Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Haarlem and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $3,158 in Haarlem, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

154

Cost of Living Index in Haarlem
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Haarlem Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Haarlem

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,158

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,158 per month in Haarlem vs $2,223 in Lisbon, rent included.

Haarlem $3,158
Lisbon $2,223

A couple spends around $4,385 per month in Haarlem vs $3,271 in Lisbon, rent included.

Haarlem $4,385
Lisbon $3,271

A family of three spends $5,612 per month in Haarlem vs $4,319 in Lisbon, rent included.

Haarlem $5,612
Lisbon $4,319

Haarlem costs about 42% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Haarlem and Lisbon sit above the global median – Haarlem by 134%, Lisbon by 65%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.84 €25.65

$16.50 €14.67

74.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 €89.4

$61.3 €54.5

64.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.82 €12.30

$11.27 €10.02

22.63%

Cappuccino

$4.20 €3.74

$3.06 €2.72

37.25%

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

$4.10 €3.65

$2.26 €2.01

81.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 €2.92

$1.73 €1.54

89.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.90 €7.03

$3.39 €3.02

133.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 €4.93

$3.40 €3.02

63.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.12 €1.00

25.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 €2.48

$1.86 €1.65

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$1.53 €1.36

66.67%

Eggs

$4.74 €4.21

$3.96 €3.53

19.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.62 €12.11

$12.76 €11.35

6.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.00 €11.56

$7.90 €7.02

64.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.98 €18.66

$16.97 €15.09

23.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$2.27 €2.02

31.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$1.75 €1.55

41.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

Tomato (1kg)

$4.94 €4.39

$2.57 €2.28

92.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.86 €1.65

2.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 €2.03

$2.02 €1.80

13.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 €1.08

$1.44 €1.28

-15.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 €0.89

$0.82 €0.73

21.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.08 €12.53

$6.56 €5.83

114.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 €6.82

$5.62 €5.00

36.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.28 €1.14

19.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 €2.12

$2.07 €1.84

15.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 €2.45

$2.35 €2.09

17.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.8 €71.9

$44.18 €39.29

82.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.19 €5.51

$3.99 €3.55

55.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.49 €2.21

$1.09 €0.97

128.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.09 €23.20

$16.64 €14.80

56.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.57 €2.29

$2.28 €2.03

12.72%

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

$41.7K €37.1K

$33.7K €30.0K

23.88%

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

$39.0K €34.7K

$39.3K €34.9K

-0.75%

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

$248 €221

$167 €149

48.36%

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

$23.70 €21.08

$18.80 €16.72

26.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 €53.9

$33.09 €29.43

83.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 €50.2

$46.01 €40.92

22.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.69 €24.63

$19.19 €17.07

44.29%

Cinema Ticket

$16.27 €14.47

$9.84 €8.75

65.35%

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

$2,607 €2,319

$677 €602

284.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,728 €5,984

$16.9K €15.0K

-60.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.9 €76.4

$101 €90.0

-15.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.1 €56.1

$45.76 €40.70

37.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.4 €87.5

$100.0 €88.9

-1.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 €129

$123 €109

18.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,934 €1,720

$1,614 €1,435

19.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,689 €1,502

$1,197 €1,065

41.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,846 €2,531

$2,862 €2,545

-0.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,262 €2,011

$1,990 €1,770

13.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,654 €6,807

$7,577 €6,739

1.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,670 €5,043

$4,307 €3,831

31.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,135 €3,677

$1,588 €1,412

160.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

3.85

-1.30%

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

Last update for Haarlem: 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

Haarlem

$1.7K 53.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 29.1% $492

Eating Out

Haarlem

$403 12.8%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 39.9% $161

Groceries & Markets

Haarlem

$357 11.3%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 24.5% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Haarlem

$333 10.5%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 34.1% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Haarlem

$177 5.6%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 5.8% $10

Getting Around

Haarlem

$110 3.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 43% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Haarlem

$89 2.8%

Lisbon

$66 3% 26.1% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,934 in Haarlem 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 160% higher in Haarlem, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Haarlem versus $61.0 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $357 vs $269 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Haarlem

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

10:42 10:42 AM

09:42 9:42 AM

1 h behind Haarlem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,396

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

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

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Haarlem
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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

Haarlem vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Haarlem costs about 42% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,736 per month in Haarlem 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 Lisbon, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Haarlem and $61.0 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 $3,158 in Haarlem and $2,223 in Lisbon. That's a gap of about 42%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,223, than in Haarlem at $3,158. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Haarlem it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lisbon costs $2,223 versus $3,158 in Haarlem. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Haarlem makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.