Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Utrecht and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,876 in Utrecht, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

141

Cost of Living Index in Utrecht
Learn more

Utrecht Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Utrecht

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,876

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,876 in Utrecht versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Utrecht $2,876
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,129 in Utrecht versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Utrecht $4,129
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,382 in Utrecht versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Utrecht $5,382
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Utrecht is roughly 29% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Utrecht 113% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.38 €19.90

$16.50 €14.67

35.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.1 €75.7

$61.3 €54.5

38.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.54 €12.04

$11.27 €10.02

20.14%

Cappuccino

$4.58 €4.08

$3.06 €2.72

49.67%

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

$3.87 €3.44

$2.26 €2.01

71.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 €2.92

$1.73 €1.54

89.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.76 €6.01

$3.39 €3.02

99.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.23 €6.43

$3.40 €3.02

112.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.12 €1.00

37.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 €2.57

$1.86 €1.65

55.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$1.53 €1.36

64.05%

Eggs

$4.73 €4.21

$3.96 €3.53

19.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.21 €11.75

$12.76 €11.35

3.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.86 €12.33

$7.90 €7.02

75.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.03 €16.93

$16.97 €15.09

12.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$2.27 €2.02

18.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 €2.10

$1.75 €1.55

35.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.85 €1.64

16.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.82 €3.40

$2.57 €2.28

48.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 €1.48

$1.86 €1.65

-10.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.02 €1.80

-6.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.44 €1.28

9.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.82 €0.73

65.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.60 €12.99

$6.56 €5.83

122.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.71 €5.97

$5.62 €5.00

19.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.28 €1.14

3.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 €2.41

$2.07 €1.84

30.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.67 €3.27

$2.35 €2.09

56.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$134 €119

$44.18 €39.29

202.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.77 €3.35

$3.99 €3.55

-5.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.70 €2.40

$1.09 €0.97

147.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.46 €39.54

$16.64 €14.80

167.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.28 €2.03

12.28%

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

$41.0K €36.4K

$33.7K €30.0K

21.66%

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

$39.4K €35.1K

$39.3K €34.9K

0.33%

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

$240 €214

$167 €149

43.39%

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

$21.52 €19.14

$18.80 €16.72

14.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.22 €42.89

$33.09 €29.43

45.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.50 €39.58

$46.01 €40.92

-3.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.38 €27.91

$19.19 €17.07

63.52%

Cinema Ticket

$15.87 €14.11

$9.84 €8.75

61.28%

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

$3,059 €2,721

$677 €602

351.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,154 €7,252

$16.9K €15.0K

-51.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.4 €83.1

$101 €90.0

-7.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.3 €45.63

$45.76 €40.70

12.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.0

$100.0 €88.9

3.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €108

$123 €109

-0.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,841 €1,637

$1,614 €1,435

14.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,455 €1,294

$1,197 €1,065

21.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,208 €2,853

$2,862 €2,545

12.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,194 €1,951

$1,990 €1,770

10.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,832 €6,077

$7,577 €6,739

-9.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,670 €4,153

$4,307 €3,831

8.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,240 €3,771

$1,588 €1,412

167.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.23

3.85

-16.10%

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

Last update for Utrecht: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Utrecht

$1.5K 50.6%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 17.7% $258

Groceries & Markets

Utrecht

$352 12.2%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 23.4% $82

Eating Out

Utrecht

$352 12.2%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 31.1% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Utrecht

$310 10.8%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 29.2% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Utrecht

$166 5.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 0% $0

Getting Around

Utrecht

$166 5.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 62% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Utrecht

$76 2.7%

Lisbon

$66 3% 13.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,841 in Utrecht and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Utrecht pays 167% 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: $85.0 in Utrecht vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Utrecht

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

13:14 1:14 PM

12:14 12:14 PM

1 h behind Utrecht

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

367,947

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Utrecht Lisbon 1,850 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Utrecht
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

Utrecht vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Utrecht and Lisbon differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($2,876 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 167% higher in Utrecht, 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: $1,841 in Utrecht versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,059 in Utrecht 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 31% higher in Utrecht. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,876 in Utrecht, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Utrecht. 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, Utrecht 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 29% less than in Utrecht. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.