Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Recklinghausen and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Recklinghausen: $1,980 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

95

Cost of Living Index in Recklinghausen
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Recklinghausen Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Recklinghausen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,980

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,980 in Recklinghausen versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Recklinghausen $1,980
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,932 in Recklinghausen versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Recklinghausen $2,932
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,885 in Recklinghausen versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Recklinghausen $3,885
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Recklinghausen costs roughly 10% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Recklinghausen 45% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.39 €18.27

$16.65 €14.92

22.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.3 €74.7

$61.7 €55.3

34.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.20 €10.93

$11.36 €10.18

7.39%

Cappuccino

$3.38 €3.03

$2.97 €2.66

13.80%

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

$2.86 €2.57

$2.29 €2.05

24.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.99

$1.74 €1.56

27.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 €4.96

$3.40 €3.05

62.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 €3.02

$3.31 €2.97

1.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.16 €1.04

6.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.11 €1.89

$1.91 €1.71

10.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 €2.86

$1.51 €1.36

111.26%

Eggs

$3.50 €3.14

$4.02 €3.60

-12.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.68 €14.95

$12.94 €11.59

28.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.51 €10.32

$7.77 €6.97

48.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.02 €21.53

$17.76 €15.92

35.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.22 €2.88

$2.30 €2.06

40.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 €1.80

$1.73 €1.55

16.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$1.86 €1.66

21.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.06 €4.53

$2.59 €2.32

95.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.82 €1.63

-25.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.97 €1.76

-36.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 €1.62

$1.47 €1.32

22.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$0.72 €0.65

58.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.66 €8.66

$6.58 €5.90

46.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.83 €6.12

$5.61 €5.02

21.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.36 €1.22

-24.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 €1.42

$2.14 €1.91

-26.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.66 €3.28

$2.33 €2.09

57.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.7 €58.9

$44.68 €40.04

47.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.85 €3.45

-14.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 €0.89

$1.07 €0.96

-7.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.17 €29.72

$16.46 €14.75

101.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.01

$2.20 €1.97

2.27%

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

$30.9K €27.7K

$34.2K €30.6K

-9.73%

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

$37.8K €33.9K

$38.7K €34.7K

-2.34%

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

$374 €335

$161 €144

132.10%

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

$34.22 €30.67

$18.41 €16.50

85.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.2 €47.66

$32.74 €29.34

62.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.44 €20.11

$44.55 €39.92

-49.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.88 €14.23

$19.10 €17.11

-16.86%

Cinema Ticket

$10.75 €9.63

$9.60 €8.60

11.98%

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

$459 €411

$668 €598

-31.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,410 €8,432

$17.6K €15.8K

-46.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.1 €85.2

$102 €91.4

-6.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.80 €30.29

$44.46 €39.85

-23.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €99.6

$98.5 €88.3

12.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €128

$124 €111

15.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$639 €573

$1,608 €1,441

-60.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$566 €508

$1,190 €1,066

-52.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$950 €851

$2,812 €2,520

-66.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$869 €779

$2,013 €1,804

-56.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,801 €2,510

$1,575 €1,411

77.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

3.85

2.86%

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

Last update for Recklinghausen: October 24, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Recklinghausen

$566 28.6%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 110% $624

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Recklinghausen

$462 23.3%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 54% $249

Groceries & Markets

Recklinghausen

$352 17.8%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 22.6% $79

Eating Out

Recklinghausen

$295 14.9%

Lisbon

$243 11% 17.8% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Recklinghausen

$172 8.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 3.8% $6.5

Getting Around

Recklinghausen

$89 4.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 28.7% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Recklinghausen

$44 2.2%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 45.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $639 in Recklinghausen and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Recklinghausen pays 78% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $83 in Recklinghausen vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Recklinghausen

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

12:08 12:08 PM

11:08 11:08 AM

1 h behind Recklinghausen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,320

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Recklinghausen Lisbon 1,910 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Recklinghausen
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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

Recklinghausen vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,980 in Recklinghausen and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Recklinghausen is about 10% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 78% higher in Recklinghausen, 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: $639 in Recklinghausen versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $459 in Recklinghausen 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 23% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Recklinghausen 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, Recklinghausen and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.