Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hilversum and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,915 in Hilversum, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Hilversum
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Hilversum Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Hilversum

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,915

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,915 in Hilversum versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Hilversum $2,915
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,247 in Hilversum versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Hilversum $4,247
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,579 in Hilversum versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Hilversum $5,579
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Hilversum is roughly 32% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hilversum 114% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.34 €25.46

$16.65 €14.95

70.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.5 €69.6

$61.7 €55.5

25.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.08 €15.34

$11.36 €10.20

50.35%

Cappuccino

$4.29 €3.85

$2.97 €2.67

44.44%

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

$4.02 €3.61

$2.29 €2.06

75.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 €2.69

$1.74 €1.56

72.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 €4.92

$3.40 €3.06

61.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$3.31 €2.97

69.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 €1.51

$1.16 €1.04

44.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 €1.97

$1.91 €1.72

14.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.10 €2.78

$1.51 €1.36

105.30%

Eggs

$5.06 €4.54

$4.02 €3.61

25.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.89 €12.48

$12.94 €11.62

7.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.50 €13.02

$7.77 €6.98

86.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.70 €15.01

$17.76 €15.95

-5.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 €2.20

$2.30 €2.07

6.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.77 €2.49

$1.73 €1.56

60.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 €1.82

$1.86 €1.67

8.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.44 €3.99

$2.59 €2.33

71.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.82 €1.64

-2.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 €1.80

$1.97 €1.77

2.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.35

$1.47 €1.32

2.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 €1.00

$0.72 €0.65

54.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.17 €10.93

$6.58 €5.91

84.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.72 €6.04

$5.61 €5.04

19.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.36 €1.22

5.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 €2.33

$2.14 €1.92

21.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.61 €3.24

$2.33 €2.10

54.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.8 €60.9

$44.68 €40.14

51.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.57 €5.01

$3.85 €3.46

44.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.42 €3.07

$1.07 €0.96

219.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.70 €20.39

$16.46 €14.79

37.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 €2.21

$2.20 €1.98

11.82%

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

$41.9K €37.7K

$34.2K €30.7K

22.68%

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

$42.2K €37.9K

$38.7K €34.8K

8.89%

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

$262 €235

$161 €145

62.29%

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

$29.44 €26.44

$18.41 €16.54

59.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.6 €57.2

$32.74 €29.41

94.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 €60.6

$44.55 €40.02

51.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.64 €31.12

$19.10 €17.16

81.36%

Cinema Ticket

$16.51 €14.83

$9.60 €8.62

71.98%

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

$700 €628

$668 €600

4.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K €14.0K

$17.6K €15.8K

-11.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$112 €101

$102 €91.6

9.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.96 €43.08

$44.46 €39.94

7.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 €82.8

$98.5 €88.5

-6.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 €131

$124 €111

17.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,667 €1,497

$1,608 €1,445

3.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,430 €1,285

$1,190 €1,069

20.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,731 €2,453

$2,812 €2,526

-2.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,323 €2,087

$2,013 €1,808

15.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,907 €6,205

$7,839 €7,042

-11.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,239 €4,706

$4,576 €4,110

14.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,008 €3,601

$1,575 €1,415

154.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.3

3.85

11.69%

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

Last update for Hilversum: October 24, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hilversum

$1.4K 49.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 16.8% $240

Eating Out

Hilversum

$396 13.6%

Lisbon

$243 11% 38.8% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hilversum

$355 12.2%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 40.1% $142

Groceries & Markets

Hilversum

$349 12%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 22% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Hilversum

$179 6.1%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 7.3% $13

Getting Around

Hilversum

$105 3.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 39.8% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Hilversum

$101 3.5%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 36.6% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,667 in Hilversum and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hilversum pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $77 in Hilversum vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Hilversum

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

23:05 11:05 PM

22:05 10:05 PM

1 h behind Hilversum

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

93,345

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Hilversum Lisbon 1,860 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

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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

Hilversum vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,915 in Hilversum and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Hilversum is about 2.5 times higher, 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: $1,667 in Hilversum versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 34% less than in Hilversum. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $700 in Hilversum versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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, Hilversum and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Hilversum. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.