Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Leuven

For one person, living costs are similar in Lisbon and in Leuven: $2,223 and $2,216 a month, rent and utilities included.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Leuven
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Leuven Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Leuven

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,216

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Leuven

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,216 in Leuven.

Lisbon $2,223
Leuven $2,216

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $3,275 in Leuven.

Lisbon $3,271
Leuven $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $4,334 in Leuven.

Lisbon $4,319
Leuven $4,334

Monthly costs are close between Lisbon and Leuven; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Leuven 64% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$22.35 €19.88

-26.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$77.9 €69.3

-21.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$11.01 €9.79

2.36%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.46 €3.97

-31.39%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$2.86 €2.54

-20.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$2.90 €2.58

-40.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$5.17 €4.59

-34.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$4.34 €3.86

-21.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.34 €1.19

-16.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.78 €2.47

-33.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.97 €1.75

-22.34%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$3.89 €3.46

1.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$11.71 €10.42

8.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$12.30 €10.94

-35.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$19.27 €17.14

-11.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.78 €2.47

-18.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.11 €1.87

-17.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.22 €1.97

-16.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$2.22 €1.97

15.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.26 €2.01

-17.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.66 €1.48

21.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.53 €1.36

-5.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.93 €0.83

-11.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$13.31 €11.84

-50.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$7.27 €6.47

-22.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.02 €1.80

-36.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.85 €1.65

11.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$3.30 €2.94

-28.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$38.55 €34.29

14.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$10.15 €9.03

-60.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$2.42 €2.15

-54.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$25.21 €22.43

-33.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.05 €1.82

11.22%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$35.5K €31.5K

-5.04%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$33.4K €29.7K

17.61%

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

$167 €149

$207 €184

-19.03%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$18.01 €16.02

4.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$53.6 €47.65

-38.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$41.03 €36.50

12.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$19.39 €17.25

-1.03%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$14.24 €12.67

-30.90%

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

$677 €602

$700 €622

-3.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$16.1K €14.4K

4.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$99.1 €88.1

2.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$26.01 €23.13

75.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$88.1 €78.4

13.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$145 €129

-15.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$1,111 €989

45.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$989 €880

21.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,960 €1,744

45.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$1,560 €1,388

27.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$5,519 €4,909

37.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$3,677 €3,271

17.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$3,761 €3,345

-57.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.52

9.38%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Leuven: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Leuven

$989 44.6% 17.4% $208

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Leuven

$321 14.5% 19.3% $52

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Leuven

$323 14.6% 33.3% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Leuven

$278 12.6% 26.9% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Leuven

$161 7.3% 3% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Leuven

$70 3.1% 5.8% $3.8

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Leuven

$74 3.3% 17.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $1,111 in Leuven. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Leuven pays 137% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $78.0 in Leuven for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $321 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇧🇪 Leuven

🕒 Local time

17:45 5:45 PM

18:45 6:45 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

102,275

💱 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 Leuven 1,730 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Leuven

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 Leuven: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 137% lower in Leuven. 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $1,111 in Leuven. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Leuven runs roughly 15% less than in Lisbon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 19% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,216 in Leuven versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Leuven but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Leuven the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Leuven delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,216 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Leuven hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Leuven are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

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