Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nijmegen and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,468 in Nijmegen, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. The total is higher in Nijmegen despite lower rent and utilities.

120

Cost of Living Index in Nijmegen
Learn more

Nijmegen Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Nijmegen

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,468

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,468 in Nijmegen versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Nijmegen $2,468
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,703 in Nijmegen versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Nijmegen $3,703
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,938 in Nijmegen versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Nijmegen $4,938
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Nijmegen is roughly 11% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nijmegen 83% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.86 €22.12

$16.50 €14.67

50.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.0 €83.6

$61.3 €54.5

53.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.11

$11.27 €10.03

20.76%

Cappuccino

$4.12 €3.66

$3.06 €2.72

34.64%

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

$3.84 €3.42

$2.26 €2.01

69.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 €2.41

$1.73 €1.54

56.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.60 €4.98

$3.39 €3.02

65.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.11

$3.40 €3.02

68.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 €1.24

$1.12 €1.00

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.86 €1.65

5.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 €2.04

$1.53 €1.36

50.33%

Eggs

$5.24 €4.66

$3.96 €3.53

32.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.15 €11.70

$12.76 €11.35

3.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.22 €12.65

$7.90 €7.02

80.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.93 €14.17

$16.97 €15.09

-6.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 €2.49

$2.27 €2.02

22.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 €2.15

$1.75 €1.55

37.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.85 €1.64

4.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.36 €4.77

$2.57 €2.28

108.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.86 €1.65

9.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 €2.09

$2.02 €1.80

16.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 €1.09

$1.44 €1.28

-14.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 €0.62

$0.82 €0.73

-14.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.07 €12.52

$6.56 €5.83

114.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.83 €6.07

$5.62 €5.00

21.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.33

$1.28 €1.14

17.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 €2.30

$2.07 €1.84

25.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.45 €3.07

$2.35 €2.09

46.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 €126

$44.18 €39.30

221.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.11 €3.65

$3.99 €3.55

3.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.22 €2.86

$1.09 €0.97

195.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.03 €39.17

$16.64 €14.81

164.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.44 €2.17

$2.28 €2.03

7.02%

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

$40.8K €36.3K

$33.7K €30.0K

21.03%

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

$38.8K €34.5K

$39.3K €35.0K

-1.26%

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

$276 €245

$167 €149

64.56%

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

$22.68 €20.17

$18.80 €16.72

20.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.48 €37.79

$33.09 €29.43

28.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.92 €27.50

$46.01 €40.93

-32.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.13 €22.35

$19.19 €17.07

30.95%

Cinema Ticket

$15.46 €13.75

$9.84 €8.75

57.11%

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

$2,812 €2,501

$677 €602

315.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$16.9K €15.1K

-2.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.2 €87.3

$101 €90.1

-3.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.15 €38.38

$45.76 €40.70

-5.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.0

$100.0 €88.9

4.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$169 €151

$123 €109

37.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,504 €1,338

$1,614 €1,436

-6.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 €900

$1,197 €1,065

-15.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,360 €2,099

$2,862 €2,545

-17.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,660 €1,477

$1,990 €1,770

-16.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,318 €4,730

$7,577 €6,740

-29.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,180 €3,718

$4,307 €3,831

-2.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,357 €2,986

$1,588 €1,412

111.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.90%

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

Last update for Nijmegen: 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

Nijmegen

$1K 41%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 18.2% $185

Eating Out

Nijmegen

$355 14.4%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 31.7% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nijmegen

$341 13.8%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 35.6% $121

Groceries & Markets

Nijmegen

$336 13.6%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 19.7% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Nijmegen

$187 7.6%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 10.9% $20

Getting Around

Nijmegen

$176 7.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 64.2% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Nijmegen

$62 2.5%

Lisbon

$66 3% 6.2% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,504 in Nijmegen and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nijmegen pays 111% 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: $94.0 in Nijmegen vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $336 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Nijmegen

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

07:41 7:41 AM

06:41 6:41 AM

1 h behind Nijmegen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

177,359

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nijmegen Lisbon 1,860 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Nijmegen
Lisbon

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Nijmegen vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nijmegen and Lisbon differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($2,468 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 111% higher in Nijmegen, 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: $1,504 in Nijmegen versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,812 in Nijmegen 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 25% higher in Nijmegen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,468 in Nijmegen, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Nijmegen. 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, Nijmegen 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 11% less than in Nijmegen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.