Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kiel and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Kiel: $1,949 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

95

Cost of Living Index in Kiel
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Kiel Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Kiel

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,949

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,949 in Kiel versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Kiel $1,949
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,960 in Kiel versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Kiel $2,960
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,970 in Kiel versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Kiel $3,970
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Kiel costs roughly 12% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kiel 43% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.79 €15.08

$16.65 €14.95

0.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.4 €76.8

$61.7 €55.5

38.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.25 €11.01

$11.36 €10.20

7.83%

Cappuccino

$3.87 €3.48

$2.97 €2.67

30.30%

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

$3.79 €3.40

$2.29 €2.06

65.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 €2.98

$1.74 €1.56

90.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.68 €5.11

$3.40 €3.06

67.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 €4.06

$3.31 €2.97

36.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.14

$1.16 €1.04

8.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 €2.24

$1.91 €1.72

30.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.51 €1.36

107.95%

Eggs

$4.17 €3.74

$4.02 €3.61

3.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.10 €14.46

$12.94 €11.62

24.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.18 €10.94

$7.77 €6.98

56.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.14 €23.48

$17.76 €15.95

47.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.24 €2.91

$2.30 €2.07

40.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 €2.02

$1.73 €1.56

30.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 €2.04

$1.86 €1.67

22.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.40 €3.06

$2.59 €2.33

31.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.82 €1.64

-15.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 €1.17

$1.97 €1.77

-34.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.47 €1.32

18.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 €0.72

$0.72 €0.65

11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.49 €9.42

$6.58 €5.91

59.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 €5.61

$5.61 €5.04

11.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €1.01

$1.36 €1.22

-17.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 €1.37

$2.14 €1.92

-28.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.26 €2.93

$2.33 €2.10

39.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.9 €62.8

$44.68 €40.14

56.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.01 €3.60

$3.85 €3.46

4.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 €1.97

$1.07 €0.96

104.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.93

$2.20 €1.98

-2.27%

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

$32.7K €29.4K

$34.2K €30.7K

-4.41%

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

$39.2K €35.2K

$38.7K €34.8K

1.24%

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

$295 €265

$161 €145

83.15%

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

$22.43 €20.15

$18.41 €16.54

21.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.37 €43.45

$32.74 €29.41

47.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.49 €34.57

$44.55 €40.02

-13.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$43.89 €39.42

$19.10 €17.16

129.79%

Cinema Ticket

$13.33 €11.97

$9.60 €8.62

38.85%

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

$296 €266

$668 €600

-55.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 €68.5

$102 €91.6

-25.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.8 €61.8

$44.46 €39.94

54.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.9 €87.9

$98.5 €88.5

-0.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 €99.6

$124 €111

-10.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$698 €627

$1,608 €1,445

-56.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$623 €559

$1,190 €1,069

-47.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,493 €1,341

$2,812 €2,526

-46.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 €909

$2,013 €1,808

-49.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,250 €4,716

$7,839 €7,042

-33.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,925 €2,628

$4,576 €4,110

-36.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,265 €2,933

$1,575 €1,415

107.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

3.85

2.60%

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

Last update for Kiel: 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

Kiel

$623 31.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 91.2% $568

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kiel

$366 18.8%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 42% $154

Groceries & Markets

Kiel

$355 18.2%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 23.3% $83

Eating Out

Kiel

$283 14.5%

Lisbon

$243 11% 14.4% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Kiel

$159 8.2%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 4.2% $6.7

Getting Around

Kiel

$98 5%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 35.4% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Kiel

$65 3.3%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 2.2% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $698 in Kiel and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kiel pays about 2.1 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $85 in Kiel vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $355 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Kiel

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

17:47 5:47 PM

16:47 4:47 PM

1 h behind Kiel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

246,306

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Kiel Lisbon 2,260 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kiel
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

Kiel vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kiel is cheaper overall, especially in clothing. The 13% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Kiel is about 2.1 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: $698 in Kiel versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 23% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $62 versus $85 in Kiel. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Kiel 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, Kiel and Lisbon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.