Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Essen and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Essen: $1,982 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

96

Cost of Living Index in Essen
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Essen Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Essen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,982

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,982 per month in Essen vs $2,223 in Lisbon, rent included.

Essen $1,982
Lisbon $2,223

A couple spends around $3,088 per month in Essen vs $3,271 in Lisbon, rent included.

Essen $3,088
Lisbon $3,271

A family of three spends $4,195 per month in Essen vs $4,319 in Lisbon, rent included.

Essen $4,195
Lisbon $4,319

Essen is about 11% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Essen and Lisbon sit above the global median – Essen by 47%, Lisbon by 65%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.00 €17.79

$16.50 €14.67

21.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.1 €78.4

$61.3 €54.5

43.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 €11.90

$11.27 €10.02

18.72%

Cappuccino

$3.88 €3.45

$3.06 €2.72

26.80%

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

$3.13 €2.78

$2.26 €2.01

38.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.33

$1.73 €1.54

51.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.09 €5.42

$3.39 €3.02

79.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.11

$3.40 €3.02

68.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.07

$1.12 €1.00

8.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.86 €1.65

17.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.39 €3.02

$1.53 €1.36

121.57%

Eggs

$3.68 €3.27

$3.96 €3.53

-7.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.14 €14.36

$12.76 €11.35

26.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.50 €9.34

$7.90 €7.02

32.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.76 €22.02

$16.97 €15.09

45.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 €2.99

$2.27 €2.02

48.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.75 €1.55

19.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.85 €1.64

21.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.91 €3.48

$2.57 €2.28

52.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.86 €1.65

-30.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.02 €1.80

-36.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.44 €1.28

6.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.07

$0.82 €0.73

46.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.51 €8.45

$6.56 €5.83

44.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.60 €4.98

$5.62 €5.00

-0.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.28 €1.14

-15.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.33

$2.07 €1.84

-27.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.09 €3.64

$2.35 €2.09

74.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.6 €58.4

$44.18 €39.29

48.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.93 €4.38

$3.99 €3.55

23.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.49 €3.10

$1.09 €0.97

220.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.38 €35.02

$16.64 €14.80

136.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.28 €2.03

-3.95%

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

$32.2K €28.6K

$33.7K €30.0K

-4.37%

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

$38.4K €34.1K

$39.3K €34.9K

-2.37%

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

$386 €344

$167 €149

130.67%

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

$38.73 €34.45

$18.80 €16.72

106.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.40 €35.93

$33.09 €29.43

22.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.94 €36.41

$46.01 €40.92

-11.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.05 €32.06

$19.19 €17.07

87.86%

Cinema Ticket

$15.31 €13.62

$9.84 €8.75

55.59%

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

$459 €408

$677 €602

-32.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,430 €8,387

$16.9K €15.0K

-44.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.6 €85.9

$101 €90.0

-4.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$82.1 €73.1

$45.76 €40.70

79.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €97.6

$100.0 €88.9

9.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$156 €139

$123 €109

27.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$637 €567

$1,614 €1,435

-60.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$487 €433

$1,197 €1,065

-59.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 €1,249

$2,862 €2,545

-50.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$969 €862

$1,990 €1,770

-51.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,704 €4,184

$7,577 €6,739

-37.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 €2,708

$4,307 €3,831

-29.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,999 €2,668

$1,588 €1,412

88.91%

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 Essen: 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

Essen

$487 24.6%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 146% $710

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Essen

$465 23.5%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 52.9% $246

Groceries & Markets

Essen

$342 17.3%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 21.2% $73

Eating Out

Essen

$312 15.7%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 22.3% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Essen

$200 10.1%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 16.8% $34

Getting Around

Essen

$104 5.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 39.6% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Essen

$72 3.6%

Lisbon

$66 3% 8.2% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $637 in Essen versus $1,614 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 89% higher in Essen, 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 $88.0 in Essen versus $61.0 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $342 vs $269 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Essen

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

13:32 1:32 PM

12:32 12:32 PM

1 h behind Essen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

569,884

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Essen Lisbon 1,890 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Essen
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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

Essen vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon costs about 12% more than Essen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,972 per month in Essen and $3,335 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 49% less in Essen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $459 per month in Essen and $677 in Lisbon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Essen, where all-in costs run around $1,982, than in Lisbon at $2,223. In Essen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,982 in Essen to $2,223 in Lisbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Essen. 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.