✦ Compare
Lisbon vs
Rotterdam
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Lisbon, PT vs Rotterdam, NL at a glance — Rotterdam, NL is 23% more expensive than Lisbon, PT overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $1,500/mo versus $1,300/mo. Top income tax: 49.5% vs 48%.
To keep the same standard of living in Rotterdam, NL, you'd need
$92,304 / year
Rotterdam, NL is 23% more expensive overall
Category breakdown (Rotterdam, NL vs Lisbon, PT)
- Housing+23%
- Food & groceries+20%
- Transport+31%
- Utilities+20%
- Healthcare+31%
- Goods & services+22%
◎ How Lisbon, PT and Rotterdam, NL compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Lisbon, PT | Rotterdam, NL | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 97 | 119 |
| Housing | 118 | 145 |
| Food | 92 | 110 |
| Transport | 70 | 92 |
| Utilities | 100 | 120 |
| Healthcare | 75 | 98 |
| Goods & services | 92 | 112 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,300/mo | $1,500/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $950/mo | $1,150/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $2,400/mo | $2,600/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $6,000 | $6,500 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $1,035 | $841 |
| Inexpensive meal | $12 | $18 |
| Monthly transit pass | $45 | $100 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 48% | 49.5% |
| VAT / sales tax | 23% | 21% |
| Corporate tax | 21% | 25.8% |
| Capital gains | 28% | — |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $1,300/mo | $3,100/mo |
| Avg annual wage (OECD, PPP) | $44,937✓ | $80,136✓ |
| Minimum wage | $1,244/mo✓ | $2,710/mo✓ |
| GDP per capita | $32,082✓ | $73,684✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | 2.3%✓ | 3.3%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | Yes | No |
| English proficiency | Moderate | High |
| Coworking spaces | 60 | 35 |
| Time zone | UTC+0 | UTC+1 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 75 | 73 |
| Safety index | 68 | 62 |
| Healthcare index | 76 | 85 |
| Pollution index | 40 | 40 |
| Internet speed | 200 Mbps | 170 Mbps |
| Walkability | 82 | 80 |
| Public transport | 78 | 82 |
| Family-friendly | 66 | 72 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Life expectancy | 82 yr✓ | 82 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +11 °C | +4 °C |
| July avg | +23 °C | +18 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 260 | 110 |
| Rainfall / year | 725 mm | 800 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1 h | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Portugal vs Netherlands. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (OECD (PPP), Eurostat 2026, World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Lisbon vs Rotterdam — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Lisbon
Sunny, hilly and the poster child for the digital-nomad wave — locals feel priced out as rents climb.
- Currency
- Euro (€ EUR)
- Languages
- Portuguese
- Time zone
- UTC+0
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Fairly common
- Safety
- 68/100
- Climate
- ❄ 11°C · ☀ 23°C · 260 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- F · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Alfama · Príncipe Real · Alcântara
Good to know before you move to Rotterdam
Europe's biggest port and the Netherlands' boldest architecture — a modern, design-driven city rebuilt after the war, noticeably cheaper and grittier than Amsterdam. Bike-first, international and well-connected, with the same flat, wet, windy weather.
- Currency
- Euro (€ EUR)
- Languages
- Dutch
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 170 Mbps
- English
- Widely spoken
- Safety
- 62/100
- Climate
- ❄ 4°C · ☀ 18°C · 110 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- F · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Kop van Zuid · Kralingen · Cool District · Delfshaven
Plan your move to Lisbon
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalLocalrent
- Airport transferWelcome Pickups
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
Sponsored
Plan your move to Rotterdam
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalDiscoverCars
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Lisbon to Rotterdam: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Lisbon to Rotterdam, your cost of living will be roughly 23% more expensive. Rotterdam’s cost-of-living index is 119 versus 97 for Lisbon (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Lisbon cheaper than Rotterdam?
Rotterdam is about 23% more expensive than Lisbon overall — its cost-of-living index is 119 versus 97 for Lisbon.
Which is more expensive, Lisbon or Rotterdam?
Rotterdam is more expensive than Lisbon. Its cost-of-living index is 119 vs 97 (US = 100) — about 23% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Lisbon or Rotterdam?
Rent is cheaper in Lisbon — about $1,300/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $1,500 in Rotterdam.
How much do you need to earn in Rotterdam to live like in Lisbon?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Lisbon is worth about $92,304 in Rotterdam. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Lisbon or Rotterdam?
Portugal has the lower top income-tax rate — 48% versus 49.5% in Netherlands.
◷ More comparisons from Lisbon
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.