Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Soest

For one person, living is cheaper in Soest: $1,925 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 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
93

Cost of Living Index in Soest
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Soest Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Soest

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Soest

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,925 in Soest.

Lisbon $2,210
Soest $1,925

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,869 in Soest.

Lisbon $3,275
Soest $2,869

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,812 in Soest.

Lisbon $4,341
Soest $3,812

Living in Lisbon is roughly 15% more expensive than in Soest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Soest 41% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$13.52 €12.14

23.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$68.1 €61.2

-9.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$11.28 €10.13

0.71%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$2.97 €2.66

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.19 €1.97

4.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.25 €2.02

-22.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$3.52 €3.16

-3.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$2.29 €2.06

44.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.30 €1.16

-10.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.78 €1.60

7.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$3.95 €3.55

-61.77%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.38 €3.03

18.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$14.26 €12.81

-9.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$11.78 €10.58

-34.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$18.18 €16.33

-2.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.60 €2.34

-11.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.97 €1.77

-12.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.09 €1.88

-11.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.26 €2.03

14.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.34 €1.20

35.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.23 €1.10

60.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.58 €1.42

-6.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.02 €0.92

-29.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$9.38 €8.43

-29.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$6.07 €5.46

-7.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$0.89 €0.80

52.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.47 €1.32

45.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$3.41 €3.06

-31.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$60.6 €54.5

-26.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$3.84 €3.45

0.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.63 €2.36

-59.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$33.48 €30.07

-50.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.05 €1.84

7.32%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$30.1K €27.1K

13.52%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$38.5K €34.6K

0.57%

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

$161 €145

$377 €339

-57.24%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$16.99 €15.26

8.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$43.10 €38.71

-24.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$27.92 €25.08

59.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$30.12 €27.06

-36.59%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$10.60 €9.52

-9.43%

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

$668 €600

$467 €420

42.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$17.1K €15.3K

3.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$128 €115

-20.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$33.35 €29.96

33.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$118 €106

-16.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$122 €110

1.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$1,109 €996

45.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$644 €578

84.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$1,457 €1,309

93.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$1,142 €1,026

76.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$4,354 €3,911

80.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$3,673 €3,300

24.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.96

-2.78%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Soest: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Soest

$644 33.4% 45.9% $546

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Soest

$305 15.9% 12.2% $33

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Soest

$218 11.3% 10.3% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Soest

$437 22.7% 106% $225

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Soest

$181 9.4% 8.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Soest

$49 2.6% 23% $15

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Soest

$91 4.7% 44.4% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,109 in Soest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $68 in Soest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $305 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇩🇪 Soest

🕒 Local time

14:01 2:01 PM

15:01 3:01 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

47,460

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Soest 1,960 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Soest

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 Soest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Soest differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $1,925 including rent). Soest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $2,887 in Soest to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,109 in Soest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $467 in Soest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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 Soest are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.