Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Wolfsburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Wolfsburg: $1,770 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
86

Cost of Living Index in Wolfsburg
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Wolfsburg Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Wolfsburg

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,770

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Wolfsburg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $1,770 in Wolfsburg.

Lisbon $2,223
Wolfsburg $1,770

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $3,313 in Wolfsburg.

Lisbon $3,271
Wolfsburg $3,313

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $4,857 in Wolfsburg.

Lisbon $4,319
Wolfsburg $4,857

Living in Lisbon is roughly 26% more expensive than in Wolfsburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Wolfsburg 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$13.61 €12.10

21.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$53.2 €47.29

15.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$12.07 €10.73

-6.63%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.99 €3.55

-23.31%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$2.47 €2.19

-8.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$2.84 €2.52

-39.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$4.99 €4.44

-32.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$3.18 €2.83

6.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.21 €1.08

-7.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.18 €1.94

-14.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$3.59 €3.20

-57.38%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$3.76 €3.34

5.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$14.37 €12.78

-11.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$12.09 €10.76

-34.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$18.03 €16.04

-5.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.12 €2.77

-27.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.73 €1.54

1.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.04 €1.81

-9.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$4.68 €4.16

-45.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.38 €1.23

34.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.27 €1.13

59.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.76 €1.56

-18.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.01 €0.90

-18.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$9.04 €8.04

-27.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$5.61 €4.99

0.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.06 €0.94

20.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.60 €1.42

29.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$3.27 €2.91

-28.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$68.9 €61.3

-35.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.01 €1.78

13.43%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$32.9K €29.3K

2.32%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$38.1K €33.9K

3.13%

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

$167 €149

$227 €202

-26.32%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$33.87 €30.12

-44.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$53.5 €47.62

-38.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$32.83 €29.20

40.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$27.48 €24.44

-30.17%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$15.86 €14.11

-37.96%

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

$677 €602

$831 €739

-18.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$113 €101

-10.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$38.28 €34.05

19.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$151 €135

-33.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$231 €205

-46.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$594 €528

171.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$499 €444

139.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,195 €1,063

139.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$2,130 €1,895

-6.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

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 Wolfsburg: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Wolfsburg

$499 28.2% 58.3% $698

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Wolfsburg

$324 18.3% 20.3% $55

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Wolfsburg

$246 13.9% 1.4% $3.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Wolfsburg

$315 17.8% 43.5% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Wolfsburg

$240 13.6% 44.2% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Wolfsburg

$65 3.7% 1.7% $1.1

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Wolfsburg

$82 * 4.6% 30.1% $19

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $594 in Wolfsburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $53.0 in Wolfsburg. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $324, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇩🇪 Wolfsburg

🕒 Local time

06:25 6:25 AM

07:25 7:25 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

122,457

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Wolfsburg 2,160 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Wolfsburg

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 Wolfsburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Wolfsburg differ by about 26% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $1,770 including rent). Wolfsburg is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,335 in Lisbon and $2,655 in Wolfsburg 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $594 in Wolfsburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $831 in Wolfsburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 20% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,770 in Wolfsburg versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Wolfsburg but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Wolfsburg 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 Wolfsburg 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 Wolfsburg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.