Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Kiel

For one person, living is cheaper in Kiel: $1,949 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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
95

Cost of Living Index in Kiel
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Kiel Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Kiel

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Kiel

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,949 in Kiel.

Lisbon $2,210
Kiel $1,949

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,960 in Kiel.

Lisbon $3,275
Kiel $2,960

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,970 in Kiel.

Lisbon $4,341
Kiel $3,970

Living in Lisbon is roughly 13% more expensive than in Kiel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Kiel 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$16.79 €15.04

-0.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$85.4 €76.6

-27.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$12.25 €10.98

-7.27%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.87 €3.47

-23.26%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$3.79 €3.40

-39.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$3.32 €2.97

-47.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$5.68 €5.09

-40.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.52 €4.05

-26.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.26 €1.13

-7.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.49 €2.23

-23.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$3.14 €2.81

-51.91%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$4.17 €3.73

-3.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$16.10 €14.42

-19.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$12.18 €10.91

-36.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$26.14 €23.43

-32.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.24 €2.90

-29.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.25 €2.01

-23.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.27 €2.03

-18.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$3.40 €3.05

-23.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.54 €1.38

18.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.30 €1.17

51.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.74 €1.56

-15.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.80 €0.72

-10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$10.49 €9.40

-37.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$6.24 €5.60

-10.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.12 €1.01

21.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.53 €1.37

39.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$3.26 €2.92

-28.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$69.9 €62.6

-36.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$4.01 €3.59

-3.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.19 €1.96

-51.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.15 €1.92

2.33%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$32.7K €29.3K

4.62%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$39.2K €35.1K

-1.23%

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

$161 €144

$295 €265

-45.40%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$22.43 €20.10

-17.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$48.37 €43.34

-32.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$38.49 €34.49

15.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$43.89 €39.33

-56.48%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$13.33 €11.94

-27.98%

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

$668 €598

$296 €265

125.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$76.3 €68.3

33.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$68.8 €61.7

-35.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$97.9 €87.7

0.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$111 €99.4

11.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$698 €626

130.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$623 €558

91.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,493 €1,338

88.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$1,012 €907

98.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$5,250 €4,704

49.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$2,925 €2,621

56.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$3,265 €2,926

-51.77%

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 Kiel: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Kiel

$623 31.9% 47.7% $568

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Kiel

$355 18.2% 30.4% $83

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Kiel

$283 14.5% 16.8% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Kiel

$366 18.8% 72.4% $154

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Kiel

$159 8.2% 4% $6.7

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Kiel

$65 3.3% 2.2% $1.4

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Kiel

$98 5% 54.9% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $698 in Kiel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kiel pays about 2.1 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 $85 in Kiel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $355 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇩🇪 Kiel

🕒 Local time

07:00 7:00 AM

08:00 8:00 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

246,306

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Kiel 2,260 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Lisbon
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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 Kiel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kiel is about 12% cheaper overall, especially in clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 52% 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 $698 in Kiel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 23% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $62 versus $85 in Kiel. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Kiel 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 Kiel are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.