Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Haarlem

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,258 in Haarlem, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
156

Cost of Living Index in Haarlem
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Haarlem Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Haarlem

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,258

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Haarlem

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $3,258 in Haarlem, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Haarlem $3,258

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $4,615 in Haarlem, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Haarlem $4,615

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $5,971 in Haarlem, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Haarlem $5,971

Lisbon is about 32% cheaper than Haarlem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lisbon and Haarlem sit above the global median – Lisbon by 62%, Haarlem by 139%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.96

$29.24 €26.28

-43.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$100 €89.9

-38.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$13.67 €12.28

-16.90%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$4.14 €3.72

-28.26%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$4.08 €3.67

-43.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$3.37 €3.03

-48.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$8.03 €7.21

-57.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$5.63 €5.06

-41.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.46 €1.31

-20.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$2.79 €2.51

-31.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.64 €2.37

-42.80%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$4.75 €4.27

-15.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$13.92 €12.50

-7.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.99

$13.30 €11.95

-41.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.96

$21.49 €19.31

-17.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.98 €2.68

-22.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$2.53 €2.27

-31.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.80 €1.62

3.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$4.98 €4.48

-47.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.89 €1.70

-3.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$2.27 €2.04

-13.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.29 €1.16

13.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.00 €0.90

-28.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.92

$13.88 €12.47

-52.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$7.73 €6.95

-27.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.50 €1.34

-9.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.36 €2.12

-9.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$2.84 €2.55

-17.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$83.0 €74.6

-46.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$6.19 €5.56

-37.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.50 €2.25

-57.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$26.38 €23.70

-37.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.53 €2.27

-13.04%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$41.4K €37.2K

-17.51%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$39.6K €35.5K

-2.11%

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

$161 €145

$249 €224

-35.23%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$23.98 €21.55

-23.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$60.9 €54.8

-46.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.03

$53.3 €47.92

-16.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$28.02 €25.18

-31.83%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$16.09 €14.45

-40.34%

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

$668 €600

$2,598 €2,335

-74.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$6,587 €5,919

167.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.7

$85.1 €76.4

19.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.95

$63.2 €56.8

-29.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$97.7 €87.8

0.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$147 €132

-15.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$2,031 €1,825

-20.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$1,781 €1,600

-33.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,527

$3,215 €2,889

-12.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,809

$2,603 €2,339

-22.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,043

$7,820 €7,026

0.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,111

$5,830 €5,238

-21.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$4,219 €3,791

-62.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.8

1.32%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Haarlem: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Haarlem

$1.8K 54.7% 49.7% $591

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Haarlem

$362 11.1% 33% $90

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Haarlem

$406 12.5% 67.3% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Haarlem

$334 10.3% 57.2% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Haarlem

$177 5.4% 6.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Haarlem

$86 2.6% 34.1% $22

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Haarlem

$113 3.5% 78.9% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $2,031 in Haarlem. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Haarlem are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $100 in Haarlem. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $362 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇳🇱 Haarlem

🕒 Local time

14:01 2:01 PM

15:01 3:01 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

165,396

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Haarlem 1,850 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Haarlem

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 Haarlem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Haarlem costs about 47% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $4,887 in Haarlem. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lisbon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,608 there versus $2,031 in Haarlem.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon and $100 in Haarlem. 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 $3,258 in Haarlem. That’s a gap of about 47%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,210, than in Haarlem at $3,258. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Haarlem it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lisbon costs $2,210 versus $3,258 in Haarlem. 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 Lisbon. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Haarlem makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.