Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arnhem and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,557 in Arnhem, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Arnhem
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Arnhem Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Arnhem

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,557

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arnhem 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 Arnhem and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,557 in Arnhem versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Arnhem $2,557
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,743 in Arnhem versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Arnhem $3,743
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,930 in Arnhem versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Arnhem $4,930
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Arnhem is roughly 15% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Arnhem 89% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.91 €19.49

$16.50 €14.67

32.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.2 €75.8

$61.3 €54.5

39.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.98 €13.32

$11.27 €10.03

32.92%

Cappuccino

$4.07 €3.62

$3.06 €2.72

33.01%

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

$3.34 €2.97

$2.26 €2.01

47.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 €2.52

$1.73 €1.54

63.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 €5.00

$3.39 €3.02

65.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.47 €4.86

$3.40 €3.02

60.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.12 €1.00

32.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.86 €1.65

6.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.53 €1.36

49.67%

Eggs

$5.21 €4.64

$3.96 €3.53

31.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 €11.33

$12.76 €11.35

-0.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.14 €12.58

$7.90 €7.02

78.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.77 €14.03

$16.97 €15.09

-7.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 €2.50

$2.27 €2.02

24.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.75 €1.55

45.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.85 €1.64

0.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.39 €4.79

$2.57 €2.28

109.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 €1.67

$1.86 €1.65

1.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 €2.13

$2.02 €1.80

18.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 €1.08

$1.44 €1.28

-15.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$0.82 €0.73

-13.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.23 €12.65

$6.56 €5.83

116.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.15 €6.36

$5.62 €5.00

27.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.28 €1.14

12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.07 €1.84

27.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.35 €3.87

$2.35 €2.09

85.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$113 €100

$44.18 €39.30

155.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 €3.56

$3.99 €3.55

0.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.09 €0.97

118.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.86 €29.23

$16.64 €14.81

97.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.39 €2.12

$2.28 €2.03

4.82%

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

$41.8K €37.2K

$33.7K €30.0K

24.21%

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

$39.7K €35.3K

$39.3K €35.0K

1.02%

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

$276 €245

$167 €149

64.55%

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

$22.71 €20.20

$18.80 €16.72

20.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.44 €37.75

$33.09 €29.43

28.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.30 €36.73

$46.01 €40.93

-10.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 €9.78

$19.19 €17.07

-42.73%

Cinema Ticket

$14.38 €12.79

$9.84 €8.75

46.14%

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

$1,259 €1,120

$677 €602

85.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,925 €5,270

$16.9K €15.1K

-64.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.3 €84.8

$101 €90.1

-5.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.13 €25.91

$45.76 €40.70

-36.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €94.8

$100.0 €88.9

6.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 €136

$123 €109

24.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,436 €1,278

$1,614 €1,436

-11.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,159 €1,031

$1,197 €1,065

-3.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,228 €1,982

$2,862 €2,545

-22.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,834 €1,632

$1,990 €1,770

-7.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,312 €4,725

$7,577 €6,740

-29.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,175 €3,714

$4,307 €3,831

-3.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,723 €3,312

$1,588 €1,412

134.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

3.85

2.60%

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

Last update for Arnhem: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arnhem

$1.2K 45.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 3.3% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arnhem

$341 13.3%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 35.6% $121

Groceries & Markets

Arnhem

$335 13.1%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 19.6% $66

Eating Out

Arnhem

$333 13%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 27.2% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Arnhem

$173 6.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 3.6% $6.2

Getting Around

Arnhem

$146 5.7%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 56.9% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Arnhem

$70 2.7%

Lisbon

$66 3% 6.2% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,436 in Arnhem and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arnhem pays 134% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Arnhem vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $335 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Arnhem

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

01:45 1:45 AM

00:45 12:45 AM

1 h behind Arnhem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,770

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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Between locations

Arnhem Lisbon 1,880 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Arnhem
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

Arnhem vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arnhem and Lisbon differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($2,557 vs $2,223 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 134% higher in Arnhem, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,436 in Arnhem versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Arnhem. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $85.0 in Arnhem. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,557 in Arnhem, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Arnhem. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Arnhem and Lisbon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Arnhem. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.