Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Erlangen

For one person, living is cheaper in Erlangen: $1,944 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
93

Cost of Living Index in Erlangen
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Erlangen Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Erlangen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,944

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Erlangen

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $1,944 in Erlangen, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Erlangen $1,944

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $3,059 in Erlangen, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Erlangen $3,059

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $4,173 in Erlangen, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Erlangen $4,173

Lisbon costs about 14% more than Erlangen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Lisbon and Erlangen sit above the global median – Lisbon by 62%, Erlangen by 43%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$15.88 €14.23

4.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$66.7 €59.7

-7.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$13.54 €12.13

-16.10%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$4.18 €3.75

-28.95%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$3.46 €3.10

-33.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$3.39 €3.04

-48.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$5.12 €4.59

-33.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$5.17 €4.63

-35.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.30 €1.16

-10.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.90 €1.70

0.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$3.57 €3.20

-57.70%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.60 €3.23

11.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$14.59 €13.08

-11.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$11.32 €10.14

-31.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$25.04 €22.44

-29.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.20 €2.86

-28.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.09 €1.87

-17.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.12 €1.90

-12.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$3.96 €3.55

-34.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.43 €1.28

27.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.27 €1.14

55.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.67 €1.50

-11.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.38 €1.23

-47.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$9.49 €8.50

-30.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$7.15 €6.40

-21.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.24 €1.11

9.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.70 €1.52

25.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$3.32 €2.98

-29.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$70.4 €63.1

-36.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$3.95 €3.54

-2.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.83 €2.54

-62.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$41.81 €37.46

-60.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.16 €1.94

1.85%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$32.6K €29.2K

4.94%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$38.3K €34.4K

0.99%

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

$161 €144

$288 €258

-43.93%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$16.61 €14.88

10.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$49.23 €44.12

-33.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$38.24 €34.26

16.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$16.34 €14.64

16.89%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$14.23 €12.75

-32.54%

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

$668 €598

$785 €704

-14.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$19.2K €17.2K

-8.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$102 €91.6

-0.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$38.96 €34.91

14.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$108 €96.9

-8.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$110 €98.3

12.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$810 €726

98.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$633 €567

88.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,728 €1,549

62.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$1,374 €1,231

46.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$6,053 €5,424

29.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$4,071 €3,648

12.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$4,458 €3,995

-64.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.75

2.67%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Erlangen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Erlangen

$633 32.6% 46.8% $557

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Erlangen

$347 17.8% 27.4% $75

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Erlangen

$281 14.5% 15.9% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Erlangen

$353 18.2% 66.4% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Erlangen

$162 8.3% 2.6% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Erlangen

$67 3.4% 4.6% $3

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Erlangen

$102 5.2% 61.1% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $810 in Erlangen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Erlangen are about 2.8 times higher, 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 $62 in Lisbon versus $67 in Erlangen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $347 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇩🇪 Erlangen

🕒 Local time

12:27 12:27 PM

13:27 1:27 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

117,466

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Lisbon Erlangen 2,000 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

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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 Erlangen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon, $1,944 in Erlangen – Erlangen comes out roughly 12% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $2,917 in Erlangen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Erlangen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $810 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon and $67 in Erlangen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,944 in Erlangen. That makes Erlangen about 12% cheaper.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,944 in Erlangen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,944 in Erlangen to $2,210 in Lisbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.