Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Siegen

For one person, living is cheaper in Siegen: $1,737 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
85

Cost of Living Index in Siegen
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Siegen Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Siegen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,737

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Siegen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,737 in Siegen.

Lisbon $2,202
Siegen $1,737

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $2,625 in Siegen.

Lisbon $3,274
Siegen $2,625

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,513 in Siegen.

Lisbon $4,346
Siegen $3,513

Living in Lisbon is roughly 27% more expensive than in Siegen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Siegen 28% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$13.27 €11.81

28.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$54.1 €48.09

15.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$11.05 €9.83

-0.27%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$3.86 €3.43

-19.17%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$3.79 €3.37

-40.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$3.31 €2.94

-47.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$4.54 €4.04

-24.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$4.35 €3.87

-14.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.27 €1.13

-7.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.88 €1.67

-1.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$3.00 €2.66

-48.67%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$3.47 €3.09

17.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$14.04 €12.49

-8.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$12.33 €10.97

-35.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$18.47 €16.43

-4.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.94 €2.61

-23.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.90 €1.69

-7.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.15 €1.91

-12.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$4.78 €4.25

-46.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.34 €1.19

38.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.34 €1.19

47.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.87 €1.66

-22.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.74 €0.66

4.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$9.98 €8.88

-32.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$5.65 €5.03

0.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.04 €0.92

31.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.39 €1.23

51.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$3.96 €3.52

-41.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$72.0 €64.0

-38.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$3.28 €2.91

20.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$2.09 €1.86

-49.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$40.14 €35.70

-57.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.07 €1.84

5.80%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$30.9K €27.5K

9.24%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$38.2K €34.0K

0.22%

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

$164 €146

$331 €295

-50.54%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$32.78 €29.15

-43.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$50.6 €45.01

-34.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$30.55 €27.17

50.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$22.12 €19.67

-15.55%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$13.44 €11.95

-27.46%

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

$684 €608

$163 €145

319.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$33.42 €29.72

210.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$28.17 €25.05

64.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$88.4 €78.7

12.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$76.0 €67.6

64.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$638 €567

149.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$499 €444

134.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,136 €1,011

150.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$985 €876

102.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$2,425 €2,157

221.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$2,002 €1,781

120.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$2,565 €2,282

-37.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.86

-0.26%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Siegen: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Siegen

$499 28.8% 57.3% $670

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Siegen

$317 18.3% 16.3% $44

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Siegen

$245 14.1% 0.8% $2.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Siegen

$415 23.9% 92.6% $199

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Siegen

$102 5.9% 39.6% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Siegen

$57 3.3% 12.2% $8

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Siegen

$102 5.8% 61.3% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $638 in Siegen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Siegen pays 60% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $54.0 in Siegen. Groceries flip the comparison at $273 vs $317, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇩🇪 Siegen

🕒 Local time

06:21 6:21 AM

07:21 7:21 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

99,403

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Lisbon Siegen 1,910 km ≈ 3 h 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 Siegen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Siegen differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,737 including rent). Siegen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 60% lower in Siegen. 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $638 in Siegen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $163 in Siegen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,737 in Siegen versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Siegen but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Siegen 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 Siegen 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 Siegen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.