Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Muelheim an der Ruhr

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,439 in Muelheim an der Ruhr, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 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
119

Cost of Living Index in Muelheim an der Ruhr
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Muelheim an der Ruhr Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Muelheim an der Ruhr

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,439

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Muelheim an der Ruhr

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 Muelheim an der Ruhr actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,439 in Muelheim an der Ruhr.

Lisbon $2,223
Muelheim an der Ruhr $2,439

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $3,176 in Muelheim an der Ruhr.

Lisbon $3,271
Muelheim an der Ruhr $3,176

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $3,912 in Muelheim an der Ruhr.

Lisbon $4,319
Muelheim an der Ruhr $3,912

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 9% less than in Muelheim an der Ruhr, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Muelheim an der Ruhr 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$14.41 €12.81

14.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$70.9 €63.1

-13.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$13.52 €12.02

-16.64%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.36 €3.88

-29.82%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$3.10 €2.75

-27.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$2.17 €1.93

-20.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$4.58 €4.08

-25.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$4.42 €3.93

-23.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.38 €1.23

-18.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.27 €2.02

-18.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.98 €2.65

-48.66%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$4.28 €3.81

-7.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$14.13 €12.57

-9.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$12.48 €11.10

-36.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$18.28 €16.26

-7.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.49 €3.11

-34.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.17 €1.93

-19.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.09 €1.86

-11.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$5.19 €4.62

-50.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.33 €1.18

39.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.23 €1.09

64.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.76 €1.57

-18.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.30 €1.16

-36.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$9.58 €8.52

-31.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$6.71 €5.97

-16.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.09 €0.97

17.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.58 €1.41

31.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$3.33 €2.96

-29.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$65.0 €57.8

-32.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$5.43 €4.83

-26.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$2.99 €2.66

-63.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$48.48 €43.13

-65.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.22 €1.98

2.70%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$32.8K €29.1K

2.76%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$38.5K €34.3K

1.98%

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

$167 €149

$341 €303

-50.84%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$19.67 €17.50

-4.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$54.3 €48.26

-39.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$31.88 €28.36

44.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$10.77 €9.58

-8.64%

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

$677 €602

$223 €198

203.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$17.1K €15.2K

-0.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$103 €91.3

-1.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$33.60 €29.88

36.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$110 €97.6

-8.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$124 €110

-0.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$810 €721

99.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$1,104 €982

8.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,263 €1,123

126.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$1,119 €995

77.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$3,164 €2,814

-49.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.91

-1.53%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Muelheim an der Ruhr: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Muelheim an der Ruhr

$1.1K 45.3% 7.8% $93

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Muelheim an der Ruhr

$341 14% 26.6% $72

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Muelheim an der Ruhr

$261 10.7% 7.7% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Muelheim an der Ruhr

$415 17% 89% $195

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Muelheim an der Ruhr

$166 6.8% 0% $0

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Muelheim an der Ruhr

$53 2.2% 18.7% $12

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Muelheim an der Ruhr

$99 4.1% 56.6% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $810 in Muelheim an der Ruhr. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Muelheim an der Ruhr pays 99% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $71.0 in Muelheim an der Ruhr for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $341 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇩🇪 Muelheim an der Ruhr

🕒 Local time

08:39 8:39 AM

09:39 9:39 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

167,108

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Muelheim an der Ruhr 1,880 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

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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 Muelheim an der Ruhr: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Muelheim an der Ruhr differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $2,439 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 99% lower in Muelheim an der Ruhr. 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 $810 in Muelheim an der Ruhr. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $223 in Muelheim an der Ruhr. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Muelheim an der Ruhr. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,439 in Muelheim an der Ruhr, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Muelheim an der Ruhr. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Muelheim an der Ruhr are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Muelheim an der Ruhr. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.