Cost of Living: Amsterdam vs Lisbon (2026)

Netherlands vs Portugal — relocation comparison

Your passport:

Livability Score

Amsterdam

Lisbon

$2,602/mo

Rent

1BR centre

$1,616/mo

$15k/yr

Take-home savings

At each city's local median pay

−$3k/yr

5 yr

PR path

5 yr

30% Ruling (expatriateregeling)

Tax breaks

Open incentive regimes for newcomers

IFICI (NHR 2.0)

Freelance setup

ZZP'er

VAT-free under €20k
5.3% social
€1200/yr accountant

WiseStripe

Trabalhador Independente

VAT-free under €15k
21.4% social
€900/yr accountant

WiseStripe

Sourced from Numbeo · Updated April 2026

TL;DRLisbon is 38% cheaper on rent ($1,616/mo vs $2,602/mo). Lisbon summers average 81°F vs 68°F. Both countries will let you complain about the government in public — and mean it.

Lisbon scores 79 to Amsterdam's 69 on livability — the gap is real. Amsterdam has its charms, but the numbers favor Lisbon.

Verdict delivered. Your move.

The winner's file

🇵🇹 Lisbon

Full profile. Verify before you pack.

Due diligence

🇳🇱 Amsterdam

Every verdict deserves an appeal.

Plot twist

Lisbon vs Porto

Someone else's dilemma, equally unsolvable.

Household

Amsterdam

Metric

Lisbon

$937/mo

🛒

Living costs (no rent)

lower is better

$567/mo✓

$10,705

🧳

Cost to land

lower is better

$7,362✓

✓89 / 100

🛡️

Settler safety

higher is better

83 / 100

0.7 / 100k

🔒

Homicides

lower is better

0.7 / 100k✓

✓3.4 / 100k

🚗

Road deaths

lower is better

7.2 / 100k

✓74 / 100

🚨

Safety Index

higher is better

67 / 100

68°F

☀️

Summer high

personal taste

81°F

34°F

❄️

Winter low

personal taste

48°F

122 Mbps

⚡

Internet speed

higher is better

238 Mbps✓

11.2 μg/m³

🌬️

Air quality (PM2.5)

lower is better

10.6 μg/m³✓

✓86 / 100

🏥

Healthcare

higher is better

81 / 100

✓9.0 / 10

🗳️

Democracy

higher is better

8.1 / 10

✓7.5 / 9

🤝

Migrant acceptance

higher is better

6.7 / 9

59 / 100

🏳️‍🌈

Rainbow Index

higher is better

67 / 100✓

✓76/100

🗣️

Street English

higher is better

72/100

✓$86k

💼

GDP per capita (PPP)

higher is better

$52k

3.3% · Boringly steady

📈

Inflation

lower is better

2.4% · Boringly steady✓

✓94/100 — Reliable

⚡

Grid reliability

higher is better

78/100 — Mostly stable

97/100

🗽

Freedom House

higher is better

96/100

A median Software Engineer in Amsterdam takes home $6,417/mo under Standard employee. In Lisbon: $3,150/mo under Standard employee.

$3,267/mo more in Amsterdam

🎯 Amsterdam's 30% Ruling (expatriateregeling) isn't modelled above — if you qualify, take-home would be $8,212/mo instead.

🎯 Lisbon's IFICI (NHR 2.0) isn't modelled above — if you qualify, take-home would be $3,691/mo instead.

Each city pays its own median — Software Engineer gross via Levels.fyi / Eurostat. Moving changes your salary too; that's the point.

$128k

💰

Gross income

$64k

−$39k

🏛️

Income tax

Standard employee

−$19k

−$12k

🛡️

Social contributions

−$7k

✓$77k/yr

$6k/mo

💵

Take-home pay

$38k/yr

$3k/mo

−$62k

🏠

Cost of living

−$40k

✓$15k/yr

🐖

Annual savings

−$3k/yr

Swap the local medians for your actual number

Sources: Numbeo · UNODC · Ookla · WHO · EIU · Gallup · World Bank · Freedom House · Updated April 2026

💰

Cost of Living

Lisbon

$986/mo cheaper on rent alone

🗳️

Democracy

Amsterdam

9.0/10 EIU index

☀️

Weather

—

68°F vs 81°F summers

🗣️

English

Amsterdam

higher proficiency score

Sun

How much sky you actually get

44% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

Sky clear

avg daytime

65% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

7.7h

Shortest day

Dec

9.5h

16.8h

Longest day

Jun

14.9h

Sun clocks out before 5pm in both cities come December. Plan accordingly.

Source: WeatherSpark (clear-sky share of daytime hours)

Settler Essentials

stable →

Democracy trend

stable →

improving ↑

Inflation trend

improving ↑

fintechlogisticssemiconductorsagri-food-tech

Industries

fintechhealthtechgreentechai

hub

Startup ecosystem

active

Moderate

🇺🇸 Your visa

Moderate

Easy

EU visa

Easy

Complex

RU visa

Complex

Easy

UA visa

Moderate

✅ Partner can work immediately

Spouse works

✅ Partner can work immediately

Recognized

geregistreerd partnerschap / samenwonend

Partner pathway

Recognized (2+ yr)

união de facto

—

Retiree visa

€920/mo

Visa stamps:Easy <90 daysModerate 3–6 moComplex 6+ mo

Sources: EIU · Freedom House · Startup Genome · official immigration portals

Reproductive Rights

Because your body shouldn't need a visa too

On request

Abortion access

On request

24 wk

Gestational limit

10 wk

On request up to 24 weeks. 5-day reflection period removed in 2023.

On request up to 10 weeks since 2007 referendum. Mandatory 3-day reflection period.

Source: Center for Reproductive Rights

LGBTQ+ Rights

Can you hold hands without doing a risk assessment first

Legal

Marriage

Legal

Joint adoption

Adoption

Joint adoption

Yes

Job protection

Yes

Hate crime law

Yes

Amsterdam vs Lisbon — Common Questions

Is Amsterdam cheaper than Lisbon?▾

Lisbon is cheaper. A 1-bedroom apartment in city centre costs around $1616/month there vs $2602/month in the other city (Numbeo data).

Which is safer, Amsterdam or Lisbon?▾

Lisbon is statistically safer based on UNODC homicide data. Amsterdam has a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 and Lisbon has 0.69 per 100,000.

Should I move to Amsterdam or Lisbon?▾

Lisbon scores 79 to Amsterdam's 69 on livability — the gap is real. Amsterdam has its charms, but the numbers favor Lisbon. See the full comparison above for rent, safety, internet speed, climate, and democracy scores to decide which city fits your priorities.

Is it easier to get residency in Amsterdam or Lisbon?▾

Amsterdam: Netherlands Highly Skilled Migrant (complex process, Up to 5 years). Lisbon: Portugal Digital Nomad Visa (moderate requirements, 2 years (renewable for 3-year periods)). See each city's profile page for full requirements.

Which has better weather, Amsterdam or Lisbon?▾

Lisbon is warmer in summer (81°F vs 68°F). Amsterdam has milder summers, which suits those who prefer cooler weather. Climate preference is personal — use the weather section above to compare seasons.

What's the cost of rent in Amsterdam vs Lisbon?▾

A 1-bedroom in the centre: $1616/month in Lisbon, $2602/month in Amsterdam (Numbeo). That's 38% cheaper rent in Lisbon.

Is Amsterdam or Lisbon better for democracy and rule of law?▾

Amsterdam scores 9.0/10 on the EIU Democracy Index vs 8.1/10 for Lisbon. That puts it in 'full democracy' territory — free press, independent courts, the works.