Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Ilmenau

For one person, living is cheaper in Ilmenau: $2,053 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Ilmenau
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Ilmenau Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Ilmenau

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,053

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Ilmenau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,053 in Ilmenau.

Lisbon $2,210
Ilmenau $2,053

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,519 in Ilmenau.

Lisbon $3,275
Ilmenau $2,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,986 in Ilmenau.

Lisbon $4,341
Ilmenau $2,986

Living in Lisbon is roughly 8% more expensive than in Ilmenau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Ilmenau 51% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$11.31 €10.16

47.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$67.1 €60.3

-7.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$11.04 €9.92

2.90%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$3.42 €3.07

-13.16%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$4.07 €3.66

-43.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$7.61 €6.83

-77.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$4.51 €4.05

-24.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.95 €4.44

-33.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.12 €1.01

3.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$2.11 €1.89

-9.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$3.30 €2.96

-54.24%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.21 €2.89

25.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$14.17 €12.73

-8.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$10.28 €9.24

-24.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$17.89 €16.07

-0.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.86 €2.57

-19.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.46 €1.32

18.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$3.55 €3.19

-47.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$3.82 €3.43

-32.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$2.09 €1.88

-12.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.36 €1.22

44.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.62 €1.46

-9.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.87 €0.78

-17.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$9.34 €8.39

-29.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$6.26 €5.62

-10.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.14 €1.02

19.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.52 €1.37

40.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$65.8 €59.1

-32.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$5.26 €4.73

-26.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$4.24 €3.81

-74.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$44.24 €39.75

-62.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.13 €1.92

3.29%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$32.8K €29.5K

4.10%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$37.4K €33.6K

3.50%

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

$161 €145

$671 €603

-75.97%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$27.51 €24.71

-33.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$34.26 €30.77

-4.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$49.08 €44.09

-9.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$13.16 €11.82

-27.05%

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

$668 €600

$455 €409

46.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$92.4 €83.0

10.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$31.93 €28.68

39.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$121 €108

-18.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$113 €102

9.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$474 €426

239.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$438 €394

171.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$849 €763

231.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$3,184 €2,860

-50.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.95

-2.53%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Ilmenau: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Ilmenau

$438 21.4% 63.2% $752

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Ilmenau

$309 15.1% 13.6% $37

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Ilmenau

$244 11.9% 0.5% $1.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Ilmenau

$733 35.7% 245% $520

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Ilmenau

$161 7.9% 2.8% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Ilmenau

$75 3.7% 18.3% $12

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Ilmenau

$92 * 4.5% 46% $29

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $474 in Ilmenau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ilmenau pays about 2 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $67 in Ilmenau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $309 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇩🇪 Ilmenau

🕒 Local time

23:45 11:45 PM

00:45 12:45 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

39,000

💱 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 Ilmenau 2,060 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Ilmenau

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 Ilmenau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,053 in Ilmenau, so Ilmenau is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 51% lower in Lisbon. 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $474 in Ilmenau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $2,053 in Ilmenau – Ilmenau is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 32% less than in Ilmenau. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Ilmenau gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Ilmenau are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.