Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Bochum

For one person, living is cheaper in Bochum: $1,806 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
88

Cost of Living Index in Bochum
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Bochum Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Bochum

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Bochum

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

A single person spends $2,223 per month in Lisbon vs $1,806 in Bochum, rent included.

Lisbon $2,223
Bochum $1,806

A couple spends around $3,271 per month in Lisbon vs $2,869 in Bochum, rent included.

Lisbon $3,271
Bochum $2,869

A family of three spends $4,319 per month in Lisbon vs $3,933 in Bochum, rent included.

Lisbon $4,319
Bochum $3,933

Lisbon costs about 23% more than Bochum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lisbon and Bochum sit above the global median – Lisbon by 65%, Bochum by 34%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$16.55 €14.72

-0.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$79.2 €70.4

-22.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$12.43 €11.05

-9.33%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.16 €3.70

-26.44%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$3.17 €2.82

-28.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$3.00 €2.67

-42.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$5.73 €5.09

-40.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$5.15 €4.58

-33.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.21 €1.08

-7.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.36 €2.10

-21.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$3.65 €3.25

-58.08%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$3.67 €3.26

7.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$14.61 €12.99

-12.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$12.42 €11.05

-36.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$23.25 €20.68

-27.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.31 €2.95

-31.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.02 €1.79

-13.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.13 €1.90

-13.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$4.02 €3.58

-36.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.33 €1.18

39.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.22 €1.09

65.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.55 €1.38

-7.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.08 €0.96

-24.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$9.67 €8.60

-32.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$6.54 €5.82

-14.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$0.91 €0.81

40.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.63 €1.45

26.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$3.80 €3.38

-38.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$65.0 €57.8

-32.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$5.55 €4.93

-28.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$2.72 €2.42

-59.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$34.12 €30.35

-51.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.06 €1.83

10.68%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$32.2K €28.7K

4.54%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$38.5K €34.3K

1.97%

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

$167 €149

$324 €289

-48.38%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$30.22 €26.88

-37.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$36.16 €32.17

-8.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$30.24 €26.89

52.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$26.57 €23.63

-27.78%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$16.45 €14.64

-40.18%

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

$677 €602

$400 €356

69.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$21.9K €19.4K

-22.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$89.1 €79.2

13.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$41.59 €37.00

10.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$95.7 €85.2

4.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$134 €120

-8.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$805 €716

100.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$463 €411

158.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,290 €1,148

121.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$1,014 €902

96.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$3,951 €3,515

91.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$4,240 €3,772

1.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$2,674 €2,379

-40.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.83

0.52%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bochum: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Bochum

$463 25.6% 61.4% $735

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Bochum

$345 19.1% 27.9% $75

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Bochum

$283 15.7% 16.9% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Bochum

$391 21.6% 78.2% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Bochum

$162 9% 2.4% $4.1

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Bochum

$63 3.5% 3.9% $2.5

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Bochum

$99 5.5% 57.7% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,614 in Lisbon versus $805 in Bochum. 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 68% higher in Bochum, 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 $79.0 in Bochum. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $345 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇩🇪 Bochum

🕒 Local time

17:45 5:45 PM

18:45 6:45 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

371,075

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Bochum 1,910 km ≈ 3 h 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 Bochum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon, $1,806 in Bochum – roughly 23% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,335 per month in Lisbon and $2,709 in Bochum. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bochum, 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 $79.0 in Bochum. 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 $1,806 in Bochum. That's a gap of about 23%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Bochum, where all-in costs run around $1,806, than in Lisbon at $2,223. In Bochum 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 $1,806 in Bochum 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 Bochum. 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.