Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gelsenkirchen and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Gelsenkirchen: $1,884 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

91

Cost of Living Index in Gelsenkirchen
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Gelsenkirchen Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Gelsenkirchen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,884

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,884 per month in Gelsenkirchen vs $2,210 in Lisbon, rent included.

Gelsenkirchen $1,884
Lisbon $2,210

A couple spends around $2,779 per month in Gelsenkirchen vs $3,275 in Lisbon, rent included.

Gelsenkirchen $2,779
Lisbon $3,275

A family of three spends $3,674 per month in Gelsenkirchen vs $4,341 in Lisbon, rent included.

Gelsenkirchen $3,674
Lisbon $4,341

Gelsenkirchen is about 15% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Gelsenkirchen and Lisbon sit above the global median – Gelsenkirchen by 38%, Lisbon by 62%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.25 €11.90

$16.65 €14.95

-20.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.7 €68.9

$61.7 €55.5

24.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.53 €9.46

$11.36 €10.20

-7.31%

Cappuccino

$4.29 €3.85

$2.97 €2.67

44.44%

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

$3.83 €3.44

$2.29 €2.06

67.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 €2.88

$1.74 €1.56

84.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.34 €4.79

$3.40 €3.06

57.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 €3.60

$3.31 €2.97

21.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.14

$1.16 €1.04

9.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.16 €1.94

$1.91 €1.72

13.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.79 €3.41

$1.51 €1.36

150.99%

Eggs

$3.43 €3.08

$4.02 €3.61

-14.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.57 €13.09

$12.94 €11.62

12.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.73 €9.64

$7.77 €6.98

38.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.51 €22.02

$17.76 €15.95

38.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.48 €3.13

$2.30 €2.07

51.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 €1.81

$1.73 €1.56

16.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 €1.93

$1.86 €1.67

15.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.18 €3.75

$2.59 €2.33

61.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.48 €1.33

$1.82 €1.64

-18.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.97 €1.77

-41.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.47 €1.32

17.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.76

$0.72 €0.65

18.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.77 €8.78

$6.58 €5.91

48.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.55 €4.98

$5.61 €5.04

-1.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.97

$1.36 €1.22

-20.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.35

$2.14 €1.92

-29.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.73 €3.35

$2.33 €2.10

60.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.8 €62.7

$44.68 €40.14

56.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.93 €4.43

$3.85 €3.46

28.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 €1.99

$1.07 €0.96

106.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.93 €30.48

$16.46 €14.79

106.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.97

$2.20 €1.98

-0.45%

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

$30.0K €26.9K

$34.2K €30.7K

-12.27%

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

$37.6K €33.7K

$38.7K €34.8K

-3.02%

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

$384 €345

$161 €145

138.49%

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

$25.83 €23.20

$18.41 €16.54

40.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.13 €36.05

$32.74 €29.41

22.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.23 €28.05

$44.55 €40.02

-29.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.05 €25.20

$19.10 €17.16

46.86%

Cinema Ticket

$8.97 €8.06

$9.60 €8.62

-6.56%

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

$224 €202

$668 €600

-66.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K €17.2K

$17.6K €15.8K

8.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.3 €87.4

$102 €91.6

-4.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.35 €34.45

$44.46 €39.94

-13.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.7 €88.7

$98.5 €88.5

0.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 €94.3

$124 €111

-15.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$586 €527

$1,608 €1,445

-63.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$542 €487

$1,190 €1,069

-54.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,007 €905

$2,812 €2,526

-64.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$844 €758

$2,013 €1,808

-58.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,687 €1,516

$7,839 €7,042

-78.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,335 €1,199

$4,576 €4,110

-70.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,226 €2,000

$1,575 €1,415

41.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

3.85

2.86%

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

Last update for Gelsenkirchen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gelsenkirchen

$542 28.8%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 119% $648

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gelsenkirchen

$450 23.9%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 52.9% $238

Groceries & Markets

Gelsenkirchen

$336 17.9%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 19% $64

Eating Out

Gelsenkirchen

$252 13.4%

Lisbon

$243 11% 3.7% $9.3

Clothing & Footwear

Gelsenkirchen

$153 8.1%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 8.6% $13

Getting Around

Gelsenkirchen

$101 5.4%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 37.3% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Gelsenkirchen

$49 2.6%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 29.6% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $586 in Gelsenkirchen 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 run about 41% higher in Gelsenkirchen, 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 $77 in Gelsenkirchen versus $62 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $336 vs $272 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Gelsenkirchen

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

21:27 9:27 PM

20:27 8:27 PM

1 h behind Gelsenkirchen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

270,107

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Gelsenkirchen Lisbon 1,900 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Gelsenkirchen
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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

Gelsenkirchen vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon costs about 17% more than Gelsenkirchen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,826 per month in Gelsenkirchen 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 Gelsenkirchen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $586 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77 in Gelsenkirchen and $62 in Lisbon. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,884 in Gelsenkirchen and $2,210 in Lisbon. That makes Gelsenkirchen about 15% cheaper.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.