Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Karlsruhe

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,358 in Karlsruhe, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. The total is higher in Karlsruhe despite lower rent and utilities.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Karlsruhe
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Karlsruhe Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Karlsruhe

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,358

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Karlsruhe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,358 in Karlsruhe.

Lisbon $2,210
Karlsruhe $2,358

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,404 in Karlsruhe.

Lisbon $3,275
Karlsruhe $3,404

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $4,449 in Karlsruhe.

Lisbon $4,341
Karlsruhe $4,449

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 6% less than in Karlsruhe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Karlsruhe 73% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$17.53 €15.70

-5.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$74.6 €66.8

-17.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$13.20 €11.83

-13.94%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$4.24 €3.80

-29.95%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$3.72 €3.33

-38.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$3.25 €2.91

-46.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$4.95 €4.43

-31.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.55 €4.08

-27.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.18 €1.06

-1.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.21 €1.98

-13.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.89 €2.59

-47.75%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$4.76 €4.27

-15.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$16.64 €14.91

-22.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$11.13 €9.98

-30.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$25.66 €23.00

-30.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.17 €2.84

-27.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.95 €1.75

-11.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.43 €2.18

-23.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$3.82 €3.42

-32.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.27 €1.14

43.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.32 €1.18

49.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.36 €1.22

8.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.07 €0.96

-32.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$9.77 €8.75

-32.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$5.56 €4.98

0.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.23 €1.10

10.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.50 €1.34

42.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$3.98 €3.56

-41.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$69.9 €62.7

-36.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$5.45 €4.88

-29.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$4.41 €3.95

-75.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$44.36 €39.75

-62.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.23 €2.00

-1.35%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$33.9K €30.4K

0.80%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$38.6K €34.5K

0.44%

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

$161 €144

$470 €421

-65.68%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$25.93 €23.24

-29.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$45.16 €40.47

-27.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$36.08 €32.33

23.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$41.50 €37.19

-53.98%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$16.47 €14.76

-41.71%

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

$668 €598

$395 €354

69.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$17.1K €15.3K

3.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$87.8 €78.7

16.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$60.0 €53.7

-25.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$112 €100

-12.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$106 €95.3

16.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$958 €859

67.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$829 €743

43.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,876 €1,681

49.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$1,312 €1,176

53.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$6,311 €5,655

24.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$3,700 €3,315

23.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$3,198 €2,866

-50.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.81

1.05%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Karlsruhe: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Karlsruhe

$829 35.2% 30.3% $361

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Karlsruhe

$348 14.8% 27.9% $76

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Karlsruhe

$292 12.4% 20.5% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Karlsruhe

$541 22.9% 155% $329

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Karlsruhe

$165 7% 0.7% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Karlsruhe

$69 2.9% 8.3% $5.3

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Karlsruhe

$113 4.8% 79.4% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $958 in Karlsruhe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karlsruhe pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $75 in Karlsruhe for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $348 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇩🇪 Karlsruhe

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

10:03 10:03 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

283,959

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Karlsruhe 1,810 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Karlsruhe

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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 Karlsruhe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon is about 6% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

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 $958 in Karlsruhe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 36% less than in Karlsruhe. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $395 in Karlsruhe. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Lisbon 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 Karlsruhe are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Karlsruhe on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.