Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cologne and Lisbon

For one person, living costs are similar in Cologne and in Lisbon: $2,233 and $2,210 a month, rent and utilities included.

107

Cost of Living Index in Cologne
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Cologne Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Cologne

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,233

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,233 in Cologne versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Cologne $2,233
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,388 in Cologne versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Cologne $3,388
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,543 in Cologne versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Cologne $4,543
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Cologne is roughly 1% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cologne 64% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.02 €15.29

$16.65 €14.96

2.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.7 €75.2

$61.7 €55.5

35.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.82 €10.62

$11.36 €10.20

4.05%

Cappuccino

$4.02 €3.61

$2.97 €2.67

35.35%

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

$3.74 €3.36

$2.29 €2.06

63.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.80

$1.74 €1.56

79.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 €4.90

$3.40 €3.06

60.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.91

$3.31 €2.97

64.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.14

$1.16 €1.04

9.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 €2.30

$1.91 €1.72

34.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 €2.78

$1.51 €1.36

104.64%

Eggs

$3.71 €3.33

$4.02 €3.61

-7.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.64 €11.36

$12.94 €11.62

-2.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.08 €10.85

$7.77 €6.99

55.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.79 €20.48

$17.76 €15.96

28.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 €2.73

$2.30 €2.07

32.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.82

$1.73 €1.56

17.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.86 €1.67

39.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 €3.39

$2.59 €2.33

45.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.82 €1.64

-21.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.97 €1.77

-41.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.47 €1.32

2.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.99

$0.72 €0.65

52.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.84 €8.84

$6.58 €5.92

49.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.54 €5.88

$5.61 €5.04

16.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.36 €1.22

-7.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.52

$2.14 €1.92

-21.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.90 €3.51

$2.33 €2.10

67.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.5 €64.2

$44.68 €40.14

60.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 €4.82

$3.85 €3.46

39.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.74 €2.46

$1.07 €0.96

156.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.45 €30.06

$16.46 €14.79

103.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 €2.00

$2.20 €1.98

0.91%

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

$33.1K €29.8K

$34.2K €30.7K

-3.09%

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

$38.0K €34.1K

$38.7K €34.8K

-1.86%

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

$301 €271

$161 €145

86.73%

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

$12.17 €10.93

$18.41 €16.54

-33.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.02 €32.36

$32.74 €29.41

10.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.99 €37.73

$44.55 €40.03

-5.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.28 €31.70

$19.10 €17.16

84.71%

Cinema Ticket

$15.90 €14.29

$9.60 €8.62

65.63%

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

$1,103 €991

$668 €600

65.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K €19.7K

$17.6K €15.8K

24.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.4 €78.6

$102 €91.7

-14.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.11 €36.93

$44.46 €39.95

-7.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €91.1

$98.5 €88.5

2.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €120

$124 €111

8.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,223 €1,099

$1,608 €1,445

-23.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$917 €824

$1,190 €1,069

-22.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,340 €2,103

$2,812 €2,527

-16.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,628 €1,463

$2,013 €1,809

-19.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,324 €6,581

$7,839 €7,043

-6.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,056 €4,543

$4,576 €4,111

10.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,562 €3,201

$1,575 €1,415

126.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.83

3.85

-0.52%

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

Last update for Cologne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cologne

$917 41.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 29.8% $273

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cologne

$349 15.6%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 39.2% $137

Groceries & Markets

Cologne

$337 15.1%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 19.3% $65

Eating Out

Cologne

$285 12.8%

Lisbon

$243 11% 15% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Cologne

$164 7.3%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 1.4% $2.2

Getting Around

Cologne

$106 4.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 40.5% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Cologne

$74 3.3%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 13.6% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,223 in Cologne and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cologne pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $84 in Cologne vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $337 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Cologne

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

15:00 3:00 PM

14:00 2:00 PM

1 h behind Cologne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,095,520

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Cologne Lisbon 1,850 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cologne
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

Cologne vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cologne and Lisbon differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($2,233 vs $2,210 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Cologne is about 2.3 times higher, 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: $1,223 in Cologne versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 38% less than in Cologne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,103 in Cologne versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Lisbon gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Cologne 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.

It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Cologne on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.