Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Essen

For one person, living is cheaper in Essen: $1,982 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 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
96

Cost of Living Index in Essen
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Essen Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Essen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,982

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Essen

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

A single person spends $2,223 per month in Lisbon vs $1,982 in Essen, rent included.

Lisbon $2,223
Essen $1,982

A couple spends around $3,271 per month in Lisbon vs $3,088 in Essen, rent included.

Lisbon $3,271
Essen $3,088

A family of three spends $4,319 per month in Lisbon vs $4,195 in Essen, rent included.

Lisbon $4,319
Essen $4,195

Lisbon costs about 12% more than Essen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lisbon and Essen sit above the global median – Lisbon by 65%, Essen by 47%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$20.00 €17.79

-17.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$88.1 €78.4

-30.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.02

$13.38 €11.90

-15.77%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.88 €3.45

-21.13%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$3.13 €2.78

-27.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$2.62 €2.33

-33.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$6.09 €5.42

-44.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$5.74 €5.11

-40.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.21 €1.07

-7.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.18 €1.94

-14.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$3.39 €3.02

-54.87%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$3.68 €3.27

7.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$16.14 €14.36

-20.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$10.50 €9.34

-24.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$24.76 €22.02

-31.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.37 €2.99

-32.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.09 €1.86

-16.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.25 €2.00

-17.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$3.91 €3.48

-34.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.30 €1.16

43.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.28 €1.14

57.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.54 €1.37

-6.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.20 €1.07

-31.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$9.51 €8.45

-31.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$5.60 €4.98

0.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.08 €0.96

18.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.50 €1.33

38.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$4.09 €3.64

-42.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.29

$65.6 €58.4

-32.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$4.93 €4.38

-19.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$3.49 €3.10

-68.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.80

$39.38 €35.02

-57.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.19 €1.95

4.11%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$32.2K €28.6K

4.57%

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

$39.3K €34.9K

$38.4K €34.1K

2.43%

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

$167 €149

$386 €344

-56.65%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$38.73 €34.45

-51.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$40.40 €35.93

-18.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.92

$40.94 €36.41

12.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$36.05 €32.06

-46.77%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$15.31 €13.62

-35.73%

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

$677 €602

$459 €408

47.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.0K

$9,430 €8,387

79.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.0

$96.6 €85.9

4.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$82.1 €73.1

-44.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$110 €97.6

-8.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$156 €139

-21.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,435

$637 €567

153.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$487 €433

145.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,404 €1,249

103.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$969 €862

105.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,739

$4,704 €4,184

61.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$3,045 €2,708

41.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$2,999 €2,668

-47.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.95

-2.53%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Essen: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Essen

$487 24.6% 59.3% $710

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Essen

$342 17.3% 26.9% $73

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Essen

$312 15.7% 28.7% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Essen

$465 23.5% 112% $246

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Essen

$200 10.1% 20.2% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Essen

$72 3.6% 8.9% $5.9

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Essen

$104 5.3% 65.6% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,614 in Lisbon versus $637 in Essen. 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 89% higher in Essen, 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 $88.0 in Essen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $342 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇩🇪 Essen

🕒 Local time

14:41 2:41 PM

15:41 3:41 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

569,884

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Essen 1,890 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Essen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon costs about 12% more than Essen, 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 $2,972 in Essen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Essen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 49% less in Essen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $677 per month in Lisbon and $459 in Essen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Essen, where all-in costs run around $1,982, than in Lisbon at $2,223. In Essen 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 $1,982 in Essen 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 Essen. 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.