Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Aachen

For one person, living is cheaper in Aachen: $1,948 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Aachen
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Aachen Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Aachen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,948

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Aachen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lisbon and in Aachen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,223 per month in Lisbon vs $1,948 in Aachen, rent included.

Lisbon $2,223
Aachen $1,948

A couple spends around $3,271 per month in Lisbon vs $2,888 in Aachen, rent included.

Lisbon $3,271
Aachen $2,888

A family of three spends $4,319 per month in Lisbon vs $3,828 in Aachen, rent included.

Lisbon $4,319
Aachen $3,828

Lisbon costs about 14% more than Aachen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lisbon and Aachen sit above the global median – Lisbon by 65%, Aachen by 44%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$15.53 €13.82

6.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$60.7 €54.0

0.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$11.13 €9.90

1.26%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.61 €3.21

-15.24%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$2.73 €2.43

-17.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$3.03 €2.69

-42.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$5.01 €4.45

-32.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$5.42 €4.82

-37.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.20 €1.07

-6.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.93 €1.72

-3.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$3.61 €3.21

-57.62%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$3.44 €3.06

15.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$14.83 €13.19

-13.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$11.24 €10.00

-29.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$20.37 €18.12

-16.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.30 €2.94

-31.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.21 €1.97

-20.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.04 €1.82

-9.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$3.47 €3.09

-25.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.54 €1.37

20.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.43 €1.27

41.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.45 €1.29

-0.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.25 €1.12

-34.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$10.26 €9.13

-36.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$6.58 €5.85

-14.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.12 €1.00

14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.64 €1.46

26.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$3.82 €3.40

-38.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$69.3 €61.7

-36.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$5.56 €4.95

-28.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$2.50 €2.22

-56.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$36.79 €32.73

-54.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.23 €1.99

2.24%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$32.6K €29.0K

3.35%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$38.0K €33.8K

3.30%

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

$167 €149

$378 €337

-55.73%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$17.10 €15.21

9.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$48.02 €42.72

-31.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$36.74 €32.68

25.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$28.06 €24.96

-31.61%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$15.90 €14.14

-38.11%

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

$677 €602

$724 €644

-6.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$19.0K €16.9K

-11.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$93.8 €83.4

7.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$41.55 €36.96

10.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$82.8 €73.6

20.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$134 €119

-8.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$823 €732

96.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$588 €523

103.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,509 €1,343

89.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$1,043 €928

90.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$4,530 €4,029

67.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$3,431 €3,052

25.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$3,524 €3,134

-54.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.96

-2.78%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Aachen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Aachen

$588 30.2% 50.9% $609

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Aachen

$327 16.8% 21.4% $58

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Aachen

$260 13.3% 7.3% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Aachen

$443 22.8% 102% $224

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Aachen

$158 8.1% 4.9% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Aachen

$69 3.5% 4.3% $2.9

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Aachen

$103 5.3% 62.9% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,614 in Lisbon versus $823 in Aachen. 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 122% higher in Aachen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Lisbon versus $61.0 in Aachen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $327 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇩🇪 Aachen

🕒 Local time

14:42 2:42 PM

15:42 3:42 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

241,683

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Aachen 1,790 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Aachen

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

Lisbon vs Aachen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon, $1,948 in Aachen – roughly 14% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,335 per month in Lisbon and $2,922 in Aachen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aachen, 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 $61.0 in Lisbon and $61.0 in Aachen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,223 in Lisbon and $1,948 in Aachen. That's a gap of about 14%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Aachen, where all-in costs run around $1,948, than in Lisbon at $2,223. In Aachen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,948 in Aachen to $2,223 in Lisbon. 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 Aachen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.