Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Leiden

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,807 in Leiden, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
136

Cost of Living Index in Leiden
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Leiden Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Leiden

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,807

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Leiden

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,807 in Leiden.

Lisbon $2,210
Leiden $2,807

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $4,042 in Leiden.

Lisbon $3,275
Leiden $4,042

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $5,276 in Leiden.

Lisbon $4,341
Leiden $5,276

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 21% less than in Leiden, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Leiden 106% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$19.86 €17.78

-16.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$89.2 €79.9

-30.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$13.25 €11.87

-14.26%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.84 €3.44

-22.66%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$3.61 €3.23

-36.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$3.03 €2.72

-42.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$7.59 €6.80

-55.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$5.08 €4.55

-34.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.22 €1.09

-4.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.16 €1.94

-11.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$2.42 €2.16

-37.60%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$4.78 €4.28

-15.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$14.70 €13.16

-11.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$14.41 €12.90

-46.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$16.09 €14.41

10.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.93 €2.62

-21.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.41 €2.16

-28.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.96 €1.75

-5.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$4.85 €4.34

-46.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.79 €1.60

1.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.94 €1.74

1.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.32 €1.18

11.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.76 €0.68

-5.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$13.22 €11.84

-50.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$6.82 €6.11

-17.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.49 €1.33

-8.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.64 €2.37

-18.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.84 €2.54

-17.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$128 €115

-65.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$3.41 €3.05

12.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$3.38 €3.02

-68.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$22.64 €20.27

-27.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.46 €2.20

-10.57%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$41.2K €36.9K

-17.03%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$39.8K €35.7K

-2.74%

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

$161 €144

$280 €251

-42.40%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$15.19 €13.61

21.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$49.70 €44.51

-34.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$43.84 €39.26

1.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$11.43 €10.24

67.10%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$14.57 €13.04

-34.11%

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

$668 €598

$2,842 €2,546

-76.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$12.9K €11.5K

36.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$116 €104

-11.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$48.35 €43.30

-8.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$118 €106

-16.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$140 €125

-11.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$1,760 €1,576

-8.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$1,382 €1,238

-13.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$2,687 €2,407

4.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$2,126 €1,904

-5.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$7,824 €7,007

0.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$5,723 €5,125

-20.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$4,103 €3,675

-61.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

2.8

37.50%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Leiden: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Leiden

$1.4K 49.2% 16.1% $192

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Leiden

$338 12.1% 24.2% $66

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Leiden

$319 11.4% 31.6% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Leiden

$345 12.3% 62.4% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Leiden

$190 6.8% 14.4% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Leiden

$73 2.6% 14.5% $9.2

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Leiden

$160 5.7% 153% $97

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,760 in Leiden. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Leiden pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $89 in Leiden for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $338 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇳🇱 Leiden

🕒 Local time

23:13 11:13 PM

00:13 12:13 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

127,089

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Leiden 1,830 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Leiden

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 Leiden: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon wins on cost – living expenses run 21% lower than in Leiden. 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 62% 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 $1,760 in Leiden. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Leiden. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $62 versus $89 in Leiden. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lisbon delivers better value at $2,210 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lisbon hard to pass up.

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

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Leiden. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.