Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,547 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,547

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,547 per month in Berlin vs $2,210 in Lisbon, rent included.

Berlin $2,547
Lisbon $2,210

A couple spends around $3,875 per month in Berlin vs $3,275 in Lisbon, rent included.

Berlin $3,875
Lisbon $3,275

A family of three spends $5,204 per month in Berlin vs $4,341 in Lisbon, rent included.

Berlin $5,204
Lisbon $4,341

Berlin costs about 15% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Berlin and Lisbon sit above the global median – Berlin by 87%, Lisbon by 62%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.64 €14.92

$16.65 €14.93

-0.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.0 €70.0

$61.7 €55.4

26.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 €12.00

$11.36 €10.19

17.78%

Cappuccino

$4.24 €3.80

$2.97 €2.66

42.76%

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

$3.42 €3.06

$2.29 €2.05

49.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 €2.83

$1.74 €1.56

81.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 €4.89

$3.40 €3.05

60.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 €3.90

$3.31 €2.97

31.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.16 €1.04

4.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.34 €2.10

$1.91 €1.71

22.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.34 €3.00

$1.51 €1.36

121.19%

Eggs

$4.45 €3.99

$4.02 €3.61

10.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.11 €15.35

$12.94 €11.61

32.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.12 €10.87

$7.77 €6.97

55.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.59 €15.78

$17.76 €15.93

-0.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.63 €3.26

$2.30 €2.07

57.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 €1.75

$1.73 €1.55

12.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.31 €2.97

$1.86 €1.67

77.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.71 €3.33

$2.59 €2.32

43.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.82 €1.63

17.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$1.97 €1.77

6.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 €1.26

$1.47 €1.32

-4.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 €0.90

$0.72 €0.65

38.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.60 €9.51

$6.58 €5.91

61.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.75 €6.05

$5.61 €5.03

20.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.36 €1.22

-4.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.84

$2.14 €1.92

-3.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.60 €4.12

$2.33 €2.09

97.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.3 €62.2

$44.68 €40.08

55.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.35 €4.80

$3.85 €3.45

38.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.15 €2.83

$1.07 €0.96

194.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.94 €33.13

$16.46 €14.77

124.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 €2.08

$2.20 €1.97

5.45%

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

$33.7K €30.2K

$34.2K €30.7K

-1.42%

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

$38.8K €34.8K

$38.7K €34.7K

0.30%

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

$378 €339

$161 €145

134.28%

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

$19.42 €17.42

$18.41 €16.51

5.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.13 €43.17

$32.74 €29.37

47.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.30 €35.26

$44.55 €39.96

-11.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.65 €31.97

$19.10 €17.13

86.65%

Cinema Ticket

$14.44 €12.95

$9.60 €8.61

50.42%

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

$146 €131

$668 €599

-78.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K €14.3K

$17.6K €15.8K

-9.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.6 €85.7

$102 €91.5

-6.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.53 €42.64

$44.46 €39.89

6.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.1

$98.5 €88.4

6.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €128

$124 €111

15.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 €1,262

$1,608 €1,443

-12.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,117 €1,002

$1,190 €1,067

-6.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,718 €2,438

$2,812 €2,523

-3.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,172 €1,949

$2,013 €1,806

7.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,339 €7,480

$7,839 €7,032

6.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,319 €4,771

$4,576 €4,104

16.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,507 €3,146

$1,575 €1,413

122.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

3.85

-1.30%

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

Last update for Berlin: October 27, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 43.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 6.6% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$445 17.5%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 52.3% $233

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$345 13.6%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 21.2% $73

Eating Out

Berlin

$286 11.2%

Lisbon

$243 11% 15.3% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$176 6.9%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 5.7% $10

Getting Around

Berlin

$109 4.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 41.9% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$68 2.7%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 6.5% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,407 in Berlin versus $1,608 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 in Berlin are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Berlin versus $62 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $345 vs $272 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

08:29 8:29 AM

07:29 7:29 AM

1 h behind Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Berlin Lisbon 2,310 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Berlin
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

Berlin vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,820 per month in Berlin and $3,315 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Berlin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,407 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,547 in Berlin and $2,210 in Lisbon. That’s a gap of about 15%.

Public transport costs about 36% less in Lisbon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,547 in Berlin and $2,210 in Lisbon, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lisbon costs $2,210 versus $2,547 in Berlin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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