Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Giessen and Lisbon

For one person, living costs are similar in Giessen and in Lisbon: $2,262 and $2,210 a month, rent and utilities included.

109

Cost of Living Index in Giessen
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Giessen Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Giessen

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,262

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,262 per month in Giessen vs $2,210 in Lisbon, rent included.

Giessen $2,262
Lisbon $2,210

A couple spends around $3,161 per month in Giessen vs $3,275 in Lisbon, rent included.

Giessen $3,161
Lisbon $3,275

A family of three spends $4,059 per month in Giessen vs $4,341 in Lisbon, rent included.

Giessen $4,059
Lisbon $4,341

Giessen costs about 2% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Giessen and Lisbon sit above the global median – Giessen by 66%, Lisbon by 62%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.48 €19.30

$16.65 €14.96

29.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €61.0

$61.7 €55.5

9.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.94

$11.36 €10.20

16.90%

Cappuccino

$4.01 €3.60

$2.97 €2.67

35.02%

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

$2.34 €2.10

$2.29 €2.06

2.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.74 €1.56

13.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.63 €4.16

$3.40 €3.06

36.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 €4.97

$3.31 €2.97

67.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.16 €1.04

13.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 €1.93

$1.91 €1.72

12.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.76 €3.37

$1.51 €1.36

149.01%

Eggs

$3.59 €3.23

$4.02 €3.61

-10.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.39 €12.93

$12.94 €11.62

11.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.96 €9.84

$7.77 €6.99

41.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.00 €17.07

$17.76 €15.96

6.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 €2.71

$2.30 €2.07

31.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 €1.59

$1.73 €1.56

2.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 €1.89

$1.86 €1.67

13.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.91 €3.51

$2.59 €2.33

50.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 €1.08

$1.82 €1.64

-34.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.01

$1.97 €1.77

-43.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.47 €1.32

4.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.16

$0.72 €0.65

79.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.91 €8.90

$6.58 €5.92

50.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.68 €5.11

$5.61 €5.04

1.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 €0.89

$1.36 €1.22

-27.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.14 €1.92

-29.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.81 €3.43

$2.33 €2.10

63.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.9 €61.9

$44.68 €40.14

54.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.60 €5.04

$3.85 €3.46

45.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.18 €1.96

$1.07 €0.96

103.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.52 €34.61

$16.46 €14.79

134.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 €1.72

$2.20 €1.98

-13.18%

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

$29.9K €26.9K

$34.2K €30.7K

-12.44%

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

$38.6K €34.7K

$38.7K €34.8K

-0.26%

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

$348 €312

$161 €145

115.64%

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

$32.76 €29.43

$18.41 €16.54

77.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.1 €46.84

$32.74 €29.41

59.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.83 €33.99

$44.55 €40.03

-15.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$10.47 €9.41

$9.60 €8.62

9.06%

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

$1,088 €977

$668 €600

62.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$44.9K €40.4K

$17.6K €15.8K

155.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.88 €39.43

$102 €91.7

-56.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.21 €19.96

$44.46 €39.95

-50.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €101

$98.5 €88.5

14.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 €137

$124 €111

22.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$713 €641

$1,608 €1,445

-55.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$891 €800

$1,190 €1,069

-25.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,438 €1,292

$2,812 €2,527

-48.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 €1,087

$2,013 €1,809

-39.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,559 €4,995

$7,839 €7,043

-29.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,829 €2,542

$4,576 €4,111

-38.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,667 €2,396

$1,575 €1,415

69.35%

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 Giessen: 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

Giessen

$891 39.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 33.6% $299

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Giessen

$433 19.1%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 50.9% $220

Groceries & Markets

Giessen

$320 14.1%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 14.8% $47

Eating Out

Giessen

$311 13.8%

Lisbon

$243 11% 22.1% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Giessen

$149 6.6%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 11.6% $17

Getting Around

Giessen

$101 4.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 37.2% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Giessen

$59 2.6%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 8.4% $5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $713 in Giessen 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 69% higher in Giessen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Giessen versus $62 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $272 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Giessen

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

14:01 2:01 PM

13:01 1:01 PM

1 h behind Giessen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,179

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Giessen Lisbon 1,920 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Giessen
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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

Giessen vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,262 in Giessen, $2,210 in Lisbon – roughly 2% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,393 per month in Giessen 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 Giessen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $713 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Giessen 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 $2,262 in Giessen and $2,210 in Lisbon. That’s a gap of about 2%.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,262 in Giessen and $2,210 in Lisbon, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,210 in Lisbon to $2,262 in Giessen. 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 Lisbon. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Giessen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.