Cost of Living in Dresden

1. Things to know before arriving in Dresden
2. How to get to Dresden
3. Public transport in Dresden – How to get around Dresden
4. Cost of living in Dresden
5. Saving money in Dresden
6. Accommodation for students in Dresden
7. Neighbourhoods of Dresden - The most important districts of Dresden
8. Nightlife in Dresden - A guide to nightclubs and going out in Dresden
9. Typical Dresden Cuisine
10. What to do in Dresden
11. Places to visit around Dresden
12. Dresden in 3 days - What to see in Dresden in 3 days

The eastern part of Germany is much cheaper than the western one! In particular, Dresden is one of the cheapest cities for living and studying in Germany, can you believe it?

Accomodation

In comparison to other German cities , the rent for rooms, apartments and dorms are much more affordable here. Most of the students, especially the German ones, live in shared apartments and not in dorms; I guess they are more suitable for exchange students. A room in a shared apartment should cost around 180-300€ per month with bills and internet included. But, of course, everything depends on what you are looking for: the area, quality, number of rooms, etc. Prices for dorms are almost the same, sometimes they can be cheaper.

Food and Drink

Shopping can be more or less expensive depending on the supermarket you choose. The most student-friendly ones (concerning their budget) are Netto, Aldi, and Lidl. A little bit more expensive are Rewe and Konsum, but if you check the leaflets, which you'll find weekly in your postbox, you can find really good deals. To have an idea about the cost of the basic food, here is a little list:

• milk (1 liter) €0.68
• loaf of fresh white bread (500g) €1.07
• rice (white, 1kg) €1.82
• eggs (regular, 12) €1.50
• local cheese (1kg) €5.38
• chicken Breast (boneless, skinless, 1kg) €6.48
• beef (1kg) €10.05
• apples (1kg) €1.99
• banana (1kg) €1.65
• oranges (1kg) €2.57
• tomato (1kg) €2.86
• potato (1kg) €0.91
• onion (1kg) €0.77
• lettuce (1 head) €0.97
• water (1,5l bottle) €0.20
• bottle of wine (mid range) €4.99
• national beer (0,5 liter bottle) €0.55
• imported beer (0,5 liter bottle) €1.13

You can use the students canteens of the Technical University. They offer a lot of different types of lunches, which are super tasty and really cheap. Prices stand between €1.80-30, depending on the meal. For the daily menu click here.

Before going out, students meet in their apartments or dorms for a drink or two so they can save money for the party. That’s really common and you can buy cheap beer in the supermarket, which costs between €0.40-0.90.

On the other hand, if you want to eat outside it usually costs between €7 and €11, drinks included. But, of course, it depends on the place.

Public Transport

As I mentioned before: the lucky university students of Dresden have free access to EVERY public transport in the city, all they need is the student card. Moreover, it allows you to take trains in the whole federal state of Saxony for free, so you can visit every city, every village, mountains, and some beautiful lakes in the surroundings of the city. Anyway, if you are visiting the city as a tourist or you're doing an internship outside the university, here is an overall view of the ticket prices:

• One-way ticket €2.30
• Ticket for 4 rides €8.20
• Day ticket €6
• Week ticket €21.50
• Month ticket €60.50

Mobile Phone

As there are no roaming fees, people living within the European Union can use their home companies to stay in contact with their families and friends. There is no extra charges for messages and calls. However, if you come from a country outside the EU or even if you want to message/call German numbers, there is a wide range of possibilities. Firstly, you should think about a contract or a prepaid card. If you are staying only half a year in Dresden, I would recommend a prepaid sim, as the contracts usually have a minimum duration of one year. Sim cards from Aldi (Aldi Talk) or Lidl (Lidl Connect) Supermarket are a good and cheap possibility. For €10 you can have free calls to German numbers, free messages and up to 2GB and you can easily recharge your mobile phone credit during your food shopping.

Click here if you want to:

• Return to Public transport in Dresden - How to get around Dresden
• Continue to Saving money in Dresden

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