Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zwolle and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,327 in Zwolle, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Zwolle despite lower rent and utilities.

111

Cost of Living Index in Zwolle
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Zwolle Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Zwolle

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,327

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,327 in Zwolle versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Zwolle $2,327
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,375 in Zwolle versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Zwolle $3,375
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,423 in Zwolle versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Zwolle $4,423
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Zwolle is roughly 5% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Zwolle 71% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.71 €18.56

$16.65 €14.92

24.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.4 €73.8

$61.7 €55.3

33.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.86 €10.62

$11.36 €10.18

4.40%

Cappuccino

$4.06 €3.64

$2.97 €2.66

36.70%

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

$3.44 €3.08

$2.29 €2.05

50.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 €2.29

$1.74 €1.56

46.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.82 €6.11

$3.40 €3.05

100.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 €5.08

$3.31 €2.97

71.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.16 €1.04

-0.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 €2.11

$1.91 €1.71

23.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 €2.22

$1.51 €1.36

63.58%

Eggs

$4.60 €4.12

$4.02 €3.60

14.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.17 €11.80

$12.94 €11.59

1.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.07 €12.61

$7.77 €6.97

81.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.68 €14.95

$17.76 €15.92

-6.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.30 €2.06

-17.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 €2.16

$1.73 €1.55

39.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.86 €1.66

Tomato (1kg)

$3.58 €3.21

$2.59 €2.32

38.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.82 €1.63

-6.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 €1.73

$1.97 €1.76

-2.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.47 €1.32

-19.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 €0.63

$0.72 €0.65

-2.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.70 €12.28

$6.58 €5.90

108.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.59 €5.91

$5.61 €5.02

17.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.36 €1.22

3.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 €2.39

$2.14 €1.91

24.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.90 €5.29

$2.33 €2.09

153.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.5 €80.2

$44.68 €40.04

100.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.73 €2.44

$1.07 €0.96

155.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.75 €41.00

$16.46 €14.75

177.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 €1.90

$2.20 €1.97

-3.64%

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

$41.9K €37.5K

$34.2K €30.6K

22.44%

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

$38.8K €34.8K

$38.7K €34.7K

0.22%

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

$243 €218

$161 €144

50.84%

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

$21.82 €19.55

$18.41 €16.50

18.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.37 €39.76

$32.74 €29.34

35.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.81 €36.57

$44.55 €39.92

-8.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.31 €21.78

$19.10 €17.11

27.28%

Cinema Ticket

$15.26 €13.67

$9.60 €8.60

58.96%

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

$1,592 €1,427

$668 €598

138.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,090 €7,249

$17.6K €15.8K

-54.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.0 €84.3

$102 €91.4

-7.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 €46.63

$44.46 €39.85

17.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.1 €79.0

$98.5 €88.3

-10.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 €113

$124 €111

1.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$991 €888

$1,608 €1,441

-38.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 €909

$1,190 €1,066

-14.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,796 €1,609

$2,812 €2,520

-36.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,477 €1,323

$2,013 €1,804

-26.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,798 €5,196

$7,839 €7,025

-26.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,444 €3,982

$4,576 €4,100

-2.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,965 €2,657

$1,575 €1,411

88.24%

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 Zwolle: 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

Zwolle

$1K 43.6%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 17.3% $176

Groceries & Markets

Zwolle

$320 13.8%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 15% $48

Eating Out

Zwolle

$319 13.7%

Lisbon

$243 11% 24% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zwolle

$309 13.3%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 31.4% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Zwolle

$162 7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 2.5% $4

Getting Around

Zwolle

$131 5.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 51.6% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Zwolle

$71 3.1%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 10.6% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $991 in Zwolle and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zwolle pays 88% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $82 in Zwolle vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Zwolle

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

04:03 4:03 AM

03:03 3:03 AM

1 h behind Zwolle

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

132,411

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Zwolle Lisbon 1,930 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

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Zwolle
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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

Zwolle vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,327 in Zwolle and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 5% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 88% higher in Zwolle, 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: $991 in Zwolle versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,592 in Zwolle versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Zwolle. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Zwolle on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.