Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Berlin

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,547 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,547

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Berlin

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $2,547 in Berlin, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Berlin $2,547

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $3,875 in Berlin, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Berlin $3,875

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $5,204 in Berlin, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Berlin $5,204

Lisbon is about 13% cheaper than Berlin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lisbon and Berlin sit above the global median – Lisbon by 62%, Berlin by 87%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.96

$16.64 €14.95

0.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$78.0 €70.1

-20.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$13.38 €12.02

-15.10%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$4.24 €3.81

-29.95%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$3.42 €3.07

-33.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$3.16 €2.84

-44.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$5.45 €4.90

-37.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.35 €3.91

-23.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.21 €1.08

-4.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$2.34 €2.10

-18.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$3.34 €3.00

-54.79%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$4.45 €4.00

-9.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$17.11 €15.38

-24.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.99

$12.12 €10.89

-35.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.96

$17.59 €15.80

0.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$3.63 €3.26

-36.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.95 €1.75

-11.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$3.31 €2.97

-43.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$3.71 €3.34

-30.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$2.14 €1.92

-14.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$2.09 €1.88

-5.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.40 €1.26

5.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.00 €0.90

-28.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.92

$10.60 €9.53

-37.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$6.75 €6.06

-16.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.30 €1.17

4.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.06 €1.85

3.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$4.60 €4.13

-49.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$69.3 €62.3

-35.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$5.35 €4.81

-28.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$3.15 €2.83

-66.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$36.94 €33.19

-55.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.32 €2.08

-5.17%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$33.7K €30.3K

1.44%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$38.8K €34.9K

-0.30%

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

$161 €145

$378 €339

-57.32%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$19.42 €17.45

-5.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$48.13 €43.25

-31.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.03

$39.30 €35.31

13.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$35.65 €32.03

-46.42%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$14.44 €12.97

-33.52%

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

$668 €600

$146 €131

358.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$15.9K €14.3K

10.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.7

$95.6 €85.9

6.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.95

$47.53 €42.71

-6.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$105 €94.3

-6.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$143 €129

-13.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$1,407 €1,264

14.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$1,117 €1,003

6.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,527

$2,718 €2,442

3.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,809

$2,172 €1,952

-7.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,043

$8,339 €7,492

-5.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,111

$5,319 €4,779

-13.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$3,507 €3,151

-55.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.8

1.32%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Berlin: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Berlin

$1.1K 43.9% 6.2% $73

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Berlin

$345 13.6% 26.8% $73

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Berlin

$286 11.2% 18% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Berlin

$445 17.5% 110% $233

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Berlin

$176 6.9% 6.1% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Berlin

$68 2.7% 7% $4.4

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Berlin

$109 4.3% 72.2% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,407 in Berlin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Berlin are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $78 in Berlin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $345 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇩🇪 Berlin

🕒 Local time

09:11 9:11 AM

10:11 10:11 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

3,769,962 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Berlin 2,310 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Berlin

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 Berlin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $3,820 in Berlin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Berlin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,407 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,547 in Berlin. That’s a gap of about 15%.

Public transport costs about 36% less in Lisbon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,547 in Berlin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lisbon costs $2,210 versus $2,547 in Berlin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Lisbon. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Berlin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.