Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nuuk and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,883 in Nuuk, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Nuuk
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Nuuk Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Nuuk

🇬🇱 Greenland

$2,883

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,883 in Nuuk versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Nuuk $2,883
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,327 in Nuuk versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Nuuk $4,327
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,771 in Nuuk versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Nuuk $5,771
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Nuuk is roughly 31% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nuuk 113% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.68 DKK 118

$17.04 €15.15

3.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 DKK 712

$62.3 €55.4

71.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.18 DKK 87.7

$11.02 €9.80

19.60%

Cappuccino

$5.97 DKK 39.68

$3.12 €2.78

91.35%

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

$3.09 DKK 20.55

$2.27 €2.02

36.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 DKK 22.87

$1.74 €1.55

97.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.08 DKK 67.1

$3.42 €3.04

194.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 DKK 49.00

$3.74 €3.33

97.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.83 DKK 18.85

$1.17 €1.04

141.88%

White Bread (500g)

$4.12 DKK 27.37

$1.86 €1.66

121.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.03 DKK 26.77

$1.54 €1.37

161.69%

Eggs

$5.19 DKK 34.51

$4.06 €3.61

27.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$35.44 DKK 236

$12.91 €11.49

174.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$23.88 DKK 159

$7.90 €7.03

202.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.83 DKK 98.6

$17.64 €15.69

-15.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 DKK 19.80

$2.26 €2.01

31.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.93 DKK 19.45

$1.75 €1.55

67.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 DKK 31.18

$1.89 €1.68

148.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.74 DKK 38.15

$2.56 €2.27

124.22%

Potato (1kg)

$3.69 DKK 24.55

$1.85 €1.64

99.46%

Onion (1kg)

$3.44 DKK 22.87

$1.97 €1.75

74.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.54 DKK 30.18

$1.45 €1.29

213.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 DKK 20.10

$0.77 €0.69

292.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.17 DKK 67.7

$6.71 €5.97

51.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.90 DKK 159

$5.67 €5.04

321.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.92 DKK 32.74

$1.37 €1.22

259.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 DKK 28.03

$2.11 €1.88

100.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 DKK 20.06

$2.32 €2.07

30.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.5 DKK 542

$44.43 €39.52

83.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 DKK 7.27

$2.19 €1.95

-50.23%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

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

$38.3K €34.0K

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

$164 €146

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

$91.2 DKK 607

$18.48 €16.43

393.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$134 DKK 893

$32.96 €29.32

307.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.3 DKK 401

$45.87 €40.80

31.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$18.12 DKK 121

$9.75 €8.67

85.85%

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

$561 DKK 3,732

$684 €608

-17.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,060 DKK 40.3K

$17.6K €15.7K

-65.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$178 DKK 1,183

$99.7 €88.7

78.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,585 DKK 10.5K

$1,589 €1,414

-0.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,434 DKK 9,537

$1,169 €1,040

22.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,257 DKK 15.0K

$2,851 €2,536

-20.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,306 DKK 15.3K

$1,993 €1,773

15.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,803 DKK 31.9K

$7,793 €6,932

-38.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,719 DKK 31.4K

$4,418 €3,930

6.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,132 DKK 34.1K

$1,600 €1,423

220.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.71

3.85

22.34%

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

Last update for Nuuk: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nuuk

$1.4K 49.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 18.5% $265

Groceries & Markets

Nuuk

$610 21.2%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 55.2% $337

Eating Out

Nuuk

$344 11.9%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 28% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nuuk

$225 * 7.8%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 4.5% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Nuuk

$97 3.4%

Lisbon

$65 3% 32.3% $31

Getting Around

Nuuk

$94 * 3.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 32.7% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Nuuk

$80 * 2.8%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 110% $88

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,585 in Nuuk and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nuuk pays 221% 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: $107 in Nuuk vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $610 vs $273 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇱 Nuuk

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

09:48 9:48 AM

11:48 11:48 AM

2 h ahead of Nuuk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,326 Capital

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Danish Krone DKK kr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 DKK = 0.15 USD

1 DKK = 0.134 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to DKK – Danish Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇩🇰 Danish Krone (kr)

Danish Krone exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 DKK (1 DKK = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.48 DKK (1 DKK = 0.134 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to DKK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nuuk Lisbon 3,960 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Nuuk
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

Nuuk vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nuuk and Lisbon differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($2,883 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 221% higher in Nuuk, 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: $1,585 in Nuuk versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $561 in Nuuk 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 123% higher in Nuuk. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,883 in Nuuk, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Nuuk. 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, Nuuk 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 31% less than in Nuuk. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.