Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Gelsenkirchen

For one person, living is cheaper in Gelsenkirchen: $1,896 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Gelsenkirchen
Learn more

Gelsenkirchen Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Gelsenkirchen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Gelsenkirchen

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

A single person spends $2,223 per month in Lisbon vs $1,896 in Gelsenkirchen, rent included.

Lisbon $2,223
Gelsenkirchen $1,896

A couple spends around $3,271 per month in Lisbon vs $2,788 in Gelsenkirchen, rent included.

Lisbon $3,271
Gelsenkirchen $2,788

A family of three spends $4,319 per month in Lisbon vs $3,680 in Gelsenkirchen, rent included.

Lisbon $4,319
Gelsenkirchen $3,680

Lisbon costs about 17% more than Gelsenkirchen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lisbon and Gelsenkirchen sit above the global median – Lisbon by 65%, Gelsenkirchen by 40%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$13.55 €12.05

21.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$76.6 €68.1

-20.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$10.53 €9.36

7.03%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.39 €3.90

-30.30%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$4.00 €3.56

-43.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$3.19 €2.84

-45.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$5.41 €4.81

-37.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$3.87 €3.45

-12.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.28 €1.14

-12.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.26 €2.01

-17.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$3.81 €3.39

-59.84%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$3.43 €3.05

15.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$14.31 €12.73

-10.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$10.81 €9.62

-26.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$23.90 €21.26

-29.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.35 €2.98

-32.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.99 €1.77

-12.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.19 €1.95

-15.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$4.33 €3.86

-40.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.46 €1.29

27.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.15 €1.02

75.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.69 €1.50

-14.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.79 €0.70

3.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$9.53 €8.48

-31.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$5.51 €4.91

2.00%

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

$1.48 €1.32

39.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$3.84 €3.42

-38.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$70.7 €62.9

-37.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$4.95 €4.40

-19.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$2.25 €2.00

-51.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$33.97 €30.21

-51.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.27 €2.02

0.44%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$30.2K €26.8K

11.64%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$37.2K €33.1K

5.58%

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

$167 €149

$395 €352

-57.63%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$25.59 €22.77

-26.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$39.92 €35.51

-17.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$30.97 €27.55

48.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$27.70 €24.64

-30.72%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$8.68 €7.72

13.36%

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

$677 €602

$219 €195

208.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$18.6K €16.6K

-9.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$96.9 €86.2

4.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$38.60 €34.34

18.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$97.0 €86.2

3.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$106 €94.3

15.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$603 €536

167.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$542 €482

120.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,016 €904

181.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$836 €744

138.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$1,685 €1,498

349.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$1,331 €1,184

223.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$2,275 €2,024

-30.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.96

-2.78%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Gelsenkirchen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Gelsenkirchen

$542 28.6% 54.7% $655

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Gelsenkirchen

$334 17.6% 24.2% $65

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Gelsenkirchen

$256 13.5% 5.8% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Gelsenkirchen

$461 24.3% 110% $241

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Gelsenkirchen

$152 8% 8.5% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Gelsenkirchen

$48 2.6% 26.4% $17

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Gelsenkirchen

$102 5.4% 62.3% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,614 in Lisbon versus $603 in Gelsenkirchen. 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 43% higher in Gelsenkirchen, 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 $77.0 in Gelsenkirchen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $334 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇩🇪 Gelsenkirchen

🕒 Local time

16:40 4:40 PM

17:40 5:40 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

270,107

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Gelsenkirchen 1,900 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Gelsenkirchen

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 Gelsenkirchen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon costs about 17% more than Gelsenkirchen, 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 $2,845 in Gelsenkirchen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gelsenkirchen, 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 $77.0 in Gelsenkirchen. 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 $1,896 in Gelsenkirchen. That's a gap of about 17%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Gelsenkirchen, where all-in costs run around $1,896, than in Lisbon at $2,223. In Gelsenkirchen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Gelsenkirchen costs $1,896 versus $2,223 in Lisbon. 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 Gelsenkirchen. 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.