Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rotterdam and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $3,032 in Rotterdam, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

149

Cost of Living Index in Rotterdam
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Rotterdam Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Rotterdam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,032

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,032 in Rotterdam versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Rotterdam $3,032
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,227 in Rotterdam versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Rotterdam $4,227
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,422 in Rotterdam versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Rotterdam $5,422
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Rotterdam is roughly 36% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rotterdam 125% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.82 €18.52

$16.50 €14.67

26.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.4 €75.1

$61.3 €54.5

37.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.49 €12.00

$11.27 €10.03

19.70%

Cappuccino

$4.42 €3.93

$3.06 €2.72

44.44%

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

$3.81 €3.39

$2.26 €2.01

68.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 €3.07

$1.73 €1.54

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.08 €6.29

$3.39 €3.02

108.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.01 €5.35

$3.40 €3.02

76.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 €1.31

$1.12 €1.00

32.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 €2.11

$1.86 €1.65

27.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 €2.54

$1.53 €1.36

86.93%

Eggs

$5.38 €4.78

$3.96 €3.53

35.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.78 €10.48

$12.76 €11.35

-7.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.62 €12.11

$7.90 €7.02

72.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.76 €16.69

$16.97 €15.09

10.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 €2.96

$2.27 €2.02

46.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.60 €2.31

$1.75 €1.55

48.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$1.85 €1.64

36.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 €3.00

$2.57 €2.28

31.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.86 €1.65

-8.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 €1.35

$2.02 €1.80

-24.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.44 €1.28

2.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 €1.12

$0.82 €0.73

53.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.24 €12.67

$6.56 €5.83

117.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.55 €5.82

$5.62 €5.00

16.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.28 €1.14

15.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 €2.31

$2.07 €1.84

25.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.39 €3.90

$2.35 €2.09

86.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 €97.1

$44.18 €39.30

146.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 €4.01

$3.99 €3.55

13.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.37 €3.00

$1.09 €0.97

209.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$65.8 €58.6

$16.64 €14.81

295.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.64 €2.34

$2.28 €2.03

15.79%

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

$40.9K €36.3K

$33.7K €30.0K

21.32%

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

$38.8K €34.5K

$39.3K €35.0K

-1.24%

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

$300 €267

$167 €149

79.01%

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

$21.55 €19.17

$18.80 €16.72

14.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 €47.74

$33.09 €29.43

62.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.47 €43.11

$46.01 €40.93

5.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.57 €25.41

$19.19 €17.07

48.88%

Cinema Ticket

$15.60 €13.88

$9.84 €8.75

58.54%

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

$2,658 €2,364

$677 €602

292.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K €11.4K

$16.9K €15.1K

-24.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.2 €82.0

$101 €90.1

-8.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.50 €34.25

$45.76 €40.70

-15.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.0

$100.0 €88.9

9.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 €125

$123 €109

14.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,966 €1,748

$1,614 €1,436

21.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,577 €1,402

$1,197 €1,065

31.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,071 €2,732

$2,862 €2,545

7.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,238 €1,991

$1,990 €1,770

12.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,891 €5,240

$7,577 €6,740

-22.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,967 €3,528

$4,307 €3,831

-7.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,107 €3,653

$1,588 €1,412

158.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.49

3.85

-9.35%

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

Last update for Rotterdam: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rotterdam

$1.6K 52%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 24.1% $380

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rotterdam

$375 12.4%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 41.5% $156

Groceries & Markets

Rotterdam

$345 11.4%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 21.9% $76

Eating Out

Rotterdam

$336 11.1%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 28% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Rotterdam

$171 5.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 2.8% $4.8

Getting Around

Rotterdam

$148 4.9%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 57.4% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Rotterdam

$80 2.6%

Lisbon

$66 3% 17.5% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,966 in Rotterdam and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rotterdam pays 159% 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: $84.0 in Rotterdam vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $345 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Rotterdam

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

19:18 7:18 PM

18:18 6:18 PM

1 h behind Rotterdam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

572,392

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Rotterdam Lisbon 1,810 km ≈ 2 h 45 min 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

Rotterdam vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rotterdam and Lisbon differ by about 36% in total monthly costs ($3,032 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 159% higher in Rotterdam, 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: $1,966 in Rotterdam versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,658 in Rotterdam 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 28% higher in Rotterdam. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $3,032 in Rotterdam, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Rotterdam. 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, Rotterdam 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 36% less than in Rotterdam. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.