Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Heerlen

For one person, living costs are similar in Lisbon and in Heerlen: $2,202 and $2,255 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 Heerlen
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Heerlen Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Heerlen

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,255

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Heerlen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,255 in Heerlen.

Lisbon $2,202
Heerlen $2,255

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $3,463 in Heerlen.

Lisbon $3,274
Heerlen $3,463

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $4,672 in Heerlen.

Lisbon $4,346
Heerlen $4,672

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 2% less than in Heerlen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Heerlen 66% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$23.76 €21.13

-28.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$97.9 €87.0

-36.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$19.01 €16.90

-42.03%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$4.09 €3.64

-23.72%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$3.24 €2.88

-29.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.29 €2.03

-24.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$6.09 €5.42

-43.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$5.59 €4.97

-33.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.33 €1.19

-12.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.41 €2.15

-22.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.54 €2.26

-39.37%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$4.47 €3.97

-9.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$11.73 €10.43

10.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$14.00 €12.45

-43.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$17.89 €15.91

-1.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.28 €2.03

-0.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.51 €2.23

-30.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.11 €1.88

-10.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$4.32 €3.84

-40.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.85 €1.65

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.09 €1.86

-5.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.39 €1.24

4.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.83 €0.74

-7.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$13.87 €12.34

-51.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$7.20 €6.41

-21.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.41 €1.26

-2.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.66 €2.37

-20.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$3.60 €3.20

-35.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$59.8 €53.2

-25.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$6.27 €5.58

-37.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.69 €1.50

-37.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$22.38 €19.91

-23.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.46 €2.19

-10.98%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$29.7K €26.4K

13.93%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$35.0K €31.1K

9.35%

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

$164 €146

$191 €170

-14.42%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$26.36 €23.45

-29.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$56.0 €49.78

-41.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$35.46 €31.54

29.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$27.63 €24.58

-32.39%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$13.40 €11.92

-27.24%

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

$684 €608

$671 €597

1.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$5,507 €4,898

220.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$99.6 €88.6

4.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$49.56 €44.08

-6.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$101 €90.1

-1.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$193 €172

-35.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$1,120 €996

41.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$938 €834

24.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,913 €1,701

49.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,587 €1,411

25.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$3,938 €3,502

97.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$2,810 €2,500

57.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$2,947 €2,622

-45.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.35

-11.49%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Heerlen: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Heerlen

$938 41.6% 19.8% $231

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Heerlen

$333 14.8% 21.9% $60

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Heerlen

$360 16% 45.4% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Heerlen

$274 12.1% 27.2% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Heerlen

$200 8.9% 18.5% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Heerlen

$62 2.8% 4.8% $3.1

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Heerlen

$89 3.9% 41.3% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $1,120 in Heerlen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Heerlen pays 84% 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: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $98.0 in Heerlen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $333 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇳🇱 Heerlen

🕒 Local time

23:38 11:38 PM

00:38 12:38 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

87,086

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Lisbon Heerlen 1,800 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Heerlen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon wins on cost – living expenses run 2% lower than in Heerlen. 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 84% lower in Heerlen. 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $1,120 in Heerlen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 35% less than in Heerlen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $671 in Heerlen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,255 in Heerlen, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Heerlen. 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 $2,202 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lisbon hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Heerlen 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 2% less than in Heerlen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.