Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Essen Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Essen

🙂 Solo nomad: Lisbon is 22.4% cheaper than Essen without rent, and 12.8% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Lisbon is 20% cheaper than Essen without rent, and 4.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Essen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.92 €13.70
$18.26 €15.72
-12.81%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$64.5 €55.5
$69.8 €60.1
-7.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.54 €9.08
$13.81 €11.89
-23.68%
Cappuccino
$2.91 €2.50
$3.58 €3.08
-18.72%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.30 €1.98
$2.45 €2.11
-6.12%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.57 €1.35
$2.44 €2.10
-35.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.44 €2.96
$4.70 €4.05
-26.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.87 €3.33
$4.57 €3.93
-15.32%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Essen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.14 €0.98
$1.31 €1.13
-12.98%
White Bread (500g)
$1.79 €1.55
$2.12 €1.83
-15.57%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.75 €1.51
$3.28 €2.82
-46.65%
Eggs
$3.23 €2.78
$3.80 €3.27
-15.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.22 €11.38
$14.69 €12.65
-10.01%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.03 €6.91
$14.58 €12.55
-44.92%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.00 €13.77
$22.34 €19.24
-28.38%
Apples (1kg)
$2.33 €2.00
$3.31 €2.85
-29.61%
Banana (1kg)
$1.65 €1.42
$1.88 €1.62
-12.23%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 €1.67
$2.21 €1.91
-12.22%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.44 €2.10
$4.71 €4.06
-48.20%
Potato (1kg)
$1.83 €1.58
$1.63 €1.40
12.27%
Onion (1kg)
$2.08 €1.79
$1.63 €1.41
27.61%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.00 €1.72
$1.88 €1.62
6.38%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.80 €0.69
$1.12 €0.96
-28.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.74 €5.81
$9.44 €8.13
-28.60%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.80 €4.99
$7.16 €6.17
-18.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.34 €1.15
$1.06 €0.91
26.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.01 €2.59
$1.66 €1.43
81.33%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Essen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.37 €2.04
$4.03 €3.47
-41.19%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$46.20 €39.78
$61.4 €52.9
-24.78%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.07 €3.51
$5.14 €4.43
-20.82%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.87 €0.75
$2.74 €2.36
-68.25%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$18.58 €15.99
$41.07 €35.36
-54.76%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.09 €1.80
$1.98 €1.71
5.56%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.8K €29.9K
$31.9K €27.5K
8.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.8K €33.4K
$39.0K €33.6K
-0.57%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Essen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$150 €129
$383 €330
-60.77%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.62 €17.75
$34.07 €29.33
-39.48%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.09 €34.52
$53.1 €45.68
-24.43%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Essen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.85 €41.20
$38.19 €32.88
25.29%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.37 €15.81
$34.51 €29.72
-46.77%
Cinema Ticket
$9.32 €8.02
$17.50 €15.07
-46.74%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Essen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$615 €529
$467 €402
31.61%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.4K €14.2K
$9,824 €8,458
67.30%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Essen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 €89.7
$94.9 €81.7
9.87%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.10 €35.39
$73.7 €63.5
-44.23%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$95.3 €82.0
$102 €88.1
-6.92%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$120 €103
$141 €122
-14.94%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Essen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,630 €1,403
$731 €630
122.86%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,229 €1,058
$602 €519
104.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,018 €2,598
$1,509 €1,299
100.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,004 €1,726
$1,071 €922
87.16%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,872 €6,778
$4,903 €4,221
60.57%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,319 €3,718
$3,077 €2,650
40.34%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Essen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,611 €1,387
$3,423 €2,947
-52.94%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.81
3.97
-4.03%

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

Last update for Lisbon: March 1, 2026

Last update for Essen: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities