Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Munster and Lisbon

For one person, living costs are similar in Munster and in Lisbon: $2,264 and $2,202 a month, rent and utilities included.

110

Cost of Living Index in Munster
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Munster Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

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Munster

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,264

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,264 in Munster versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Munster $2,264
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,311 in Munster versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Munster $3,311
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,357 in Munster versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Munster $4,357
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Munster is roughly 3% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Munster 67% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.22 €11.76

$17.04 €15.15

-22.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.2 €66.0

$62.3 €55.4

19.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.44 €11.07

$11.02 €9.80

12.89%

Cappuccino

$3.93 €3.49

$3.12 €2.78

25.96%

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

$3.87 €3.44

$2.27 €2.02

70.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 €2.41

$1.74 €1.55

55.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.55 €4.93

$3.42 €3.04

62.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 €3.95

$3.74 €3.33

18.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.17 €1.04

14.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.79

$1.86 €1.66

8.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.29 €3.81

$1.54 €1.37

178.57%

Eggs

$3.87 €3.44

$4.06 €3.61

-4.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.19 €12.62

$12.91 €11.49

9.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 €9.27

$7.90 €7.03

32.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$28.05 €24.95

$17.64 €15.69

59.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 €3.05

$2.26 €2.01

51.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 €2.04

$1.75 €1.55

31.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.89 €1.68

3.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.82 €3.40

$2.56 €2.27

49.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 €1.48

$1.85 €1.64

-9.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.97 €1.75

-44.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.45 €1.29

-1.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.80

$0.77 €0.69

16.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.48 €8.44

$6.71 €5.97

41.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.99 €5.33

$5.67 €5.04

5.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.37 €1.22

-18.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 €1.38

$2.11 €1.88

-26.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.83 €2.52

$2.32 €2.07

21.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.6 €57.4

$44.43 €39.52

45.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 €4.02

$3.95 €3.51

14.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.72 €2.42

$1.05 €0.93

159.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.12 €30.35

$17.15 €15.26

98.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.19 €1.95

-6.85%

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

$32.5K €28.9K

$33.8K €30.0K

-3.80%

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

$38.3K €34.1K

$38.3K €34.0K

0.15%

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

$478 €425

$164 €146

191.52%

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

$24.24 €21.56

$18.48 €16.43

31.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.75 €37.13

$32.96 €29.32

26.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.61 €29.01

$45.87 €40.80

-28.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.90 €20.37

$18.68 €16.61

22.59%

Cinema Ticket

$13.96 €12.42

$9.75 €8.67

43.18%

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

$836 €744

$684 €608

22.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.6K

$17.6K €15.7K

-13.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 €94.6

$104 €92.3

2.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.89 €42.60

$46.20 €41.09

3.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 €100

$99.7 €88.7

13.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €117

$125 €111

5.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 €869

$1,589 €1,414

-38.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$786 €699

$1,169 €1,040

-32.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,954 €1,738

$2,851 €2,536

-31.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,356 €1,206

$1,993 €1,773

-31.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,381 €7,455

$7,793 €6,932

7.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,458 €3,966

$4,418 €3,930

0.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,360 €2,989

$1,600 €1,423

110.04%

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 Munster: October 17, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Munster

$786 34.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 48.7% $383

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Munster

$544 24%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 60.4% $328

Groceries & Markets

Munster

$347 15.3%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 21.4% $74

Eating Out

Munster

$253 11.2%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 2.2% $5.7

Clothing & Footwear

Munster

$180 7.9%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 6.2% $11

Getting Around

Munster

$94 4.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 33.1% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Munster

$61 2.7%

Lisbon

$65 3% 8% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $977 in Munster and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Munster pays 110% 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: $74.0 in Munster vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $347 vs $273 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Munster

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

12:34 12:34 PM

11:34 11:34 AM

1 h behind Munster

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

314,332

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Munster Lisbon 1,960 km ≈ 3 h 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

Munster vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Munster and Lisbon differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($2,264 vs $2,202 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 110% higher in Munster, 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: $977 in Munster versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $836 in Munster versus $684 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,264 in Munster, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Munster. 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, Munster 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 3% less than in Munster. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.