Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Groningen

For one person, living costs are similar in Lisbon and in Groningen: $2,223 and $2,282 a month, rent and utilities included.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Groningen
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Groningen Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Groningen

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,282

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Groningen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,282 in Groningen.

Lisbon $2,223
Groningen $2,282

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $3,443 in Groningen.

Lisbon $3,271
Groningen $3,443

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $4,603 in Groningen.

Lisbon $4,319
Groningen $4,603

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 3% less than in Groningen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Groningen 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$19.82 €17.63

-16.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$102 €91.0

-40.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$15.34 €13.65

-26.53%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.60 €4.10

-33.48%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$3.94 €3.50

-42.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$3.18 €2.83

-45.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$5.69 €5.06

-40.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$5.47 €4.87

-37.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.49 €1.32

-24.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.63 €2.34

-29.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.61 €2.32

-41.38%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$4.55 €4.05

-12.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$12.72 €11.31

0.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$13.16 €11.71

-39.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$18.17 €16.16

-6.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.99 €2.66

-24.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.39 €2.13

-26.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.50 €2.22

-26.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$4.76 €4.23

-46.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.04 €1.82

-8.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.57 €1.40

28.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.30 €1.16

10.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.27 €1.13

-35.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$14.45 €12.86

-54.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$6.54 €5.82

-14.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.38 €1.22

-7.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.51 €2.23

-17.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$4.14 €3.68

-43.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$67.5 €60.0

-34.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$6.78 €6.03

-41.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$2.73 €2.43

-60.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$28.38 €25.24

-41.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.52 €2.24

-9.52%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$42.0K €37.3K

-19.73%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$39.1K €34.7K

0.61%

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

$167 €149

$230 €204

-27.02%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$20.48 €18.21

-8.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$48.87 €43.47

-32.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$39.10 €34.78

17.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$15.07 €13.40

27.34%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$16.69 €14.84

-41.04%

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

$677 €602

$1,756 €1,562

-61.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$7,621 €6,779

122.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$105 €93.3

-3.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$44.13 €39.25

3.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$103 €91.8

-3.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$196 €174

-37.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$1,342 €1,194

20.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$931 €828

28.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,965 €1,748

45.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$1,473 €1,310

35.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$5,191 €4,618

45.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$3,906 €3,474

10.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$3,025 €2,691

-47.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.43

12.24%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Groningen: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Groningen

$931 40.8% 22.2% $266

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Groningen

$346 15.2% 28.4% $77

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Groningen

$328 14.4% 35.3% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Groningen

$299 13.1% 36.2% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Groningen

$202 8.8% 21.2% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Groningen

$72 3.2% 10.3% $6.8

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Groningen

$104 4.6% 65.8% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $1,342 in Groningen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Groningen pays 91% 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: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $102 in Groningen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $346 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇳🇱 Groningen

🕒 Local time

19:14 7:14 PM

20:14 8:14 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

201,242

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Groningen 2,010 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

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Lisbon
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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 Groningen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Groningen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lisbon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 91% lower in Groningen. 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $1,342 in Groningen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Groningen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $102 in Groningen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,282 in Groningen, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Groningen. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lisbon delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,223 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lisbon hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Groningen 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 3% less than in Groningen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.