Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Rostock

For one person, living is cheaper in Rostock: $1,706 a month against $2,203 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

108

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Rostock
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Rostock Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,203

/mo nomad

Rostock

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,706

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Rostock

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,203 in Lisbon versus $1,706 in Rostock.

Lisbon $2,203
Rostock $1,706

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,237 in Lisbon versus $2,772 in Rostock.

Lisbon $3,237
Rostock $2,772

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,272 in Lisbon versus $3,839 in Rostock.

Lisbon $4,272
Rostock $3,839

Living in Lisbon is roughly 29% more expensive than in Rostock, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 64% above, Rostock 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.01 €15.18

$16.66 €14.86

2.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.7 €56.0

$67.1 €59.9

-6.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.42 €10.19

$11.08 €9.88

3.07%

Cappuccino

$3.09 €2.76

$4.06 €3.63

-23.89%

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

$2.37 €2.11

$3.98 €3.55

-40.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 €1.48

$3.07 €2.74

-45.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.46 €3.09

$5.20 €4.64

-33.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 €2.93

$6.31 €5.63

-47.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.46 €1.30

-19.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.18 €1.95

-14.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 €1.36

$3.77 €3.37

-59.68%

Eggs

$3.88 €3.46

$3.50 €3.12

10.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 €11.49

$14.48 €12.92

-11.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.94 €7.08

$12.88 €11.50

-38.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.63 €15.73

$23.89 €21.32

-26.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$3.44 €3.07

-34.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$2.04 €1.82

-13.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 €1.68

$2.11 €1.88

-10.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$4.25 €3.79

-41.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.18 €1.05

57.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.20 €1.07

72.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.70 €1.51

-18.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.73

$0.75 €0.67

8.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.89 €6.15

$9.74 €8.69

-29.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 €4.93

$5.64 €5.04

-1.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.04 €0.93

27.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.40 €1.25

55.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 €2.00

$3.00 €2.68

-25.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.14 €40.29

$70.8 €63.2

-36.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 €3.57

$4.39 €3.92

-8.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.95

$2.54 €2.26

-57.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.53 €14.75

$41.00 €36.59

-59.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 €2.02

$2.07 €1.85

9.18%

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

$33.5K €29.9K

$30.2K €26.9K

11.07%

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

$40.5K €36.1K

$38.9K €34.7K

4.04%

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

$164 €146

$265 €236

-38.17%

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

$18.54 €16.55

$30.00 €26.78

-38.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.21 €29.64

$51.0 €45.51

-34.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €41.06

$36.02 €32.15

27.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.80 €16.78

$27.33 €24.39

-31.21%

Cinema Ticket

$9.47 €8.45

$11.89 €10.61

-20.35%

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

$690 €615

$186 €166

271.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.0K

$3,686 €3,290

357.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.4

$62.2 €55.5

68.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.27 €40.40

$36.20 €32.31

25.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 €88.3

$81.6 €72.9

21.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$118 €105

5.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,583 €1,413

$644 €575

145.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 €1,079

$461 €412

162.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,833 €2,528

$1,512 €1,349

87.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,964 €1,753

$1,070 €955

83.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,643 €6,821

$5,134 €4,581

48.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,431 €3,954

$2,982 €2,661

48.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,573 €1,403

$3,073 €2,742

-48.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

3.97

-4.53%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 4, 2026

Last update for Rostock: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 54%

Rostock

$461 26.7% 61.8% $748

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.1%

Rostock

$345 20% 26.9% $73

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11%

Rostock

$282 16.3% 14% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.6%

Rostock

$346 20% 60.5% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.5%

Rostock

$134 7.8% 20.1% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 2.9%

Rostock

$60 3.5% 7.9% $5.1

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Rostock

$100 5.8% 57.5% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,583 in Lisbon and $644 in Rostock. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rostock pays 95% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $63.0 in Lisbon vs $67.0 in Rostock for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $345 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇩🇪 Rostock

🕒 Local time

07:42 7:42 AM

08:42 8:42 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

207,830

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Rostock 2,350 km ≈ 3 h 30 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 Rostock: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Rostock differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($2,203 vs $1,706 including rent). Rostock is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 95% lower in Rostock. 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: $1,583 in Lisbon versus $644 in Rostock. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $690 in Lisbon versus $186 in Rostock. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 27% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,706 in Rostock versus $2,203 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Rostock but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Rostock 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 Rostock 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 Rostock gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.