Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Nuuk

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,835 in Nuuk, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 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
138

Cost of Living Index in Nuuk
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Nuuk Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Nuuk

🇬🇱 Greenland

$2,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Nuuk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,835 in Nuuk.

Lisbon $2,210
Nuuk $2,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $4,293 in Nuuk.

Lisbon $3,275
Nuuk $4,293

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $5,750 in Nuuk.

Lisbon $4,341
Nuuk $5,750

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 22% less than in Nuuk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Nuuk 108% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$18.11 DKK 121

-8.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$103 DKK 690

-40.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$12.94 DKK 86.7

-12.21%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$5.89 DKK 39.47

-49.58%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$3.15 DKK 21.07

-27.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$3.46 DKK 23.16

-49.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$10.16 DKK 68.1

-66.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$7.46 DKK 49.97

-55.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$2.91 DKK 19.51

-60.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$4.11 DKK 27.50

-53.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$3.99 DKK 26.72

-62.16%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$5.06 DKK 33.92

-20.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$36.12 DKK 242

-64.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$23.97 DKK 161

-67.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$14.67 DKK 98.3

21.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.92 DKK 19.55

-21.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.96 DKK 19.81

-41.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$4.74 DKK 31.73

-60.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$5.73 DKK 38.41

-54.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$3.69 DKK 24.69

-50.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$3.61 DKK 24.18

-45.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$4.57 DKK 30.58

-67.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$2.93 DKK 19.63

-75.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$9.63 DKK 64.5

-31.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$23.46 DKK 157

-76.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$4.68 DKK 31.32

-70.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$4.21 DKK 28.23

-49.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.96 DKK 19.84

-21.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$83.2 DKK 557

-46.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.06 DKK 7.08

107.55%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

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

$38.7K €34.7K

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

$161 €144

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

$18.41 €16.50

$89.0 DKK 596

-79.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$132 DKK 887

-75.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$60.8 DKK 407

-26.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$18.15 DKK 122

-47.11%

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

$668 €598

$549 DKK 3,679

21.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$6,094 DKK 40.8K

189.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$180 DKK 1,208

-45.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$1,566 DKK 10.5K

2.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$1,385 DKK 9,279

-14.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$2,232 DKK 14.9K

26.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$2,297 DKK 15.4K

-12.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$4,787 DKK 32.1K

63.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$4,721 DKK 31.6K

-3.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$4,988 DKK 33.4K

-68.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.71

-18.26%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Nuuk: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Nuuk

$1.4K 48.9% 16.4% $195

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Nuuk

$609 21.5% 124% $337

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Nuuk

$347 12.2% 42.8% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Nuuk

$221 * 7.8% 4.2% $9

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Nuuk

$81 * 2.9% 51.1% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Nuuk

$97 3.4% 52.3% $33

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Nuuk

$95 * 3.4% 50.3% $32

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 $1,566 in Nuuk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nuuk pays about 3.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $103 in Nuuk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $609 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇱 Nuuk

🕒 Local time

01:45 1:45 AM

23:45 11:45 PM

2 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

18,326 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Danish Krone DKK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 DKK = 0.149 USD

1 DKK = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Nuuk 3,960 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Nuuk

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 Nuuk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,835 in Nuuk, so Lisbon is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 68% 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 $1,566 in Nuuk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $549 in Nuuk. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 124% higher in Nuuk. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

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