dortmund, VdW Rheinland Westfalen, Gutachterausschuss für Grundstückswerte — Dortmunder Mietspiegel 2025/2026 (Fortschreibung 2023/2024).

Is the air quality good in Dortmund?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 9.8 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: Official UBA station observation retained; station lies outside the exact target municipality and is not promoted..

How safe is Dortmund?

Police recorded 12,283 incidents per 100,000 (2024). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: PKS 2024 T01 Grundtabelle - Fälle mit Häufigkeitszahl (HZ) - Städte.

What is the typical salary in Dortmund?

The median gross salary is about 4,197 EUR/month (2025). The regional series (home-region basis, 2024) is a separate labelled row in the table. Source: Sozialversicherungspflichtige Bruttoarbeitsentgelte – Deutschland, West/Ost, Länder und Kreise (Jahreszahlen), Stichtag 31.12.2025.

What is the unemployment rate in Dortmund?

The unemployment rate is 11.7 % (2024). Source: Arbeitslosenquoten — Länder, Kreise und Gemeinden, Gesamt, 2024 annual average.

Is Dortmund a good place to live?

Dortmund may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

Which cities are near Dortmund?

Schwerte, Castrop-Rauxel, Luenen, Herdecke, Waltrop are near Dortmund. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.

How many people born in Germany live in Dortmund?

The official country of birth distribution records 447,747 people (74.8%) in the source-defined population for 2022-05-15. This is a country of birth measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation
ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 16). Dortmund, Germany: population, cost of living, rent, salary [ImmigrationDB compilation; version b67be4ae39bf66ebe4dc188ba17f27f2]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/de/dortmund/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_dortmund-germany-population-cost-of-living-rent-salary_35f6037755de,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Dortmund, Germany: population, cost of living, rent, salary},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {b67be4ae39bf66ebe4dc188ba17f27f2},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/de/dortmund/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Dortmund, Germany: population, cost of living, rent, salary](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/de/dortmund/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version b67be4ae39bf66ebe4dc188ba17f27f2; retrieved 2026-10-16; built 2026-10-16.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown
  1. Agentur für Arbeit Dortmund — official office page Agentur für Arbeit Dortmund · arbeitsagentur.de · checked 2026-09-15
  2. Arbeitslosenquoten — Länder, Kreise und Gemeinden, Gesamt, 2024 annual average Arbeitslosenquoten · statistik.arbeitsagentur.de · checked 2026-07-26
  3. BA Entgelte im regionalen Vergleich — Medianentgelt Kreise Wohnort 2024 BA Entgelte im regionalen Vergleich · statistik.arbeitsagentur.de · checked 2026-07-29
  4. BKA PKS Bevölkerungsdaten (04-KR-BV-insg, Quelle Statistisches Bundesamt) bka.de · checked 2026-09-05
  5. BKA PKS T01 Staedte-Falltabelle polizei.de · checked 2026-09-05
  6. Bundesministerium für Gesundheit (Bundesklinik-Atlas) bundes-klinik-atlas.de · checked 2026-08-03
  7. Bundesnetzagentur / BMDV — Breitbandatlas Bundesnetzagentur / BMDV · gigabitgrundbuch.bund.de · checked 2026-07-14
  8. data.bundesnetzagentur.de data.bundesnetzagentur.de · checked 2026-08-08
  9. Destatis destatis.de · checked 2026-08-08
  10. DWD Climate Data Center — Klimanormal 1991-2020, Jahresmittel Lufttemperatur 2m (1×1 km Raster) DWD Climate Data Center · opendata.dwd.de · checked 2026-06-05
Show 36 more sources
  1. DWD multi-annual station means 1991-2020 (precipitation) opendata.dwd.de · checked 2026-07-26
  2. DWD multi-annual station means 1991-2020 (sunshine) opendata.dwd.de · checked 2026-07-26
  3. DWD multi-annual station means 1991-2020 (temperature) opendata.dwd.de · checked 2026-07-26
  4. Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-02
  5. GISCO Urban Audit 2021 — Functional Urban Areas (URAU_RG_100K_2021_4326_FUA) GISCO Urban Audit 2021 · gisco-services.ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-19
  6. INKAR — Indikatoren und Karten zur Raum- und Stadtentwicklung, district (Kreis) indicator table INKAR · inkar.de · checked 2026-07-16
  7. Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt — FZ 3 vehicle stock by municipality Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt · kba.de · checked 2026-07-14
  8. Krankenhausverzeichnis 2024 statistikportal.de · checked 2026-09-19
  9. NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  10. oecd.org place coordinates oecd.org · checked 2026-08-28
  11. Official accepted language-service location records bamf-navi.bamf.de · checked 2026-09-15
  12. Official municipality population divided by official municipality area from the same Destatis row. destatis.de · checked 2024-12-31
  13. Official UBA station observation retained; station lies outside the exact target municipality and is not promoted. umweltbundesamt.de · checked 2026-07-15
  14. OpenFlights — routes.dat OpenFlights · raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-07-14
  15. OurAirports — airports.csv OurAirports · davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-07-14
  16. PKS 2024 T01 Grundtabelle - Fälle mit Häufigkeitszahl (HZ) - Städte bka.de · checked 2026-07-16
  17. Sozialversicherungspflichtige Bruttoarbeitsentgelte – Deutschland, West/Ost, Länder und Kreise (Jahreszahlen), Stichtag 31.12.2025 statistik.arbeitsagentur.de · checked 2026-09-19
  18. Stadt Dortmund — Amt für Wohnen, Südwall 2-4, 44137 Dortmund; unter Mitwirkung von Haus & Grund Dortmund e.V., Mieterverein Dortmund, VdW Rheinland Westfalen, Gutachterausschuss für Grundstückswerte — Dortmunder Mietspiegel 2025/2026 (Fortschreibung 2023/2024) Stadt Dortmund · dortmund.de · checked 2026-07-14
  19. Stadt Dortmund Statistik dortmund.de · checked 2026-07-14
  20. Statistical Offices of the Federation and the Länder, Germany citizenship distribution ergebnisse.zensus2022.de · checked 2026-08-28
  21. Statistical Offices of the Federation and the Länder, Germany country of birth distribution ergebnisse.zensus2022.de · checked 2026-08-28
  22. Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) / Statistical Offices of the Länder destatis.de · checked 2026-08-07
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  24. www.statistikportal.de statistikportal.de · checked 2026-08-08
  25. Zensus 2022 regional tables — Germany municipalities Zensus 2022 regional tables · destatis.de · checked 2026-07-26
  26. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  27. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  28. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  29. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  30. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  31. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  32. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  33. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  34. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  35. Cost of Living in Dortmund. Jun 2026. Prices in Dortmund numbeo.com · checked 2026-07-27
  36. Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2 Global Cost of Living · kaggle.com · checked 2026-07-27

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.