Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Zwickau

For one person, living is cheaper in Zwickau: $1,401 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Zwickau
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Zwickau Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Zwickau

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,401

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Zwickau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,401 in Zwickau.

Lisbon $2,210
Zwickau $1,401

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,205 in Zwickau.

Lisbon $3,275
Zwickau $2,205

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,010 in Zwickau.

Lisbon $4,341
Zwickau $3,010

Living in Lisbon is roughly 58% more expensive than in Zwickau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Zwickau 3% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$13.52 €12.11

23.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$49.70 €44.51

24.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$11.35 €10.17

0.09%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.39 €3.04

-12.39%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$3.03 €2.72

-24.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.00 €1.79

-13.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$4.53 €4.06

-24.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$3.33 €2.98

-0.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.24 €1.11

-6.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.80 €1.61

6.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$3.07 €2.75

-50.81%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.12 €2.79

28.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$13.25 €11.87

-2.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$10.24 €9.17

-24.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$17.78 €15.92

-0.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.89 €2.59

-20.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.70 €1.53

1.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.45 €2.19

-24.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$3.92 €3.51

-33.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.53 €1.37

18.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.43 €1.28

37.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.58 €1.41

-6.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.89 €0.80

-19.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$9.24 €8.27

-28.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$5.42 €4.85

3.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.07 €0.96

27.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.56 €1.39

37.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$3.42 €3.06

-31.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$68.7 €61.5

-34.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$5.47 €4.90

-29.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.10 €0.98

-2.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$17.02 €15.24

-3.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.03 €1.82

8.37%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$32.9K €29.5K

3.77%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$37.8K €33.9K

2.45%

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

$161 €144

$249 €223

-35.15%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$26.24 €23.50

-29.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$34.54 €30.93

-5.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$42.64 €38.19

4.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$22.72 €20.35

-15.93%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$15.12 €13.54

-36.51%

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

$668 €598

$468 €419

42.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$4,954 €4,437

255.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$89.9 €80.5

13.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$31.92 €28.59

39.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$106 €94.9

-7.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$115 €103

7.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$333 €299

382.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$241 €216

393.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$729 €653

285.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$555 €497

262.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$1,335 €1,196

487.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$1,197 €1,072

282.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$2,530 €2,266

-37.74%

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 27, 2026

Last update for Zwickau: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Zwickau

$241 17.2% 79.7% $949

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Zwickau

$297 21.2% 9.1% $25

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Zwickau

$232 16.6% 4.2% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Zwickau

$309 22.1% 45.7% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Zwickau

$154 11% 7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Zwickau

$73 5.2% 14.4% $9.1

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Zwickau

$93 6.7% 47.7% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $333 in Zwickau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zwickau pays 61% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $50 in Zwickau. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $297, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇩🇪 Zwickau

🕒 Local time

01:36 1:36 AM

02:36 2:36 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

93,128

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Zwickau 2,160 km ≈ 3 h 15 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 Zwickau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,401 in Zwickau, so Zwickau is about 37% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 38% 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 $333 in Zwickau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $468 in Zwickau. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,401 in Zwickau versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zwickau but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Zwickau 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.