Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Zeist

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,759 in Zeist, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
133

Cost of Living Index in Zeist
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Zeist Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Zeist

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,759

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Zeist

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,759 in Zeist.

Lisbon $2,210
Zeist $2,759

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,797 in Zeist.

Lisbon $3,275
Zeist $3,797

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $4,835 in Zeist.

Lisbon $4,341
Zeist $4,835

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 20% less than in Zeist, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Zeist 103% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$22.66 €20.29

-26.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$79.8 €71.5

-22.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$13.42 €12.02

-15.35%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$4.32 €3.87

-31.25%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$3.71 €3.32

-38.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$3.44 €3.08

-49.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$5.47 €4.90

-37.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$5.09 €4.56

-34.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.49 €1.34

-22.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.34 €2.09

-18.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$2.75 €2.46

-45.09%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$4.89 €4.38

-17.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$13.58 €12.16

-4.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$14.04 €12.58

-44.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$18.67 €16.72

-4.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.65 €2.37

-13.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.36 €2.11

-26.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.18 €1.95

-14.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$4.43 €3.97

-41.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.76 €1.57

3.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.85 €1.66

6.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.33 €1.19

10.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.09 €0.98

-33.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$14.00 €12.54

-53.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$6.67 €5.97

-15.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.25 €1.12

8.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.78 €2.49

-23.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$3.54 €3.17

-34.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$81.5 €73.0

-45.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$3.64 €3.26

5.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.90 €1.70

-43.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$22.64 €20.28

-27.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.38 €2.14

-7.56%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$41.6K €37.3K

-17.85%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$39.3K €35.2K

-1.45%

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

$161 €144

$245 €219

-34.14%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$26.20 €23.46

-29.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$47.73 €42.75

-31.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$41.52 €37.18

7.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$26.56 €23.78

-28.09%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$15.71 €14.07

-38.89%

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

$668 €598

$2,660 €2,382

-74.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$7,981 €7,147

120.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$95.4 €85.4

6.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$39.52 €35.39

12.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$88.0 €78.8

11.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$103 €92.1

20.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$1,431 €1,282

12.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$1,426 €1,277

-16.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$2,346 €2,101

19.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$1,859 €1,665

8.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$6,488 €5,811

20.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$5,606 €5,020

-18.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$4,256 €3,812

-63.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.65

5.48%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Zeist: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Zeist

$1.4K 51.7% 19.8% $236

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Zeist

$347 12.6% 27.3% $74

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Zeist

$340 12.3% 39.9% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Zeist

$319 11.6% 50.1% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Zeist

$147 5.3% 11.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Zeist

$73 2.6% 14.4% $9.2

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Zeist

$109 3.9% 72.2% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,431 in Zeist. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zeist 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 $80 in Zeist for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $347 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇳🇱 Zeist

🕒 Local time

18:39 6:39 PM

19:39 7:39 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

65,987

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Zeist 1,860 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Zeist: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,759 in Zeist, so Lisbon is about 20% 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 $1,431 in Zeist. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $2,660 in Zeist. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Zeist. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Zeist are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Zeist on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.