Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Saarbrucken

For one person, living is cheaper in Saarbrucken: $1,673 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Saarbrucken
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Saarbrucken Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Saarbrucken

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,673

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Saarbrucken

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,673 in Saarbrucken.

Lisbon $2,210
Saarbrucken $1,673

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,577 in Saarbrucken.

Lisbon $3,275
Saarbrucken $2,577

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,482 in Saarbrucken.

Lisbon $4,341
Saarbrucken $3,482

Living in Lisbon is roughly 32% more expensive than in Saarbrucken, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Saarbrucken 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.94

$13.47 €12.09

23.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.4

$55.3 €49.59

11.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.19

$11.01 €9.88

3.18%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.93 €2.63

1.37%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.92 €2.62

-21.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.35 €2.10

-25.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$4.58 €4.11

-25.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.41 €3.06

-2.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.31 €1.18

-11.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.28 €2.05

-16.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$3.08 €2.76

-50.97%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.49 €3.13

15.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.61

$14.05 €12.60

-7.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$9.86 €8.85

-21.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.94

$19.70 €17.68

-9.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$3.07 €2.75

-25.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.65 €1.48

4.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.14 €1.92

-13.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$5.02 €4.50

-48.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.37 €1.23

32.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.19 €1.06

65.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.29 €1.15

13.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.88 €0.79

-18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$9.65 €8.66

-31.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.03

$6.62 €5.94

-15.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.00 €0.90

36.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.42 €1.27

50.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$3.51 €3.15

-33.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.09

$69.3 €62.2

-35.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$5.42 €4.86

-28.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$4.01 €3.60

-73.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.77

$36.37 €32.63

-54.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.10 €1.88

4.76%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$33.0K €29.6K

3.73%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

0.03%

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

$161 €145

$197 €176

-18.03%

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

$18.41 €16.52

$28.40 €25.49

-35.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.37

$38.05 €34.14

-13.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.97

$34.36 €30.83

29.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.14

$27.48 €24.66

-30.49%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.61

$16.61 €14.90

-42.20%

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

$668 €599

$430 €386

55.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$10.2K €9,160

72.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.5

$99.5 €89.3

2.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.90

$44.63 €40.05

-0.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.4

$98.4 €88.3

0.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$154 €138

-19.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,443

$613 €550

162.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,068

$513 €460

131.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,523

$1,173 €1,052

139.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,806

$934 €838

115.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,034

$3,277 €2,940

139.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,106

$2,230 €2,001

105.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,413

$2,759 €2,476

-42.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.92

-1.79%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Saarbrucken: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Saarbrucken

$513 30.7% 56.9% $677

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Saarbrucken

$315 18.8% 15.6% $43

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Saarbrucken

$227 13.6% 6.5% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Saarbrucken

$263 15.7% 23.9% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Saarbrucken

$179 10.7% 7.6% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Saarbrucken

$68 4% 6% $3.8

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Saarbrucken

$109 6.5% 72.1% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $613 in Saarbrucken. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saarbrucken pays 75% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $55 in Saarbrucken. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $315, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇩🇪 Saarbrucken

🕒 Local time

22:49 10:49 PM

23:49 11:49 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

177,201

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Saarbrucken 1,740 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 Saarbrucken: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,673 in Saarbrucken, so Saarbrucken is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 43% 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 $613 in Saarbrucken. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $430 in Saarbrucken. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 14% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Saarbrucken 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 Saarbrucken are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.