Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Solingen

For one person, living is cheaper in Solingen: $2,001 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
98

Cost of Living Index in Solingen
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Solingen Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Solingen

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,001

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Solingen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,001 in Solingen.

Lisbon $2,223
Solingen $2,001

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $3,003 in Solingen.

Lisbon $3,271
Solingen $3,003

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $4,006 in Solingen.

Lisbon $4,319
Solingen $4,006

Living in Lisbon is roughly 11% more expensive than in Solingen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Solingen 48% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$19.24 €17.11

-14.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$73.5 €65.4

-16.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$13.48 €11.99

-16.39%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.88 €3.45

-21.13%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$3.13 €2.78

-27.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$2.92 €2.59

-40.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$5.11 €4.55

-33.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$4.50 €4.00

-24.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.26 €1.12

-11.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.08 €1.85

-10.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.96 €2.63

-48.31%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$3.91 €3.48

1.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$16.36 €14.55

-22.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$12.79 €11.38

-38.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$22.56 €20.06

-24.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.12 €2.77

-27.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.12 €1.88

-17.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.13 €1.89

-13.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$3.89 €3.46

-33.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.20 €1.06

55.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.30 €1.16

55.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.58 €1.41

-8.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.16 €1.04

-29.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$9.94 €8.84

-34.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$5.64 €5.01

-0.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.05 €0.94

21.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.46 €1.30

41.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$3.43 €3.05

-31.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$65.1 €57.9

-32.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$5.01 €4.46

-20.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$3.04 €2.71

-64.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$38.45 €34.20

-56.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.20 €1.96

3.64%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$33.4K €29.7K

0.78%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$37.6K €33.5K

4.42%

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

$167 €149

$330 €294

-49.27%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$19.79 €17.61

-5.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$41.22 €36.66

-19.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$39.77 €35.37

15.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$23.78 €21.15

-19.30%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$15.29 €13.60

-35.64%

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

$677 €602

$470 €418

44.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$9,286 €8,260

82.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$94.6 €84.2

7.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$41.74 €37.13

9.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$112 €99.2

-10.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$166 €148

-26.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$842 €749

91.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$611 €543

96.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,372 €1,220

108.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$1,023 €910

94.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$4,992 €4,441

51.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$3,334 €2,966

29.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$5,206 €4,631

-69.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.95

-2.53%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Solingen: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Solingen

$611 30.5% 49% $586

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Solingen

$344 17.2% 27.6% $74

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Solingen

$300 15% 23.7% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Solingen

$391 19.6% 78.3% $172

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Solingen

$186 9.3% 12% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Solingen

$70 3.5% 7.1% $4.7

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Solingen

$99 5% 57.2% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $842 in Solingen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Solingen pays 228% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $73.0 in Solingen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $344 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇩🇪 Solingen

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

19:48 7:48 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

164,205

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Solingen 1,880 km ≈ 2 h 45 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 Solingen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Solingen differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $2,001 including rent). Solingen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 228% lower in Solingen. 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 $842 in Solingen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $470 in Solingen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 28% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,001 in Solingen versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Solingen but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Solingen 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 Solingen 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 Solingen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.