Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maastricht and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,538 in Maastricht, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Maastricht
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Maastricht Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Maastricht

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,538

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Maastricht and in Lisbon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Maastricht and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,538 in Maastricht versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Maastricht $2,538
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,639 in Maastricht versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Maastricht $3,639
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,741 in Maastricht versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Maastricht $4,741
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Maastricht is roughly 14% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Maastricht 88% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.97 €17.76

$16.50 €14.67

21.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.5 €78.7

$61.3 €54.5

44.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.29 €10.93

$11.27 €10.03

9.05%

Cappuccino

$4.36 €3.87

$3.06 €2.72

42.48%

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

$3.90 €3.47

$2.26 €2.01

72.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 €2.67

$1.73 €1.54

73.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.30 €7.39

$3.39 €3.02

144.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$3.40 €3.02

65.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.12 €1.00

11.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 €2.19

$1.86 €1.65

32.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 €2.30

$1.53 €1.36

69.28%

Eggs

$4.63 €4.12

$3.96 €3.53

16.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.57 €12.96

$12.76 €11.35

14.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.88 €12.35

$7.90 €7.02

75.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 €14.20

$16.97 €15.09

-5.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 €2.30

$2.27 €2.02

13.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$1.75 €1.55

42.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 €1.67

$1.85 €1.64

1.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.30 €3.82

$2.57 €2.28

67.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.86 €1.65

3.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 €2.14

$2.02 €1.80

19.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.44 €1.28

-10.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.81 €12.28

$6.56 €5.83

110.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.60 €5.87

$5.62 €5.00

17.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.28 €1.14

14.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 €2.41

$2.07 €1.84

30.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.15 €2.80

$2.35 €2.09

34.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.5 €79.6

$44.18 €39.30

102.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.18 €9.95

$3.99 €3.55

180.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.37 €3.00

$1.09 €0.97

209.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.44 €25.30

$16.64 €14.81

70.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.37 €2.11

$2.28 €2.03

3.95%

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

$41.7K €37.1K

$33.7K €30.0K

23.71%

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

$38.8K €34.5K

$39.3K €35.0K

-1.19%

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

$300 €267

$167 €149

79.31%

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

$17.29 €15.38

$18.80 €16.72

-8.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.37 €43.03

$33.09 €29.43

46.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.35 €41.23

$46.01 €40.93

0.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.72 €24.66

$19.19 €17.07

44.45%

Cinema Ticket

$15.21 €13.53

$9.84 €8.75

54.57%

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

$1,256 €1,117

$677 €602

85.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K €10.0K

$16.9K €15.1K

-33.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.7 €72.7

$101 €90.1

-19.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 €33.90

$45.76 €40.70

-16.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.3

$100.0 €88.9

9.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$123 €109

1.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,289 €1,146

$1,614 €1,436

-20.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,141 €1,015

$1,197 €1,065

-4.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,101 €1,869

$2,862 €2,545

-26.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,662 €1,478

$1,990 €1,770

-16.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,371 €4,777

$7,577 €6,740

-29.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,561 €3,168

$4,307 €3,831

-17.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,309 €2,943

$1,588 €1,412

108.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.42

3.85

14.81%

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

Last update for Maastricht: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maastricht

$1.1K 45%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 4.9% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maastricht

$366 14.4%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 40.1% $147

Groceries & Markets

Maastricht

$335 13.2%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 19.7% $66

Eating Out

Maastricht

$329 13%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 26.4% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Maastricht

$159 6.3%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 4.4% $7.1

Getting Around

Maastricht

$130 5.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 51.6% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Maastricht

$77 3%

Lisbon

$66 3% 14.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,289 in Maastricht and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Maastricht pays 108% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $88.0 in Maastricht vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $335 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Maastricht

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

11:29 11:29 AM

10:29 10:29 AM

1 h behind Maastricht

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,105

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Maastricht Lisbon 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 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

Maastricht vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maastricht and Lisbon differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($2,538 vs $2,223 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 108% higher in Maastricht, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,289 in Maastricht versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,256 in Maastricht versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Maastricht. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,538 in Maastricht, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Maastricht. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon 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, Maastricht and Lisbon 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 Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Maastricht. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.