Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Genk and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Genk: $1,828 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Genk
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Genk Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Genk

🇧🇪 Belgium

$1,828

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,828 in Genk versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Genk $1,828
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,767 in Genk versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Genk $2,767
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,706 in Genk versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Genk $3,706
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Genk costs roughly 17% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Genk 34% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.16 €20.75

$16.65 €14.92

39.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.2 €80.0

$61.7 €55.3

44.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.32 €11.94

$11.36 €10.18

17.25%

Cappuccino

$4.32 €3.87

$2.97 €2.66

45.45%

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

$2.64 €2.37

$2.29 €2.05

15.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.04

$1.74 €1.56

31.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.54 €4.07

$3.40 €3.05

33.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 €3.54

$3.31 €2.97

19.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 €0.82

$1.16 €1.04

-21.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 €2.58

$1.91 €1.71

50.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 €2.08

$1.51 €1.36

53.64%

Eggs

$3.93 €3.52

$4.02 €3.60

-2.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 €8.14

$12.94 €11.59

-29.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.42 €6.65

$7.77 €6.97

-4.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.26 €10.09

$17.76 €15.92

-36.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 €2.17

$2.30 €2.06

5.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 €2.12

$1.73 €1.55

36.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 €2.29

$1.86 €1.66

37.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.93 €2.62

$2.59 €2.32

13.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 €2.28

$1.82 €1.63

39.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.97 €1.76

-8.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.35

$1.47 €1.32

2.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.99

$0.72 €0.65

52.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.70 €11.38

$6.58 €5.90

93.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 €6.65

$5.61 €5.02

32.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.36 €1.22

25.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$2.14 €1.91

-46.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.27 €2.93

$2.33 €2.09

40.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.1 €49.39

$44.68 €40.04

23.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.54 €4.96

$3.85 €3.45

43.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.75 €2.46

$1.07 €0.96

157.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.28 €40.58

$16.46 €14.75

175.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.65

$2.20 €1.97

-16.36%

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

$22.4K €20.1K

$34.2K €30.6K

-34.42%

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

$27.4K €24.5K

$38.7K €34.7K

-29.30%

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

$169 €152

$161 €144

4.89%

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

$20.43 €18.30

$18.41 €16.50

10.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.91 €36.66

$32.74 €29.34

24.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.82 €33.00

$44.55 €39.92

-17.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.80 €17.74

$19.10 €17.11

3.66%

Cinema Ticket

$15.93 €14.27

$9.60 €8.60

65.94%

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

$281 €252

$668 €598

-57.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.8K €29.4K

$17.6K €15.8K

86.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 €96.6

$102 €91.4

5.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.61 €41.76

$44.46 €39.85

4.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 €70.9

$98.5 €88.3

-19.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 €92.3

$124 €111

-16.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$952 €853

$1,608 €1,441

-40.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$694 €622

$1,190 €1,066

-41.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,295 €1,161

$2,812 €2,520

-53.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 €933

$2,013 €1,804

-48.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,107 €3,680

$7,839 €7,025

-47.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,908 €2,606

$4,576 €4,100

-36.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,275 €2,039

$1,575 €1,411

44.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.53

3.85

-8.31%

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

Last update for Genk: 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

Genk

$694 38%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 71.4% $496

Eating Out

Genk

$327 17.9%

Lisbon

$243 11% 25.9% $85

Groceries & Markets

Genk

$268 14.7%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 1.5% $4.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Genk

$230 12.6%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 7.8% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Genk

$151 8.3%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 9.6% $14

Getting Around

Genk

$87 4.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 27.7% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Genk

$69 3.8%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 7.2% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $952 in Genk and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Genk pays 44% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $89 in Genk vs $62 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $272, with Genk cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Genk

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

07:17 7:17 AM

06:17 6:17 AM

1 h behind Genk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,321

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

Genk Lisbon 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Genk
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

Genk vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Genk is about 17% cheaper overall, especially in clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 44% higher in Genk, 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: $952 in Genk versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $281 in Genk versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $62 versus $89 in Genk. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Genk 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, Genk and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.