Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brussels and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,594 in Brussels, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Brussels
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Brussels Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Brussels

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,594

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,594 in Brussels versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Brussels $2,594
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,876 in Brussels versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Brussels $3,876
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,157 in Brussels versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Brussels $5,157
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Brussels is roughly 17% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brussels 92% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.12 €19.67

$16.50 €14.67

34.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.8 €79.9

$61.3 €54.5

46.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.07 €13.41

$11.27 €10.03

33.72%

Cappuccino

$4.49 €4.00

$3.06 €2.72

46.73%

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

$3.67 €3.27

$2.26 €2.01

62.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 €2.80

$1.73 €1.54

82.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 €5.04

$3.39 €3.02

67.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 €5.01

$3.40 €3.02

65.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.12 €1.00

20.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 €2.46

$1.86 €1.65

48.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.78 €2.48

$1.53 €1.36

81.70%

Eggs

$5.22 €4.65

$3.96 €3.53

31.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.44 €15.51

$12.76 €11.35

36.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.36 €11.88

$7.90 €7.02

69.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.90 €19.48

$16.97 €15.09

29.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 €2.70

$2.27 €2.02

33.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$1.75 €1.55

38.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 €2.52

$1.85 €1.64

52.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.07 €3.62

$2.57 €2.28

58.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$1.86 €1.65

37.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$2.02 €1.80

10.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.44 €1.28

27.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 €1.12

$0.82 €0.73

53.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.26 €11.80

$6.56 €5.83

102.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.61 €8.55

$5.62 €5.00

71.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 €2.31

$1.28 €1.14

103.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.78

$2.07 €1.84

50.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 €2.50

$2.35 €2.09

20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.6 €54.8

$44.18 €39.30

39.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 €2.59

$3.99 €3.55

-27.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 €1.98

$1.09 €0.97

104.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.47 €36.00

$16.64 €14.81

143.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.28 €2.03

-9.65%

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

$36.0K €32.0K

$33.7K €30.0K

6.87%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$39.3K €35.0K

-15.44%

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

$283 €252

$167 €149

69.18%

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

$21.97 €19.54

$18.80 €16.72

16.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 €46.01

$33.09 €29.43

56.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.30 €29.62

$46.01 €40.93

-27.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.56 €24.51

$19.19 €17.07

43.62%

Cinema Ticket

$16.33 €14.53

$9.84 €8.75

65.96%

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

$1,569 €1,396

$677 €602

131.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.7K €32.6K

$16.9K €15.1K

116.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 €91.9

$101 €90.1

2.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.60 €40.56

$45.76 €40.70

-0.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.2

$100.0 €88.9

9.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 €130

$123 €109

19.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,318 €1,172

$1,614 €1,436

-18.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 €1,038

$1,197 €1,065

-2.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,463 €2,191

$2,862 €2,545

-13.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,975 €1,756

$1,990 €1,770

-0.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,099 €4,535

$7,577 €6,740

-32.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,881 €3,453

$4,307 €3,831

-9.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,357 €2,986

$1,588 €1,412

111.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.71

3.85

-3.64%

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

Last update for Brussels: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brussels

$1.2K 45%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 2.6% $30

Groceries & Markets

Brussels

$392 15.1%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 31.4% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brussels

$357 13.8%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 38.6% $138

Eating Out

Brussels

$343 13.2%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 29.4% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Brussels

$182 7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 8.6% $16

Getting Around

Brussels

$87 3.4%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 27.5% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Brussels

$66 2.5%

Lisbon

$66 3% 0.4% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,318 in Brussels and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brussels pays 111% 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: $90.0 in Brussels vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $392 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Brussels

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

17:51 5:51 PM

16:51 4:51 PM

1 h behind Brussels

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,137 Capital

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

Brussels Lisbon 1,710 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Brussels
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

Brussels vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Brussels. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lisbon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 111% higher in Brussels, 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: $1,318 in Brussels versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Brussels. 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 $90.0 in Brussels. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,594 in Brussels, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Brussels. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lisbon delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,223 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lisbon hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Brussels 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 17% less than in Brussels. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.