Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Giessen

For one person, living costs are similar in Lisbon and in Giessen: $2,210 and $2,262 a month, rent and utilities included.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Giessen
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Giessen Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Giessen

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,262

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Giessen

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $2,262 in Giessen, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Giessen $2,262

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $3,161 in Giessen, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Giessen $3,161

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $4,059 in Giessen, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Giessen $4,059

Lisbon is about 2% cheaper than Giessen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lisbon and Giessen sit above the global median – Lisbon by 62%, Giessen by 66%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$21.48 €19.30

-22.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$67.8 €60.9

-8.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$13.28 €11.93

-14.46%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$4.01 €3.60

-25.94%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.34 €2.10

-2.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.97 €1.77

-11.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$4.63 €4.16

-26.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$5.53 €4.96

-40.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.32 €1.18

-12.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$2.15 €1.93

-11.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$3.76 €3.37

-59.84%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.59 €3.23

11.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$14.39 €12.92

-10.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$10.96 €9.84

-29.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$19.00 €17.07

-6.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$3.02 €2.71

-23.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.77 €1.59

-2.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.11 €1.89

-11.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$3.91 €3.51

-33.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.20 €1.08

51.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.12 €1.01

75.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.54 €1.38

-4.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.29 €1.16

-44.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$9.91 €8.90

-33.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$5.68 €5.11

-1.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$0.99 €0.89

37.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.51 €1.36

41.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$3.81 €3.43

-38.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$68.9 €61.9

-35.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$5.60 €5.03

-31.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.18 €1.96

-50.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$38.52 €34.60

-57.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.91 €1.72

15.18%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$29.9K €26.9K

14.20%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$38.6K €34.7K

0.26%

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

$161 €145

$348 €312

-53.63%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$32.76 €29.43

-43.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$52.1 €46.83

-37.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$37.83 €33.99

17.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$10.47 €9.41

-8.31%

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

$668 €600

$1,088 €977

-38.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$44.9K €40.4K

-60.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$43.88 €39.42

132.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$22.21 €19.95

100.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$112 €101

-12.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$152 €137

-18.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$713 €641

125.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$891 €800

33.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$1,438 €1,292

95.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$1,209 €1,086

66.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$5,559 €4,994

41.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$2,829 €2,541

61.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$2,667 €2,396

-40.95%

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 27, 2026

Last update for Giessen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Giessen

$891 39.4% 25.2% $299

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Giessen

$320 14.1% 17.3% $47

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Giessen

$311 13.8% 28.3% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Giessen

$433 19.1% 104% $220

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Giessen

$149 6.6% 10.4% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Giessen

$59 2.6% 7.8% $5

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Giessen

$101 4.5% 59.3% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $713 in Giessen. 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 69% higher in Giessen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $68 in Giessen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $320 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇩🇪 Giessen

🕒 Local time

18:39 6:39 PM

19:39 7:39 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

89,179

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Giessen 1,920 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Giessen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon, $2,262 in Giessen – roughly 2% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $3,393 in Giessen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Giessen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $713 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon and $68 in Giessen. 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 $2,262 in Giessen. That’s a gap of about 2%.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,262 in Giessen, 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 $2,210 in Lisbon to $2,262 in Giessen. 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 Lisbon. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Giessen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.