Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alba Iulia and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Alba Iulia: $901 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Alba Iulia
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Alba Iulia Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Alba Iulia

🇷🇴 Romania

$901

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $901 in Alba Iulia versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Alba Iulia $901
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,378 in Alba Iulia versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Alba Iulia $1,378
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,855 in Alba Iulia versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Alba Iulia $1,855
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Alba Iulia costs roughly 59% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Alba Iulia is 34% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.60 RON 41.33

$16.65 €14.96

-48.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.98 RON 149

$61.7 €55.5

-49.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 RON 28.26

$11.36 €10.20

-48.24%

Cappuccino

$2.28 RON 10.95

$2.97 €2.67

-23.23%

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

$1.75 RON 8.43

$2.29 €2.06

-23.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 RON 7.13

$1.74 €1.56

-14.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.97 RON 9.46

$3.40 €3.06

-42.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 RON 9.79

$3.31 €2.97

-38.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 RON 5.91

$1.16 €1.04

6.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 RON 5.20

$1.91 €1.72

-43.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 RON 6.86

$1.51 €1.36

-5.30%

Eggs

$2.69 RON 12.94

$4.02 €3.61

-33.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.53 RON 36.18

$12.94 €11.62

-41.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.03 RON 28.98

$7.77 €6.99

-22.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.80 RON 51.9

$17.76 €15.96

-39.19%

Apples (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.44

$2.30 €2.07

-60.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 RON 6.29

$1.73 €1.56

-24.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 RON 6.06

$1.86 €1.67

-32.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 RON 11.20

$2.59 €2.33

-10.04%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 RON 3.44

$1.82 €1.64

-60.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 RON 2.83

$1.97 €1.77

-70.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.18

$1.47 €1.32

-40.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 RON 2.92

$0.72 €0.65

-15.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 RON 24.89

$6.58 €5.92

-21.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.28 RON 20.56

$5.61 €5.04

-23.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 RON 5.37

$1.36 €1.22

-17.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 RON 6.11

$2.14 €1.92

-40.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 RON 3.60

$2.33 €2.10

-67.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.98 RON 81.6

$44.68 €40.14

-62.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.06

$3.85 €3.46

-83.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 RON 3.03

$1.07 €0.96

-41.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.47 RON 21.47

$16.46 €14.79

-72.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 RON 7.21

$2.20 €1.98

-31.82%

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

$28.8K RON 138.4K

$34.2K €30.7K

-15.79%

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

$23.7K RON 114.1K

$38.7K €34.8K

-38.70%

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

$125 RON 599

$161 €145

-22.76%

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

$7.31 RON 35.13

$18.41 €16.54

-60.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.01 RON 43.30

$32.74 €29.41

-72.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.55 RON 142

$44.55 €40.03

-33.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.83 RON 148

$19.10 €17.16

61.41%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 RON 24.45

$9.60 €8.62

-46.98%

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

$435 RON 2,093

$668 €600

-34.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,969 RON 33.5K

$17.6K €15.8K

-60.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.02 RON 183

$102 €91.7

-62.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.94 RON 115

$44.46 €39.95

-46.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.8 RON 355

$98.5 €88.5

-25.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.7 RON 297

$124 €111

-50.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$296 RON 1,422

$1,608 €1,445

-81.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$283 RON 1,360

$1,190 €1,069

-76.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$612 RON 2,942

$2,812 €2,527

-78.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 RON 2,299

$2,013 €1,809

-76.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,643 RON 7,896

$7,839 €7,043

-79.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,401 RON 6,734

$4,576 €4,111

-69.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$903 RON 4,341

$1,575 €1,415

-42.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.97

3.85

81.04%

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

Last update for Alba Iulia: 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

Alba Iulia

$283 31.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 321% $907

Groceries & Markets

Alba Iulia

$185 20.5%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 47.5% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alba Iulia

$141 15.6%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 50.8% $72

Eating Out

Alba Iulia

$141 15.6%

Lisbon

$243 11% 72.5% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Alba Iulia

$89 9.9%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 86.7% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Alba Iulia

$40 4.4%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 60.5% $24

Getting Around

Alba Iulia

$24 2.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 166% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $296 in Alba Iulia and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 74% 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: $31 in Alba Iulia vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $185 vs $272 per month, with Alba Iulia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Alba Iulia

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

20:40 8:40 PM

18:40 6:40 PM

2 h behind Alba Iulia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,536

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Alba Iulia Lisbon 2,790 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Alba Iulia
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

Alba Iulia vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alba Iulia is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 145% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 43% lower in Alba Iulia. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $296 in Alba Iulia versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $901 per month in Alba Iulia versus $2,210 in Lisbon – a 145% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Alba Iulia runs roughly 62% less than in Lisbon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $901 in Alba Iulia versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Alba Iulia but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Alba Iulia 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.

Expats usually find Alba Iulia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.