Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bielefeld and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Bielefeld: $1,928 a month against $2,202 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 Bielefeld
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Bielefeld Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Bielefeld

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,928

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,928 per month in Bielefeld vs $2,202 in Lisbon, rent included.

Bielefeld $1,928
Lisbon $2,202

A couple spends around $2,941 per month in Bielefeld vs $3,274 in Lisbon, rent included.

Bielefeld $2,941
Lisbon $3,274

A family of three spends $3,954 per month in Bielefeld vs $4,346 in Lisbon, rent included.

Bielefeld $3,954
Lisbon $4,346

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

Both Bielefeld and Lisbon sit above the global median – Bielefeld by 42%, Lisbon by 62%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.68 €12.17

$17.04 €15.15

-19.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$62.3 €55.4

8.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.40 €13.70

$11.02 €9.80

39.75%

Cappuccino

$3.91 €3.47

$3.12 €2.78

25.32%

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

$2.93 €2.60

$2.27 €2.02

29.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 €2.68

$1.74 €1.55

73.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.25 €4.67

$3.42 €3.04

53.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.67 €4.15

$3.74 €3.33

24.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.10

$1.17 €1.04

5.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.86 €1.66

11.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.70 €3.29

$1.54 €1.37

140.26%

Eggs

$3.59 €3.20

$4.06 €3.61

-11.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.64 €12.13

$12.91 €11.49

5.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.65 €9.47

$7.90 €7.03

34.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.47

$17.64 €15.69

11.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 €2.84

$2.26 €2.01

41.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.88

$1.75 €1.55

21.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.89 €1.68

12.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.16 €4.59

$2.56 €2.27

101.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.85 €1.64

-36.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.97 €1.75

-32.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 €1.47

$1.45 €1.29

14.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 €0.91

$0.77 €0.69

32.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.68 €8.61

$6.71 €5.97

44.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.76 €5.12

$5.67 €5.04

1.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.37 €1.22

-23.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 €1.41

$2.11 €1.88

-24.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.54 €3.15

$2.32 €2.07

52.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 €56.9

$44.43 €39.52

43.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.56 €4.05

$3.95 €3.51

15.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.05 €2.71

$1.05 €0.93

190.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.42 €29.73

$17.15 €15.26

94.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

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

$33.6K €29.9K

$33.8K €30.0K

-0.54%

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

$39.2K €34.8K

$38.3K €34.0K

2.35%

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

$300 €267

$164 €146

83.09%

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

$29.93 €26.63

$18.48 €16.43

61.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.89 €39.04

$32.96 €29.32

33.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.95 €30.19

$45.87 €40.80

-25.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.33 €34.10

$18.68 €16.61

105.19%

Cinema Ticket

$13.75 €12.23

$9.75 €8.67

41.03%

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

$665 €591

$684 €608

-2.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.9K €27.5K

$17.6K €15.7K

75.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 €88.1

$104 €92.3

-4.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.95 €35.54

$46.20 €41.09

-13.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 €113

$99.7 €88.7

27.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 €124

$125 €111

11.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$689 €613

$1,589 €1,414

-56.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 €557

$1,169 €1,040

-46.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 €1,068

$2,851 €2,536

-57.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,162 €1,034

$1,993 €1,773

-41.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,696 €4,177

$7,793 €6,932

-39.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,244 €1,996

$4,418 €3,930

-49.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,815 €2,504

$1,600 €1,423

75.95%

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 Bielefeld: October 20, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bielefeld

$627 32.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 86.6% $542

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bielefeld

$374 19.4%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 42.4% $158

Groceries & Markets

Bielefeld

$323 16.8%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 15.6% $50

Eating Out

Bielefeld

$262 13.6%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 5.5% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Bielefeld

$183 9.5%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 7.7% $14

Getting Around

Bielefeld

$98 5.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 35.7% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Bielefeld

$61 3.2%

Lisbon

$65 3% 6.4% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $689 in Bielefeld versus $1,589 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 76% higher in Bielefeld, 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 $68.0 in Bielefeld versus $62.0 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $323 vs $273 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Bielefeld

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

18:05 6:05 PM

17:05 5:05 PM

1 h behind Bielefeld

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

328,012

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Bielefeld Lisbon 2,010 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Bielefeld
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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

Bielefeld vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,891 per month in Bielefeld and $3,302 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 18% cheaper in Lisbon – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Bielefeld and $62.0 in Lisbon. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Bielefeld, where all-in costs run around $1,928, than in Lisbon at $2,202. In Bielefeld it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bielefeld – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Bielefeld. 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.