Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Middelburg, Netherlands

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,318 in Middelburg, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Middelburg
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Middelburg Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Middelburg

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,318

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Middelburg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,318 in Middelburg.

Lisbon $2,210
Middelburg $2,318

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,367 in Middelburg.

Lisbon $3,275
Middelburg $3,367

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $4,417 in Middelburg.

Lisbon $4,341
Middelburg $4,417

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 5% less than in Middelburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Middelburg 70% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$13.41 €12.01

24.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$89.0 €79.7

-30.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$12.13 €10.86

-6.35%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$4.06 €3.64

-26.85%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$3.41 €3.05

-32.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$3.31 €2.96

-47.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$6.99 €6.26

-51.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$6.78 €6.07

-51.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.34 €1.20

-13.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.27 €2.04

-15.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.98 €1.77

-23.74%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$4.62 €4.13

-12.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$12.23 €10.95

5.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$13.02 €11.66

-40.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$19.20 €17.20

-7.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.57 €2.30

-10.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.19 €1.96

-21.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.03 €1.82

-8.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$3.68 €3.30

-29.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.32 €1.18

37.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.14 €1.02

72.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.15 €1.03

27.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.95 €0.85

-24.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$11.86 €10.62

-44.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$6.03 €5.40

-6.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.34 €1.20

1.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.88 €1.69

13.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$4.72 €4.23

-18.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$3.33 €2.98

-67.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$33.38 €29.90

-50.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.33 €2.09

-5.58%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$41.5K €37.2K

-17.62%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$38.8K €34.7K

-0.07%

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

$161 €144

$148 €133

8.92%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$28.05 €25.12

-34.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$54.3 €48.67

-39.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$44.51 €39.86

0.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$14.17 €12.69

34.79%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$9.92 €8.88

-3.23%

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

$668 €598

$2,582 €2,312

-74.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$11.9K €10.6K

48.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$95.7 €85.7

6.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$43.25 €38.73

2.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$105 €94.2

-6.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$135 €121

-8.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$1,418 €1,270

13.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$1,244 €1,114

-4.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$2,001 €1,792

40.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$1,864 €1,670

8.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$4,144 €3,712

-62.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.4

13.24%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Middelburg: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Middelburg

$1.2K 53.7% 4.5% $54

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Middelburg

$319 13.8% 17.2% $47

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Middelburg

$268 11.6% 10.4% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Middelburg

$230 9.9% 8.5% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Middelburg

$171 7.4% 2.9% $4.9

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Middelburg

$64 2.8% 1% $0.6

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Middelburg

$21 * 0.9% 66.2% $42

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,418 in Middelburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Middelburg 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 Middelburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $319 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇳🇱 Middelburg

🕒 Local time

08:03 8:03 AM

09:03 9:03 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

40,345

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

From you

Lisbon
Middelburg

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 Middelburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,318 in Middelburg, so Lisbon is about 5% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

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 $1,418 in Middelburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Middelburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $2,318 in Middelburg – Lisbon is about 5% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

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