Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Hasselt

For one person, living is cheaper in Hasselt: $2,021 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Lisbon, Portugal
Hasselt, Belgium
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Hasselt
🇧🇪 Belgium
$2,021
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Hasselt

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $2,021 in Hasselt, rent included.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Hasselt $2,021

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $3,042 in Hasselt, rent included.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Hasselt $3,042

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $4,063 in Hasselt, rent included.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Hasselt $4,063

Lisbon costs about 9% more than Hasselt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Lisbon and Hasselt sit above the global median – Lisbon by 62%, Hasselt by 49%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Hasselt
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.95
$22.32 €20.05
-25.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.5
$97.7 €87.8
-36.83%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.20
$13.60 €12.22
-16.47%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.67
$3.80 €3.41
-21.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.06
$3.51 €3.16
-34.76%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$3.25 €2.92
-46.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.06
$5.43 €4.87
-37.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.97
$5.16 €4.63
-35.85%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Hasselt
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$1.34 €1.21
-13.43%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.72
$2.42 €2.17
-21.07%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.36
$2.28 €2.04
-33.77%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.61
$3.23 €2.91
24.46%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.62
$8.01 €7.19
61.55%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.98
$11.71 €10.52
-33.65%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.95
$22.25 €19.98
-20.18%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.07
$2.03 €1.82
13.30%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.56
$1.66 €1.49
4.22%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.67
$2.61 €2.35
-28.74%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.33
$2.69 €2.42
-3.72%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.64
$1.85 €1.66
-1.62%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.77
$1.37 €1.23
43.80%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$1.00 €0.90
47.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$1.08 €0.97
-33.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.91
$12.64 €11.36
-47.94%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.04
$8.84 €7.94
-36.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$1.62 €1.45
-16.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.92
$2.05 €1.84
4.39%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Hasselt
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.10
$3.15 €2.83
-26.03%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.14
$32.27 €28.99
38.46%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.46
$5.71 €5.13
-32.57%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$2.62 €2.35
-59.16%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.79
$36.45 €32.74
-54.84%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.98
$1.98 €1.77
11.11%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.7K
$34.9K €31.4K
-2.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.8K
$33.8K €30.4K
14.59%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Hasselt
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €145
$212 €191
-23.99%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.54
$19.34 €17.37
-4.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.41
$47.00 €42.22
-30.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Hasselt
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €40.02
$27.97 €25.12
59.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.16
$9.18 €8.25
108.06%
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.62
$15.00 €13.47
-36.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Hasselt
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €600
$1,664 €1,494
-59.86%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$33.0K €29.7K
-46.65%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Hasselt
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.6
$115 €104
-11.59%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.94
$53.3 €47.87
-16.57%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.5
$106 €95.3
-7.12%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$134 €120
-7.54%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Hasselt
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,445
$906 €814
77.46%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,069
$800 €719
48.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,526
$1,457 €1,308
93.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,808
$1,218 €1,095
65.23%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,042
$4,588 €4,122
70.84%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,110
$2,398 €2,154
90.79%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Hasselt
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,415
$3,045 €2,735
-48.28%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
3.53
9.07%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Hasselt: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Hasselt
$800 32.8% $390
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Hasselt
$308 13.1% $36
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Hasselt
$329 35.8% $87
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Hasselt
$278 31.1% $66
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Hasselt
$184 10.8% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Hasselt
$58 9.1% $5.8
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Hasselt
$64 0.7% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $906 in Hasselt. 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 93% higher in Hasselt, 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 $62 in Lisbon versus $98 in Hasselt. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $308 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇧🇪 Hasselt
🕒 Local time
20:17 8:17 PM
21:17 9:17 PM
1 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
74,694
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Hasselt 1,770 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Hasselt

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 Hasselt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Lisbon and in Hasselt compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon, $2,021 in Hasselt – Hasselt comes out roughly 9% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.
What salary covers living expenses in Lisbon compared to Hasselt?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $3,032 in Hasselt. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Lisbon and Hasselt?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Hasselt, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $906 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Lisbon and Hasselt?
Kindergarten costs $668 per month in Lisbon and $1,664 in Hasselt. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 12% cheaper in Lisbon – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
How far does $3,000 go in Lisbon compared to Hasselt?
$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,021 in Hasselt, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Hasselt?
It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,021 in Hasselt to $2,210 in Lisbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Lisbon or Hasselt safer for residents?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

Lisbon vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?