Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Copenhagen

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,976 in Copenhagen, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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
145

Cost of Living Index in Copenhagen
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Copenhagen Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Copenhagen

🇩🇰 Denmark

$2,976

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Copenhagen

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

A single person spends $2,223 per month in Lisbon vs $2,976 in Copenhagen, rent included.

Lisbon $2,223
Copenhagen $2,976

A couple spends around $3,271 per month in Lisbon vs $4,475 in Copenhagen, rent included.

Lisbon $3,271
Copenhagen $4,475

A family of three spends $4,319 per month in Lisbon vs $5,973 in Copenhagen, rent included.

Lisbon $4,319
Copenhagen $5,973

Lisbon is about 25% cheaper than Copenhagen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lisbon and Copenhagen sit above the global median – Lisbon by 65%, Copenhagen by 120%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$21.14 DKK 141

-21.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$118 DKK 785

-48.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$13.33 DKK 88.7

-15.45%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$6.80 DKK 45.19

-55.00%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$5.12 DKK 34.03

-55.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$3.83 DKK 25.45

-54.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$8.89 DKK 59.2

-61.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$7.34 DKK 48.83

-53.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.14 DKK 14.22

-47.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$4.73 DKK 31.47

-60.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.97 DKK 19.74

-48.48%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$5.74 DKK 38.19

-31.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$17.08 DKK 114

-25.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$13.83 DKK 92.0

-42.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$26.32 DKK 175

-35.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.42 DKK 22.74

-33.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$3.10 DKK 20.63

-43.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$4.28 DKK 28.49

-56.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$5.52 DKK 36.70

-53.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.38 DKK 15.86

-21.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.05 DKK 13.66

-1.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.20 DKK 14.60

-34.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.36 DKK 9.02

-39.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$9.86 DKK 65.6

-33.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$10.51 DKK 69.9

-46.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.85 DKK 12.30

-30.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.39 DKK 15.88

-13.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$3.64 DKK 24.19

-35.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$104 DKK 688

-57.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$5.86 DKK 38.98

-31.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.68 DKK 11.16

-35.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$91.3 DKK 607

-81.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.59 DKK 17.24

-11.97%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$49.8K DKK 331.3K

-32.39%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$53.4K DKK 354.9K

-26.37%

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

$167 €149

$179 DKK 1,188

-6.25%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$11.20 DKK 74.5

67.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$37.62 DKK 250

-12.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$63.3 DKK 421

-27.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$34.31 DKK 228

-44.07%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$20.03 DKK 133

-50.87%

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

$677 €602

$970 DKK 6,450

-30.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$8,662 DKK 57.6K

95.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$108 DKK 720

-6.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$54.2 DKK 360

-15.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$129 DKK 859

-22.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$199 DKK 1,323

-38.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$2,013 DKK 13.4K

-19.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$1,452 DKK 9,654

-17.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$3,336 DKK 22.2K

-14.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$2,302 DKK 15.3K

-13.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$11.8K DKK 78.4K

-35.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$8,456 DKK 56.2K

-49.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$4,529 DKK 30.1K

-64.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Copenhagen: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Copenhagen

$1.5K 48.8% 21.3% $255

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Copenhagen

$455 15.3% 68.8% $185

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Copenhagen

$386 13% 59.2% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Copenhagen

$227 7.6% 3.7% $8.1

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Copenhagen

$221 7.4% 32.7% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Copenhagen

$103 3.5% 57.3% $38

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Copenhagen

$132 4.5% 110% $69

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,614 in Lisbon versus $2,013 in Copenhagen. 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 185% higher in Copenhagen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Lisbon versus $118 in Copenhagen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $455 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇩🇰 Copenhagen

🕒 Local time

19:01 7:01 PM

20:01 8:01 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

613,288 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Danish Krone DKK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 DKK = 0.15 USD

1 DKK = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Copenhagen 2,480 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Copenhagen

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 Copenhagen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Copenhagen costs about 34% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,335 per month in Lisbon and $4,464 in Copenhagen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lisbon, 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 $118 in Copenhagen. 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 $2,976 in Copenhagen. That's a gap of about 34%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,223, than in Copenhagen at $2,976. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Copenhagen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lisbon costs $2,223 versus $2,976 in Copenhagen. 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, Copenhagen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.