Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Aarschot

For one person, living is cheaper in Aarschot: $1,990 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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
96

Cost of Living Index in Aarschot
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Aarschot Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Aarschot

🇧🇪 Belgium

$1,990

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Aarschot

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,990 in Aarschot.

Lisbon $2,202
Aarschot $1,990

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $2,883 in Aarschot.

Lisbon $3,274
Aarschot $2,883

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,777 in Aarschot.

Lisbon $4,346
Aarschot $3,777

Living in Lisbon is roughly 11% more expensive than in Aarschot, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Aarschot 47% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$18.17 €16.16

-6.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$76.7 €68.2

-18.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$11.00 €9.78

0.18%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$3.69 €3.28

-15.45%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.98 €2.65

-23.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.61 €2.32

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$5.33 €4.74

-35.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$4.57 €4.06

-18.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.23 €1.09

-4.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.71 €2.41

-31.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.01 €1.79

-23.38%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$3.65 €3.24

11.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$11.58 €10.30

11.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$11.65 €10.36

-32.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$14.94 €13.29

18.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.69 €2.40

-15.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.23 €1.98

-21.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.18 €1.94

-13.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.24 €1.99

14.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.26 €2.01

-18.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.75 €1.55

12.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.47 €1.31

-1.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.96 €0.85

-19.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$8.89 €7.90

-24.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$7.42 €6.60

-23.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.09 €1.86

-34.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.78 €1.58

18.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$3.03 €2.69

-23.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$55.7 €49.51

-20.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$5.12 €4.56

-22.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$2.46 €2.19

-57.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$16.99 €15.11

0.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.97 €1.75

11.17%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$36.0K €32.0K

-6.03%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$33.4K €29.7K

14.63%

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

$164 €146

$210 €187

-22.09%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$18.58 €16.53

-0.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$52.4 €46.56

-37.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$36.52 €32.49

25.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$19.21 €17.09

-2.76%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$14.15 €12.59

-31.10%

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

$684 €608

$697 €620

-1.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$16.3K €14.5K

7.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$85.4 €76.0

21.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$26.41 €23.49

74.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$87.5 €77.9

13.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$130 €116

-4.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$928 €826

71.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$826 €735

41.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,379 €1,227

106.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,165 €1,036

71.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$4,218 €3,752

84.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$2,844 €2,530

55.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$3,126 €2,780

-48.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.52

9.38%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Aarschot: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Aarschot

$826 41.5% 29.3% $343

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Aarschot

$303 15.2% 11% $30

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Aarschot

$281 14.1% 13.4% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Aarschot

$281 14.1% 30.6% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Aarschot

$148 7.5% 12% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Aarschot

$65 3.3% 0.8% $0.5

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Aarschot

$85 4.3% 35.4% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $928 in Aarschot. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aarschot pays 95% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $77.0 in Aarschot for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $303 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇧🇪 Aarschot

🕒 Local time

22:36 10:36 PM

23:36 11:36 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

27,656

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Aarschot 1,750 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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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

Lisbon vs Aarschot: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aarschot is cheaper overall, especially in clothing and leisure. The 11% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 95% lower in Aarschot. 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $928 in Aarschot. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Aarschot – a meal for two runs $77.0 versus $62.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,990 in Aarschot versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Aarschot but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Aarschot the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Aarschot is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lisbon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Aarschot 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 Aarschot gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.