Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamburg and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,347 in Hamburg, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. The total is higher in Hamburg despite lower rent and utilities.

114

Cost of Living Index in Hamburg
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Hamburg Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Hamburg

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,347

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,347 per month in Hamburg vs $2,223 in Lisbon, rent included.

Hamburg $2,347
Lisbon $2,223

A couple spends around $3,488 per month in Hamburg vs $3,271 in Lisbon, rent included.

Hamburg $3,488
Lisbon $3,271

A family of three spends $4,628 per month in Hamburg vs $4,319 in Lisbon, rent included.

Hamburg $4,628
Lisbon $4,319

Hamburg costs about 6% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Hamburg and Lisbon sit above the global median – Hamburg by 74%, Lisbon by 65%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.02 €15.14

$16.50 €14.67

3.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.5 €61.0

$61.3 €54.5

11.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.41 €11.93

$11.27 €10.03

18.99%

Cappuccino

$4.49 €3.99

$3.06 €2.72

46.73%

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

$4.20 €3.74

$2.26 €2.01

85.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 €2.86

$1.73 €1.54

86.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.51 €4.90

$3.39 €3.02

62.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.86 €4.32

$3.40 €3.02

42.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.12 €1.00

12.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 €2.32

$1.86 €1.65

40.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.79 €2.48

$1.53 €1.36

82.35%

Eggs

$4.19 €3.73

$3.96 €3.53

5.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.24 €10.89

$12.76 €11.35

-4.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.00 €10.68

$7.90 €7.02

51.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.58 €16.53

$16.97 €15.09

9.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 €2.78

$2.27 €2.02

37.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.14

$1.75 €1.55

37.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 €2.60

$1.85 €1.64

58.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 €3.82

$2.57 €2.28

66.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.86 €1.65

-1.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$2.02 €1.80

-12.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.44 €1.28

25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 €1.06

$0.82 €0.73

45.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.44 €9.29

$6.56 €5.83

59.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.76 €6.01

$5.62 €5.00

20.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.28 €1.14

-12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.07 €1.84

-37.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.46 €3.96

$2.35 €2.09

89.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.6 €63.7

$44.18 €39.30

62.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.74 €5.99

$3.99 €3.55

68.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.08 €2.74

$1.09 €0.97

182.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.00 €37.36

$16.64 €14.81

152.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

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

$32.9K €29.3K

$33.7K €30.0K

-2.17%

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

$38.6K €34.3K

$39.3K €35.0K

-1.87%

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

$384 €342

$167 €149

129.51%

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

$19.76 €17.58

$18.80 €16.72

5.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.03 €34.72

$33.09 €29.43

17.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.03 €40.05

$46.01 €40.93

-2.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.80 €25.62

$19.19 €17.07

50.08%

Cinema Ticket

$16.44 €14.62

$9.84 €8.75

67.07%

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

$509 €453

$677 €602

-24.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.5K €12.0K

$16.9K €15.1K

-20.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.9 €74.6

$101 €90.1

-17.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.19 €33.08

$45.76 €40.70

-18.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.6 €84.1

$100.0 €88.9

-5.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €103

$123 €109

-5.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,270 €1,129

$1,614 €1,436

-21.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$934 €831

$1,197 €1,065

-22.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,272 €2,021

$2,862 €2,545

-20.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,692 €1,505

$1,990 €1,770

-14.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,500 €8,450

$7,577 €6,740

25.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,121 €4,555

$4,307 €3,831

18.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,647 €3,244

$1,588 €1,412

129.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.69

3.85

-4.16%

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

Last update for Hamburg: 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

Hamburg

$934 39.8%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 28.2% $263

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamburg

$443 18.9%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 50.5% $224

Groceries & Markets

Hamburg

$335 14.3%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 19.5% $65

Eating Out

Hamburg

$297 12.7%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 18.5% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Hamburg

$149 6.4%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 11.4% $17

Getting Around

Hamburg

$112 4.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 43.5% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Hamburg

$78 3.3%

Lisbon

$66 3% 15.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,270 in Hamburg 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 130% higher in Hamburg, 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 $69.0 in Hamburg versus $61.0 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $335 vs $269 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Hamburg

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

07:01 7:01 AM

06:01 6:01 AM

1 h behind Hamburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,812,709

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Hamburg Lisbon 2,200 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Hamburg
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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

Hamburg vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamburg costs about 6% more than Lisbon, 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 $3,521 per month in Hamburg 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,347 in Hamburg and $2,223 in Lisbon. That's a gap of about 6%.

Public transport costs about 62% less in Lisbon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,223, than in Hamburg at $2,347. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hamburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lisbon costs $2,223 versus $2,347 in Hamburg. 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, Hamburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.