Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aachen and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Aachen: $1,948 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

94

Cost of Living Index in Aachen
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Aachen Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Aachen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,948

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aachen and in Lisbon

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

A single person spends $1,948 per month in Aachen vs $2,223 in Lisbon, rent included.

Aachen $1,948
Lisbon $2,223

A couple spends around $2,888 per month in Aachen vs $3,271 in Lisbon, rent included.

Aachen $2,888
Lisbon $3,271

A family of three spends $3,828 per month in Aachen vs $4,319 in Lisbon, rent included.

Aachen $3,828
Lisbon $4,319

Aachen is about 12% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Aachen and Lisbon sit above the global median – Aachen by 44%, Lisbon by 65%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.53 €13.82

$16.50 €14.67

-5.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 €54.0

$61.3 €54.5

-0.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 €9.90

$11.27 €10.03

-1.24%

Cappuccino

$3.61 €3.21

$3.06 €2.72

17.97%

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

$2.73 €2.43

$2.26 €2.01

20.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 €2.69

$1.73 €1.54

75.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.01 €4.45

$3.39 €3.02

47.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.42 €4.82

$3.40 €3.02

59.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.12 €1.00

7.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.86 €1.65

3.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.61 €3.21

$1.53 €1.36

135.95%

Eggs

$3.44 €3.06

$3.96 €3.53

-13.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.83 €13.19

$12.76 €11.35

16.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 €10.00

$7.90 €7.02

42.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.37 €18.12

$16.97 €15.09

20.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 €2.94

$2.27 €2.02

45.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.75 €1.55

26.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.85 €1.64

10.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.47 €3.09

$2.57 €2.28

35.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.86 €1.65

-17.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 €1.27

$2.02 €1.80

-29.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.44 €1.28

0.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.12

$0.82 €0.73

52.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.26 €9.13

$6.56 €5.83

56.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.58 €5.85

$5.62 €5.00

17.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.28 €1.14

-12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$2.07 €1.84

-20.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.82 €3.40

$2.35 €2.09

62.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.3 €61.7

$44.18 €39.30

56.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.56 €4.95

$3.99 €3.55

39.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.50 €2.22

$1.09 €0.97

129.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.79 €32.73

$16.64 €14.81

121.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 €1.99

$2.28 €2.03

-2.19%

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

$32.6K €29.0K

$33.7K €30.0K

-3.24%

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

$38.0K €33.8K

$39.3K €35.0K

-3.19%

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

$378 €337

$167 €149

125.88%

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

$17.10 €15.21

$18.80 €16.72

-9.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.02 €42.72

$33.09 €29.43

45.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.74 €32.68

$46.01 €40.93

-20.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.06 €24.96

$19.19 €17.07

46.22%

Cinema Ticket

$15.90 €14.14

$9.84 €8.75

61.59%

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

$724 €644

$677 €602

6.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.0K €16.9K

$16.9K €15.1K

12.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.8 €83.4

$101 €90.1

-7.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.55 €36.96

$45.76 €40.70

-9.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 €73.6

$100.0 €88.9

-17.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €119

$123 €109

8.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$823 €732

$1,614 €1,436

-49.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$588 €523

$1,197 €1,065

-50.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 €1,343

$2,862 €2,545

-47.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,043 €928

$1,990 €1,770

-47.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,530 €4,029

$7,577 €6,740

-40.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,431 €3,052

$4,307 €3,831

-20.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,524 €3,134

$1,588 €1,412

121.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

3.85

2.86%

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

Last update for Aachen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aachen

$588 30.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 104% $609

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aachen

$443 22.8%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 50.5% $224

Groceries & Markets

Aachen

$327 16.8%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 17.6% $58

Eating Out

Aachen

$260 13.3%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 6.8% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Aachen

$158 8.1%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 5.2% $8.2

Getting Around

Aachen

$103 5.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 38.6% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Aachen

$69 3.5%

Lisbon

$66 3% 4.2% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $823 in Aachen versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 122% higher in Aachen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Aachen versus $61.0 in Lisbon. Groceries tell a different story – $327 in Aachen vs $269 in Lisbon – so Lisbon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Aachen

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

14:56 2:56 PM

13:56 1:56 PM

1 h behind Aachen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

241,683

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Aachen Lisbon 1,790 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Aachen
Lisbon

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Aachen vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,948 in Aachen, $2,223 in Lisbon – roughly 14% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,922 per month in Aachen and $3,335 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aachen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Aachen and $61.0 in Lisbon. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,948 in Aachen and $2,223 in Lisbon. That's a gap of about 14%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Aachen, where all-in costs run around $1,948, than in Lisbon at $2,223. In Aachen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,948 in Aachen to $2,223 in Lisbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Aachen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.