Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Maastricht

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,206 a month against $2,656 in Maastricht, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Maastricht
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Maastricht Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Maastricht

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Maastricht

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $2,656 in Maastricht.

Lisbon $2,206
Maastricht $2,656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $3,753 in Maastricht.

Lisbon $3,276
Maastricht $3,753

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $4,850 in Maastricht.

Lisbon $4,346
Maastricht $4,850

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 17% less than in Maastricht, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 63% above, Maastricht 96% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.04

$19.73 €17.60

-14.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.5

$89.9 €80.2

-32.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.80

$12.41 €11.07

-11.52%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.72

$4.36 €3.89

-30.05%

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

$2.28 €2.04

$3.84 €3.42

-40.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$3.05 €2.72

-44.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.07

$8.57 €7.64

-59.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$5.57 €4.97

-29.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.28 €1.14

-10.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.41 €2.15

-21.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$2.60 €2.32

-42.31%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.67

$4.56 €4.06

-9.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.60

$14.84 €13.23

-12.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.18

$13.95 €12.45

-42.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.96

$15.63 €13.94

14.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.03

$2.66 €2.37

-14.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.52 €2.25

-30.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.88 €1.68

-3.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$4.47 €3.99

-39.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.96 €1.75

-9.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.30 €2.05

-15.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.34 €1.19

8.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.78 €0.70

-2.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.94

$13.84 €12.35

-51.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.03

$6.79 €6.06

-16.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.47 €1.31

-12.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.70 €2.41

-20.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$4.00 €3.57

-42.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.26

$89.6 €79.9

-50.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.55

$4.94 €4.41

-19.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$3.51 €3.13

-81.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.88

$67.7 €60.4

-72.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.36 €2.11

-3.39%

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

$33.4K €29.8K

$41.9K €37.4K

-20.34%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$39.2K €34.9K

-1.68%

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

$158 €141

$292 €261

-45.90%

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

$17.54 €15.64

$16.83 €15.01

4.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.82

$49.19 €43.88

-36.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.82

$41.95 €37.42

6.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.93

$27.89 €24.88

-31.95%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.54

$15.55 €13.87

-38.39%

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

$674 €601

$1,232 €1,099

-45.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$13.2K €11.8K

41.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.2

$80.8 €72.1

26.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.94

$38.07 €33.96

20.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.2

$112 €99.6

-8.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$129 €115

-5.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,463

$1,445 €1,289

13.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,059

$1,269 €1,132

-6.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,519

$2,312 €2,062

22.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,800

$1,776 €1,584

13.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,989

$5,381 €4,800

45.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,193

$3,770 €3,363

24.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,505

$3,369 €3,005

-49.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

4.42

-13.57%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Maastricht: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Maastricht

$1.3K 47.8% 6.9% $82

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Maastricht

$337 12.7% 22.6% $62

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Maastricht

$329 12.4% 34.1% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Maastricht

$358 13.5% 73.2% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Maastricht

$162 6.1% 3.5% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Maastricht

$73 2.8% 14.5% $9.3

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Maastricht

$128 4.8% 112% $68

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $1,445 in Maastricht. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Maastricht pays 100% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $90 in Maastricht for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $337 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇳🇱 Maastricht

🕒 Local time

16:02 4:02 PM

17:02 5:02 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

120,105

💱 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 Maastricht 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Lisbon
Maastricht

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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 Maastricht: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $2,656 in Maastricht, so Lisbon is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 50% 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: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $1,445 in Maastricht. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $1,232 in Maastricht. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Maastricht. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Maastricht are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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