Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Cologne

For one person, living costs are similar in Lisbon and in Cologne: $2,210 and $2,233 a month, rent and utilities included.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Cologne
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Cologne Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Cologne

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,233

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Cologne

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,233 in Cologne.

Lisbon $2,210
Cologne $2,233

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,388 in Cologne.

Lisbon $3,275
Cologne $3,388

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $4,543 in Cologne.

Lisbon $4,341
Cologne $4,543

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 1% less than in Cologne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Cologne 64% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$17.02 €15.29

-2.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$83.7 €75.2

-26.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$11.82 €10.61

-3.89%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$4.02 €3.61

-26.12%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$3.74 €3.36

-38.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$3.12 €2.80

-44.23%

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

$5.46 €4.90

-39.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.27 €1.14

-8.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$2.56 €2.30

-25.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$3.09 €2.78

-51.13%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.71 €3.33

8.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$12.64 €11.35

2.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$12.08 €10.85

-35.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$22.79 €20.48

-22.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$3.04 €2.73

-24.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$2.03 €1.82

-14.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.59 €2.32

-28.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$3.77 €3.39

-31.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.42 €1.27

28.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.15 €1.03

71.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.51 €1.36

-2.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.10 €0.99

-34.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$9.84 €8.84

-33.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$6.54 €5.88

-14.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.26 €1.13

7.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.69 €1.52

26.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$3.90 €3.50

-40.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$71.5 €64.2

-37.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$5.36 €4.81

-28.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.74 €2.46

-60.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$33.45 €30.05

-50.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.22 €2.00

-0.90%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$33.1K €29.8K

3.19%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$38.0K €34.1K

1.90%

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

$161 €145

$301 €270

-46.45%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$12.17 €10.93

51.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$36.02 €32.35

-9.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$41.99 €37.72

6.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$35.28 €31.69

-45.86%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$15.90 €14.29

-39.62%

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

$668 €600

$1,103 €991

-39.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$22.0K €19.7K

-19.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$87.4 €78.5

16.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$41.11 €36.93

8.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$101 €91.1

-2.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$134 €120

-7.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$1,223 €1,099

31.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$917 €824

29.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$2,340 €2,102

20.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$1,628 €1,463

23.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$7,324 €6,579

7.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$5,056 €4,542

-9.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$3,562 €3,200

-55.79%

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 27, 2026

Last update for Cologne: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Cologne

$917 41.1% 22.9% $273

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Cologne

$337 15.1% 23.9% $65

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Cologne

$285 12.8% 17.7% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Cologne

$349 15.6% 64.5% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Cologne

$164 7.3% 1.3% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Cologne

$74 3.3% 15.8% $10

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Cologne

$106 4.8% 68% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,223 in Cologne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cologne pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $84 in Cologne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $337 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇩🇪 Cologne

🕒 Local time

16:45 4:45 PM

17:45 5:45 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,095,520

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Cologne 1,850 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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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 Cologne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Cologne differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $2,233 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 56% lower in Lisbon. 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,223 in Cologne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 38% less than in Cologne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $1,103 in Cologne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Lisbon gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Cologne on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.