Monthly Living Costs

You need to count about 860 € per month for your living costs in Germany (as a proof of finance for a residence permit, e.g. in form of a blocked account you need currently at least 853€/month for 12 months so 10236€ for a year - see the information here).

Apart from your rent you need to pay for your meals, which you cook in your flat or get from the cafeterias of Studierendenwerk etc. Calculate at least 200€ per month for food. In case you do not live in a student dormitory but have a private rented accommodation you need to pay electricity, water and heating costs ad well as rubbish collection etc.

Furthermore there is a number of insurances you should keep in mind and get a contract with. First of all there is a health insurance that is compulsory for everyone and must be taken out before the enrolment. More information about the health insurance can be found here.

You should also take a liability insurance („Haftpflichtversicherung“) and an accident insurance under consideration. The liability insurance is not mandatory however we strongly advise you to get such an insurance right after your arrival in Germany. It will protect you against costs caused by accidental incidents.  

Everyone living in Germany also needs to pay the public broadcasting license fees (former GEZ). The fees about 18 € per month and need to be paid also by exchange students for the duration of their stay. You will be contacted by a letter - do not ignore it. If you have any questions on that issue do not hesitate to contact your International Office or have a look at our websites on that topic.

Don't forget the costs for your mobile phone! The duration of German phone contracts is usually two years so we do not recommend you signing a German contract if you are only staying for one or two semesters at FH Dortmund. We advice you to rather choose the lower-cost option of getting a prepaid card and to calculate 10-20€ per month for your mobile phone usage.

All in all the monthly living cost amount to:

• about 350 - 500 € accommodation costs (Dortmund and surroundings are pretty cheap in comparison to other cities in Germany!)
• about 180 € food
• about 100 € health, liability and accident insurance
• about 18 € public broadcasting license fees
• about 20 € mobile phone, internet
• about 50 € clothing
• about 30 € working/learning materials
• about 55 € leisure, culture, sports
• And do not forget  about 50 € :
  (300€ semester contribution/ for each semester*)

*Please note:

All students of Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts need to pay a semester contribution, so-called »Semesterbeitrag« of approximately 300€ for each semester.

More information about the contribution can be found on our websites. More information on the semester contribution and its calculation can also be found on the websites of the Office for Student Affairs (Studienbüro - German and English) and here (German only). You will find there more information regarding e.g. on enrolment renewal/ Rückmeldung (which must be done for each semester), leave of absence and semester ticket etc.

The accommodation fees for the rooms in a dormitory or in a  private apartment range from 300€ to 500€. You will find more information about this particular topic on our website.

The survey International Student Barometer (ISB) proves that almost the half of our international students pay about 300 € for the accommodation in a month (diagram on the left side)! This is really affordable in comparison to other cities in Germany.