Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Magdeburg and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Magdeburg: $1,872 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

90

Cost of Living Index in Magdeburg
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Magdeburg Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Magdeburg

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,872

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Magdeburg 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 Magdeburg and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,872 in Magdeburg versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Magdeburg $1,872
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,769 in Magdeburg versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Magdeburg $2,769
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,665 in Magdeburg versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Magdeburg $3,665
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Magdeburg costs roughly 15% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Magdeburg 38% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.05 €11.69

$16.65 €14.92

-21.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.4

$61.7 €55.3

7.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.37 €10.19

$11.36 €10.18

0.09%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.80

$2.97 €2.66

5.05%

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

$3.66 €3.28

$2.29 €2.05

59.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 €2.68

$1.74 €1.56

71.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.41 €3.95

$3.40 €3.05

29.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 €3.97

$3.31 €2.97

33.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.16 €1.04

20.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 €1.85

$1.91 €1.71

7.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.96 €3.55

$1.51 €1.36

162.25%

Eggs

$3.85 €3.45

$4.02 €3.60

-4.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.55 €13.04

$12.94 €11.59

12.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.88 €9.75

$7.77 €6.97

40.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.84 €21.37

$17.76 €15.92

34.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.25 €2.92

$2.30 €2.06

41.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.73 €1.55

23.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 €1.83

$1.86 €1.66

9.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 €3.89

$2.59 €2.32

67.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.82 €1.63

-23.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.97 €1.76

-45.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.29

$1.47 €1.32

-2.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 €1.45

$0.72 €0.65

123.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.76 €8.74

$6.58 €5.90

48.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.05

$5.61 €5.02

0.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.36 €1.22

-10.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.53

$2.14 €1.91

-20.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.36 €3.01

$2.33 €2.09

44.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.5 €64.0

$44.68 €40.04

59.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.38 €10.20

$3.85 €3.45

195.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.76 €2.48

$1.07 €0.96

157.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.12 €9.96

$16.46 €14.75

-32.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.20 €1.97

-5.00%

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

$33.3K €29.8K

$34.2K €30.6K

-2.66%

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

$38.5K €34.5K

$38.7K €34.7K

-0.58%

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

$431 €386

$161 €144

167.13%

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

$25.89 €23.20

$18.41 €16.50

40.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.07 €34.11

$32.74 €29.34

16.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.13 €34.17

$44.55 €39.92

-14.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.92 €28.61

$19.10 €17.11

67.12%

Cinema Ticket

$13.82 €12.38

$9.60 €8.60

43.96%

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

$226 €203

$668 €598

-66.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.5 €80.2

$102 €91.4

-12.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.51 €30.03

$44.46 €39.85

-24.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.9

$98.5 €88.3

8.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 €149

$124 €111

34.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$607 €544

$1,608 €1,441

-62.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$443 €397

$1,190 €1,066

-62.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,160 €1,039

$2,812 €2,520

-58.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$747 €670

$2,013 €1,804

-62.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,878 €3,475

$7,839 €7,025

-50.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,837 €1,647

$4,576 €4,100

-59.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,733 €2,449

$1,575 €1,411

73.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

3.85

2.60%

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

Last update for Magdeburg: October 24, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Magdeburg

$495 26.4%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 57.1% $282

Accommodation & Living

Magdeburg

$443 23.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 168% $747

Groceries & Markets

Magdeburg

$347 18.5%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 21.4% $74

Eating Out

Magdeburg

$233 12.5%

Lisbon

$243 11% 3.9% $9.1

Clothing & Footwear

Magdeburg

$178 9.5%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 7% $12

Getting Around

Magdeburg

$110 5.9%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 42.6% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Magdeburg

$66 3.5%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 3.1% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $607 in Magdeburg and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Magdeburg pays 74% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66 in Magdeburg vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $347 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Magdeburg

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

06:54 6:54 AM

05:54 5:54 AM

1 h behind Magdeburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

231,021

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Magdeburg Lisbon 2,190 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Magdeburg
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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

Magdeburg vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,872 in Magdeburg and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Magdeburg is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 74% higher in Magdeburg, 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: $607 in Magdeburg versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $226 in Magdeburg versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 21% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Magdeburg 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, Magdeburg and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.