Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Zwolle

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,327 in Zwolle, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Zwolle despite lower rent and utilities.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Zwolle
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Zwolle Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Zwolle

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,327

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Zwolle

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,327 in Zwolle.

Lisbon $2,210
Zwolle $2,327

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,375 in Zwolle.

Lisbon $3,275
Zwolle $3,375

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

Lisbon $4,341
Zwolle $4,423

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 5% less than in Zwolle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Zwolle 71% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$20.71 €18.55

-19.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$82.4 €73.8

-25.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$11.86 €10.62

-4.22%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$4.06 €3.63

-26.85%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$3.44 €3.08

-33.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.55 €2.29

-31.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$6.82 €6.11

-50.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$5.67 €5.07

-41.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.15 €1.03

0.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.36 €2.11

-19.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$2.47 €2.22

-38.87%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$4.60 €4.12

-12.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$13.17 €11.79

-1.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$14.07 €12.60

-44.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$16.68 €14.94

6.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.89 €1.69

21.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.41 €2.16

-28.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.86 €1.67

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$3.58 €3.20

-27.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.71 €1.53

6.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.93 €1.73

2.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.19 €1.06

23.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.70 €0.63

2.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$13.70 €12.27

-51.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$6.59 €5.90

-14.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.41 €1.26

-3.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.66 €2.38

-19.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$5.90 €5.28

-60.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$89.5 €80.2

-50.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.73 €2.44

-60.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$45.75 €40.98

-64.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.12 €1.90

3.77%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$41.9K €37.5K

-18.33%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$38.8K €34.8K

-0.22%

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

$161 €144

$243 €218

-33.71%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$21.82 €19.54

-15.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$44.37 €39.74

-26.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$40.81 €36.55

9.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$24.31 €21.77

-21.43%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$15.26 €13.66

-37.09%

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

$668 €598

$1,592 €1,426

-58.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$8,090 €7,245

117.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$94.0 €84.2

8.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$52.0 €46.61

-14.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$88.1 €78.9

11.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$126 €112

-1.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$991 €888

62.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$1,015 €909

17.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$1,796 €1,608

56.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$1,477 €1,323

36.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$5,798 €5,193

35.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$4,444 €3,980

2.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$2,965 €2,655

-46.88%

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 Zwolle: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Zwolle

$1K 43.6% 14.8% $176

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Zwolle

$320 13.8% 17.6% $48

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Zwolle

$319 13.7% 31.6% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Zwolle

$309 13.3% 45.7% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Zwolle

$162 7% 2.4% $4

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Zwolle

$71 3.1% 11.9% $7.6

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Zwolle

$131 5.6% 107% $67

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $991 in Zwolle. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zwolle pays 88% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $82 in Zwolle for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $320 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇳🇱 Zwolle

🕒 Local time

04:00 4:00 AM

05:00 5:00 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

132,411

💱 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 Zwolle 1,930 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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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 Zwolle: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,327 in Zwolle, so Lisbon is about 5% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 47% 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 $991 in Zwolle. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $1,592 in Zwolle. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Zwolle. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Lisbon gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

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