Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Aalst

For one person, living is cheaper in Aalst: $2,067 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 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
101

Cost of Living Index in Aalst
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Aalst Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Aalst

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,067

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Aalst

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 Aalst actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,067 in Aalst.

Lisbon $2,223
Aalst $2,067

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $3,086 in Aalst.

Lisbon $3,271
Aalst $3,086

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $4,105 in Aalst.

Lisbon $4,319
Aalst $4,105

Living in Lisbon is roughly 8% more expensive than in Aalst, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Aalst 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.74

$22.53 €20.13

-26.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.7

$106 €94.4

-42.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.07

$13.43 €12.00

-16.08%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.73

$4.43 €3.95

-30.93%

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

$2.26 €2.02

$3.63 €3.25

-37.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.55

$3.17 €2.83

-45.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.03

$5.55 €4.96

-38.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.04

$5.53 €4.94

-38.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.31 €1.17

-14.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.81 €2.51

-33.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$2.13 €1.90

-28.17%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.54

$3.83 €3.42

3.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.40

$17.39 €15.54

-26.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.06

$11.87 €10.60

-33.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.16

$22.29 €19.92

-23.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.03

$2.99 €2.67

-24.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.43 €2.17

-27.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$2.67 €2.38

-30.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.29

$3.23 €2.89

-20.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.47 €2.21

-24.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.95 €1.74

3.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.29

$1.54 €1.37

-6.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.05 €0.94

-21.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.86

$12.93 €11.55

-49.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.02

$8.74 €7.81

-35.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.72 €1.54

-25.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.08 €1.86

-0.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.10

$3.09 €2.76

-23.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.48

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.56

$2.86 €2.56

39.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$2.35 €2.10

-53.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.87

$40.40 €36.10

-58.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.04

$2.12 €1.89

7.55%

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

$33.7K €30.1K

$34.7K €31.0K

-2.85%

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

$39.3K €35.1K

$32.8K €29.3K

19.74%

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

$167 €150

$203 €181

-17.41%

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

$18.80 €16.80

$21.94 €19.60

-14.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.57

$50.8 €45.42

-34.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €41.11

$36.21 €32.36

27.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.15

$21.03 €18.79

-8.75%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.79

$15.18 €13.56

-35.18%

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

$677 €605

$1,605 €1,435

-57.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$33.7K €30.1K

-49.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.5

$113 €101

-10.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.89

$46.17 €41.26

-0.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €89.4

$102 €91.0

-1.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €110

$163 €146

-24.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,442

$911 €814

77.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,070

$808 €722

48.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,557

$1,384 €1,237

106.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,778

$1,104 €986

80.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,771

$4,162 €3,719

82.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,849

$2,890 €2,583

49.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,419

$2,782 €2,486

-42.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.46

11.27%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Aalst: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Aalst

$807 39.1% 32.5% $390

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Aalst

$360 17.4% 33.7% $91

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Aalst

$340 16.4% 40.2% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Aalst

$276 13.3% 25.6% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Aalst

$191 9.2% 14.8% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Aalst

$67 3.2% 1.3% $0.9

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Aalst

$27 * 1.3% 57.2% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $911 in Aalst. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aalst pays 75% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $106 in Aalst for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $360 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇧🇪 Aalst

🕒 Local time

06:14 6:14 AM

07:14 7:14 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

78,271

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Aalst 1,710 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

Lisbon vs Aalst: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Aalst differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $2,067 including rent). Aalst is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 75% lower in Aalst. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $911 in Aalst. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 34% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,223 per month in Lisbon versus $2,067 in Aalst – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,067 in Aalst versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Aalst but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Aalst the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Lisbon and Aalst are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Aalst gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.