Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between The Hague and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,733 in The Hague, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in The Hague
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The Hague Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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The Hague

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,733

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,733 in The Hague versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

The Hague $2,733
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,089 in The Hague versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

The Hague $4,089
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,446 in The Hague versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

The Hague $5,446
Lisbon $4,319

Living in The Hague is roughly 23% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: The Hague 102% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.35 €19.88

$16.50 €14.67

35.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.5 €77.8

$61.3 €54.5

42.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.89 €13.24

$11.27 €10.03

32.12%

Cappuccino

$4.39 €3.91

$3.06 €2.72

43.46%

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

$4.28 €3.81

$2.26 €2.01

89.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 €3.63

$1.73 €1.54

135.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.16 €6.37

$3.39 €3.02

111.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.64 €6.79

$3.40 €3.02

124.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.12 €1.00

33.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.86 €1.65

23.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$1.53 €1.36

64.05%

Eggs

$4.73 €4.20

$3.96 €3.53

19.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.45 €12.85

$12.76 €11.35

13.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.18 €11.73

$7.90 €7.02

66.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.25 €17.12

$16.97 €15.09

13.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$2.27 €2.02

11.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$1.75 €1.55

27.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.85 €1.64

7.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.60 €3.20

$2.57 €2.28

40.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.86 €1.65

-30.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.02 €1.80

-36.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €0.99

$1.44 €1.28

-22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.82 €0.73

13.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.47 €12.87

$6.56 €5.83

120.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.89 €5.24

$5.62 €5.00

4.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.28 €1.14

3.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.74

$2.07 €1.84

-5.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.59 €4.08

$2.35 €2.09

95.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.1 €81.0

$44.18 €39.30

106.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 €4.03

$3.99 €3.55

13.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.32 €2.95

$1.09 €0.97

204.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.71 €29.99

$16.64 €14.81

102.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.52 €2.24

$2.28 €2.03

10.53%

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

$41.4K €36.9K

$33.7K €30.0K

23.04%

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

$39.5K €35.1K

$39.3K €35.0K

0.50%

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

$281 €250

$167 €149

68.06%

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

$28.39 €25.25

$18.80 €16.72

51.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.3 €48.31

$33.09 €29.43

64.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.4 €44.82

$46.01 €40.93

9.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.94 €21.30

$19.19 €17.07

24.75%

Cinema Ticket

$16.49 €14.67

$9.84 €8.75

67.58%

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

$2,400 €2,135

$677 €602

254.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.3K

$16.9K €15.1K

-31.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.8 €85.2

$101 €90.1

-5.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.61 €38.79

$45.76 €40.70

-4.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.2

$100.0 €88.9

8.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 €121

$123 €109

10.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,640 €1,459

$1,614 €1,436

1.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,291 €1,148

$1,197 €1,065

7.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,798 €2,489

$2,862 €2,545

-2.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,264 €2,014

$1,990 €1,770

13.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,067 €5,396

$7,577 €6,740

-19.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,538 €4,037

$4,307 €3,831

5.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,069 €3,619

$1,588 €1,412

156.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

3.85

-11.69%

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

Last update for The Hague: 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

The Hague

$1.3K 47.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 7.3% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

The Hague

$364 13.3%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 39.8% $145

Eating Out

The Hague

$361 13.2%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 32.9% $118

Groceries & Markets

The Hague

$330 12.1%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 18.4% $61

Clothing & Footwear

The Hague

$173 6.3%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 3.6% $6.3

Getting Around

The Hague

$131 4.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 51.8% $68

Sport & Entertainment

The Hague

$83 3.1%

Lisbon

$66 3% 21.2% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,640 in The Hague and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

The Hague pays 156% 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: $87.0 in The Hague vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $330 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 The Hague

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

18:46 6:46 PM

17:46 5:46 PM

1 h behind The Hague

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

562,839

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

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The Hague Lisbon 1,810 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

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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

The Hague vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

The Hague and Lisbon differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($2,733 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 156% higher in The Hague, 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: $1,640 in The Hague versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,400 in The Hague 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 23% higher in The Hague. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,733 in The Hague, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in The Hague. 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, The Hague 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 23% less than in The Hague. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.