Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ajman and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Ajman: $1,842 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

88

Cost of Living Index in Ajman
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Ajman Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

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Ajman

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,842

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,842 in Ajman versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Ajman $1,842
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,306 in Ajman versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Ajman $3,306
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,769 in Ajman versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Ajman $4,769
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Ajman costs roughly 17% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ajman 35% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.66 AED 20.79

$16.65 €14.92

-66.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.78 AED 98.4

$61.7 €55.3

-56.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.13 AED 29.86

$11.36 €10.18

-28.43%

Cappuccino

$3.72 AED 13.65

$2.97 €2.66

25.25%

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

$0.80 AED 2.93

$2.29 €2.05

-65.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 AED 1.46

$1.74 €1.56

-77.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.77 AED 39.55

$3.40 €3.05

216.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.48 AED 45.83

$3.31 €2.97

277.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 AED 7.14

$1.16 €1.04

68.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 AED 4.97

$1.91 €1.71

-29.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 AED 5.35

$1.51 €1.36

-3.31%

Eggs

$2.08 AED 7.65

$4.02 €3.60

-48.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.91 AED 29.05

$12.94 €11.59

-38.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.59 AED 24.20

$7.77 €6.97

-15.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.51 AED 34.92

$17.76 €15.92

-46.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 AED 7.12

$2.30 €2.06

-15.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 AED 4.87

$1.73 €1.55

-23.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 AED 5.73

$1.86 €1.66

-16.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.03 AED 3.79

$2.59 €2.32

-60.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 AED 3.77

$1.82 €1.63

-43.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 AED 4.17

$1.97 €1.76

-42.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 AED 4.34

$1.47 €1.32

-19.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 AED 1.87

$0.72 €0.65

-29.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.34 AED 23.30

$6.58 €5.90

-3.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.02 AED 40.45

$5.61 €5.02

96.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 AED 5.88

$1.36 €1.22

17.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 AED 8.45

$2.14 €1.91

7.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 AED 14.94

$2.33 €2.09

74.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.4 AED 255

$44.68 €40.04

55.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 AED 12.77

$3.85 €3.45

-9.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 AED 2.42

$1.07 €0.96

-38.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.41 AED 30.89

$16.46 €14.75

-48.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 AED 3.05

$2.20 €1.97

-62.27%

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

$45.4K AED 166.8K

$34.2K €30.6K

32.83%

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

$22.0K AED 80.7K

$38.7K €34.7K

-43.24%

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

$154 AED 565

$161 €144

-4.65%

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

$49.88 AED 183

$18.41 €16.50

170.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.4 AED 314

$32.74 €29.34

160.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.9 AED 282

$44.55 €39.92

72.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.74 AED 35.79

$19.10 €17.11

-49.01%

Cinema Ticket

$13.64 AED 50.1

$9.60 €8.60

42.08%

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

$492 AED 1,806

$668 €598

-26.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,741 AED 21.1K

$17.6K €15.8K

-67.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.4 AED 214

$102 €91.4

-42.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 AED 224

$44.46 €39.85

37.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 AED 312

$98.5 €88.3

-13.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.8 AED 348

$124 €111

-23.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,283 AED 8,386

$1,608 €1,441

41.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$812 AED 2,982

$1,190 €1,066

-31.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,619 AED 5,946

$2,812 €2,520

-42.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,727 AED 10.0K

$2,013 €1,804

35.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,272 AED 8,343

$7,839 €7,025

-71.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,366 AED 5,015

$4,576 €4,100

-70.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,259 AED 8,297

$1,575 €1,411

43.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

29.87%

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

Last update for Ajman: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ajman

$812 44.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 46.6% $378

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ajman

$289 15.7%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 26.5% $77

Groceries & Markets

Ajman

$212 11.5%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 28.3% $60

Eating Out

Ajman

$198 10.7%

Lisbon

$243 11% 22.6% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Ajman

$135 7.3%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 23.3% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Ajman

$104 5.7%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 38.8% $40

Getting Around

Ajman

$92 5%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 31.6% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,283 in Ajman and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ajman pays 43% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $27 in Ajman vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $212 vs $272 per month, with Ajman cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Ajman

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

07:08 7:08 AM

03:08 3:08 AM

4 h behind Ajman

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

238,119

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.245 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.09 AED (1 AED = 0.245 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ajman Lisbon 6,140 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Ajman
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

Ajman vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ajman wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ajman the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 43% higher in Ajman, 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: $2,283 in Ajman versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $492 in Ajman 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 28% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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, Ajman and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.