Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Rotterdam

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $3,032 in Rotterdam, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
149

Cost of Living Index in Rotterdam
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Rotterdam Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Rotterdam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,032

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Rotterdam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $3,032 in Rotterdam.

Lisbon $2,223
Rotterdam $3,032

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $4,227 in Rotterdam.

Lisbon $3,271
Rotterdam $4,227

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $5,422 in Rotterdam.

Lisbon $4,319
Rotterdam $5,422

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 27% less than in Rotterdam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Rotterdam 125% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$20.82 €18.52

-20.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$84.4 €75.1

-27.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$13.49 €12.00

-16.46%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.42 €3.93

-30.77%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$3.81 €3.39

-40.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$3.46 €3.07

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$7.08 €6.29

-52.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$6.01 €5.35

-43.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.48 €1.31

-24.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.37 €2.11

-21.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.86 €2.54

-46.50%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$5.38 €4.78

-26.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$11.78 €10.48

8.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$13.62 €12.11

-42.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$18.76 €16.69

-9.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.32 €2.96

-31.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.60 €2.31

-32.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.52 €2.24

-26.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$3.37 €3.00

-23.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.70 €1.51

9.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.52 €1.35

32.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.48 €1.32

-2.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.26 €1.12

-34.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$14.24 €12.67

-53.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$6.55 €5.82

-14.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.48 €1.32

-13.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.60 €2.31

-20.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$4.39 €3.90

-46.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$109 €97.1

-59.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$4.51 €4.01

-11.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$3.37 €3.00

-67.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$65.8 €58.6

-74.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.64 €2.34

-13.64%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$40.9K €36.3K

-17.57%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$38.8K €34.5K

1.26%

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

$167 €149

$300 €267

-44.14%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$21.55 €19.17

-12.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$53.7 €47.74

-38.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$48.47 €43.11

-5.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$28.57 €25.41

-32.83%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$15.60 €13.88

-36.92%

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

$677 €602

$2,658 €2,364

-74.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$12.8K €11.4K

32.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$92.2 €82.0

9.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$38.50 €34.25

18.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$109 €97.0

-8.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$141 €125

-12.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$1,966 €1,748

-17.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$1,577 €1,402

-24.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$3,071 €2,732

-6.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$2,238 €1,991

-11.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$5,891 €5,240

28.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$3,967 €3,528

8.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$4,107 €3,653

-61.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.49

10.32%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Rotterdam: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Rotterdam

$1.6K 52% 31.7% $380

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Rotterdam

$345 11.4% 28.1% $76

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Rotterdam

$336 11.1% 38.9% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Rotterdam

$375 12.4% 71% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Rotterdam

$171 5.7% 2.9% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Rotterdam

$80 2.6% 21.3% $14

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Rotterdam

$148 4.9% 135% $85

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $1,966 in Rotterdam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rotterdam pays 159% 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 $84.0 in Rotterdam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $345 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇳🇱 Rotterdam

🕒 Local time

18:54 6:54 PM

19:54 7:54 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

572,392

💱 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 Rotterdam 1,810 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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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 Rotterdam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Rotterdam differ by about 36% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $3,032 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 159% lower in Rotterdam. 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 $1,966 in Rotterdam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $2,658 in Rotterdam. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Rotterdam. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $3,032 in Rotterdam, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Rotterdam. 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 Rotterdam 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 36% less than in Rotterdam. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.