I moved from Canada to do a Master's in Data Science in Dortmund — made a full cost of living breakdown for 2026
Hey everyone, I've been lurking here since before I moved and this community helped me a lot when I was researching Germany.
I've been living in Dortmund for over a year now and I finally put together a full video breaking down every cost you need to know about as an international student — rent, health insurance, groceries, semester contribution, phone plans, the ZDF fee people always forget, and at the end I show my actual bank breakdown (spoiler: 1,042€/month in Dortmund).
I tried to make it useful for people still in the planning phase, not just a vlog. Covers both general estimations per category and my real numbers so you have something concrete to work with.
Happy to answer any questions in the comments too — I know how stressful the financial planning part is before you move.