Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rostock and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Rostock: $1,739 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

83

Cost of Living Index in Rostock
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Rostock Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Rostock

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,739

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,739 in Rostock versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Rostock $1,739
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,774 in Rostock versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Rostock $2,774
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,809 in Rostock versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Rostock $3,809
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Rostock costs roughly 21% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rostock 28% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.3 €59.4

$61.7 €55.3

7.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.34 €10.16

$11.36 €10.18

-0.18%

Cappuccino

$4.10 €3.68

$2.97 €2.66

38.05%

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

$3.81 €3.41

$2.29 €2.05

66.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 €2.69

$1.74 €1.56

72.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.42 €4.86

$3.40 €3.05

59.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.45 €5.78

$3.31 €2.97

94.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.16 €1.04

23.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 €2.03

$1.91 €1.71

18.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.61 €3.23

$1.51 €1.36

139.07%

Eggs

$3.56 €3.19

$4.02 €3.60

-11.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.33 €12.84

$12.94 €11.59

10.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.26 €11.89

$7.77 €6.97

70.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.89 €21.40

$17.76 €15.92

34.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 €3.06

$2.30 €2.06

48.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 €1.87

$1.73 €1.55

20.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 €1.88

$1.86 €1.66

12.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.37 €3.92

$2.59 €2.32

68.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 €1.06

$1.82 €1.63

-35.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.97 €1.76

-41.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.47 €1.32

17.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 €0.71

$0.72 €0.65

11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.28 €8.32

$6.58 €5.90

41.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.48 €4.92

$5.61 €5.02

-2.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 €0.89

$1.36 €1.22

-27.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.29

$2.14 €1.91

-32.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.18 €2.85

$2.33 €2.09

36.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.4 €63.1

$44.68 €40.04

57.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 €3.95

$3.85 €3.45

14.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.50 €2.24

$1.07 €0.96

133.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.58 €36.36

$16.46 €14.75

146.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.20 €1.97

-2.73%

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

$32.5K €29.1K

$34.2K €30.6K

-5.01%

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

$39.1K €35.0K

$38.7K €34.7K

0.98%

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

$266 €239

$161 €144

65.10%

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

$29.06 €26.04

$18.41 €16.50

57.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.85 €44.67

$32.74 €29.34

52.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.40 €30.82

$44.55 €39.92

-22.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.71 €23.93

$19.10 €17.11

39.84%

Cinema Ticket

$14.39 €12.89

$9.60 €8.60

49.90%

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

$191 €171

$668 €598

-71.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,658 €3,278

$17.6K €15.8K

-79.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.0 €54.7

$102 €91.4

-40.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.47 €32.68

$44.46 €39.85

-17.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.3 €73.7

$98.5 €88.3

-16.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €106

$124 €111

-4.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$633 €567

$1,608 €1,441

-60.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$465 €417

$1,190 €1,066

-60.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,477 €1,324

$2,812 €2,520

-47.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 €942

$2,013 €1,804

-47.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,920 €4,409

$7,839 €7,025

-37.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,222 €2,887

$4,576 €4,100

-29.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,017 €2,703

$1,575 €1,411

91.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.97

3.85

3.12%

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

Last update for Rostock: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rostock

$465 26.8%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 156% $725

Groceries & Markets

Rostock

$347 20%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 21.6% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rostock

$345 19.9%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 38.5% $133

Eating Out

Rostock

$284 16.3%

Lisbon

$243 11% 14.5% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Rostock

$134 7.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 23.8% $32

Getting Around

Rostock

$100 5.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 36.8% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Rostock

$63 3.6%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 0.9% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $633 in Rostock and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rostock pays 92% 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 Rostock 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

🇩🇪 Rostock

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

11:21 11:21 AM

10:21 10:21 AM

1 h behind Rostock

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

207,830

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Rostock Lisbon 2,350 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Rostock
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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

Rostock vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,739 in Rostock and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Rostock is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 92% higher in Rostock, 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: $633 in Rostock versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $191 in Rostock 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 22% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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