Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Frankfurt

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,203 a month against $2,563 in Frankfurt, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Frankfurt
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Frankfurt Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,203

/mo nomad

Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,563

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Frankfurt

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,203 in Lisbon versus $2,563 in Frankfurt.

Lisbon $2,203
Frankfurt $2,563

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,237 in Lisbon versus $3,752 in Frankfurt.

Lisbon $3,237
Frankfurt $3,752

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,272 in Lisbon versus $4,941 in Frankfurt.

Lisbon $4,272
Frankfurt $4,941

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 14% less than in Frankfurt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 64% above, Frankfurt 91% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.01 €15.18

$16.79 €14.99

1.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.7 €56.0

$90.7 €80.9

-30.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.42 €10.19

$13.54 €12.08

-15.66%

Cappuccino

$3.09 €2.76

$4.45 €3.97

-30.56%

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

$2.37 €2.11

$3.90 €3.48

-39.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 €1.48

$3.54 €3.15

-53.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.46 €3.09

$5.50 €4.91

-37.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 €2.93

$5.54 €4.94

-40.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.37 €1.22

-14.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.22 €1.98

-15.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 €1.36

$3.15 €2.81

-51.75%

Eggs

$3.88 €3.46

$4.01 €3.58

-3.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 €11.49

$13.87 €12.38

-7.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.94 €7.08

$12.15 €10.84

-34.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.63 €15.73

$22.03 €19.66

-19.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$3.17 €2.83

-28.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$2.14 €1.91

-17.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 €1.68

$1.95 €1.74

-3.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$3.95 €3.52

-37.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.80 €1.60

3.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.96 €1.75

5.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.64 €1.47

-15.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.73

$1.04 €0.93

-22.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.89 €6.15

$9.62 €8.59

-28.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 €4.93

$5.63 €5.03

-1.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.12 €1.00

18.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.41 €1.25

53.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 €2.00

$4.23 €3.77

-47.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.14 €40.29

$69.9 €62.4

-35.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 €3.57

$4.37 €3.90

-8.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.95

$2.26 €2.02

-52.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.53 €14.75

$23.31 €20.80

-29.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 €2.02

$2.32 €2.07

-2.59%

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

$33.5K €29.9K

$33.4K €29.8K

0.31%

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

$40.5K €36.1K

$38.9K €34.7K

4.03%

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

$164 €146

$393 €351

-58.35%

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

$18.54 €16.55

$19.87 €17.73

-6.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.21 €29.64

$47.70 €42.57

-30.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €41.06

$67.7 €60.4

-32.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.80 €16.78

$30.06 €26.82

-37.46%

Cinema Ticket

$9.47 €8.45

$16.65 €14.85

-43.12%

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

$690 €615

$1,102 €983

-37.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.0K

$22.7K €20.2K

-25.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.4

$88.6 €79.0

18.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.27 €40.40

$34.20 €30.52

32.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 €88.3

$85.7 €76.5

15.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$107 €95.4

15.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,583 €1,413

$1,337 €1,193

18.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 €1,079

$1,110 €991

8.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,833 €2,528

$2,743 €2,448

3.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,964 €1,753

$1,927 €1,720

1.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,643 €6,821

$7,889 €7,040

-3.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,431 €3,954

$4,330 €3,865

2.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,573 €1,403

$4,129 €3,685

-61.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

3.61

4.99%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 4, 2026

Last update for Frankfurt: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 54%

Frankfurt

$1.1K 43.5% 8.2% $99

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.1%

Frankfurt

$337 13.2% 24% $65

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11%

Frankfurt

$297 11.6% 19.9% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.6%

Frankfurt

$460 18.1% 114% $245

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.5%

Frankfurt

$142 5.6% 15.4% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 2.9%

Frankfurt

$101 4% 55.5% $36

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Frankfurt

$103 4% 61.6% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,583 in Lisbon and $1,337 in Frankfurt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Frankfurt pays 163% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $63.0 in Lisbon vs $91.0 in Frankfurt 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

🇩🇪 Frankfurt

🕒 Local time

14:05 2:05 PM

15:05 3:05 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

701,350

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Frankfurt 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 Frankfurt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 16% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 163% lower in Frankfurt. 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: $1,583 in Lisbon versus $1,337 in Frankfurt. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $63.0 versus $91.0 in Frankfurt. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,203 per month in Lisbon versus $2,563 in Frankfurt – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,203 in Lisbon versus $2,563 in Frankfurt, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Frankfurt. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Lisbon is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Frankfurt, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Frankfurt. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.