Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Utrecht

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,987 in Utrecht, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
142

Cost of Living Index in Utrecht
Learn more

Utrecht Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Utrecht

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,987

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Utrecht

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,987 in Utrecht.

Lisbon $2,210
Utrecht $2,987

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $4,205 in Utrecht.

Lisbon $3,275
Utrecht $4,205

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $5,423 in Utrecht.

Lisbon $4,341
Utrecht $5,423

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 26% less than in Utrecht, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Utrecht 120% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$22.74 €20.42

-26.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$84.0 €75.5

-26.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$13.55 €12.17

-16.16%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$4.78 €4.30

-37.87%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$3.84 €3.45

-40.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$3.39 €3.04

-48.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$6.59 €5.92

-48.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$7.15 €6.43

-53.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.51 €1.35

-23.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$2.98 €2.68

-35.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.54 €2.28

-40.55%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$4.68 €4.20

-14.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$13.36 €12.00

-3.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$13.92 €12.50

-44.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$18.68 €16.78

-4.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.74 €2.46

-16.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$2.40 €2.15

-27.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.08 €1.87

-10.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$3.78 €3.40

-31.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.73 €1.55

5.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.88 €1.69

4.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.59 €1.43

-7.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.38 €1.24

-47.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$14.42 €12.96

-54.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$6.82 €6.12

-17.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.35 €1.22

0.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.68 €2.40

-20.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$3.55 €3.19

-34.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$132 €119

-66.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$3.73 €3.35

3.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.73 €2.45

-60.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$45.56 €40.92

-63.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.59 €2.33

-15.06%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$41.0K €36.9K

-16.66%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$40.1K €36.0K

-3.42%

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

$161 €145

$245 €220

-34.20%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$21.75 €19.54

-15.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$48.16 €43.26

-32.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$44.24 €39.74

0.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$31.25 €28.07

-38.88%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$15.06 €13.53

-36.25%

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

$668 €600

$3,274 €2,941

-79.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$7,994 €7,181

120.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$93.1 €83.7

9.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$51.5 €46.25

-13.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$103 €92.1

-3.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$126 €113

-1.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$1,945 €1,747

-17.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$1,558 €1,400

-23.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$3,128 €2,810

-10.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$2,229 €2,002

-9.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$7,109 €6,386

10.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$4,877 €4,381

-6.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$4,245 €3,813

-62.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.23

19.20%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Utrecht: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Utrecht

$1.6K 52.2% 30.9% $368

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Utrecht

$352 11.8% 29.4% $80

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Utrecht

$356 11.9% 46.8% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Utrecht

$315 10.5% 48.3% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Utrecht

$168 5.6% 1.1% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Utrecht

$74 2.5% 16.7% $11

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Utrecht

$164 5.5% 159% $101

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,945 in Utrecht. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Utrecht pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $84 in Utrecht for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $352 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇳🇱 Utrecht

🕒 Local time

22:03 10:03 PM

23:03 11:03 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

367,947

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Utrecht 1,850 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Utrecht

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 Utrecht: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,987 in Utrecht, so Lisbon is about 26% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 63% 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 $1,945 in Utrecht. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $3,274 in Utrecht. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Utrecht. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

For families, Lisbon is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Utrecht, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Utrecht are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Utrecht. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.