Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alexandria, Romania and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $866 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria
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Alexandria Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Alexandria

🇷🇴 Romania

$866

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $866 in Alexandria versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Alexandria $866
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,322 in Alexandria versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Alexandria $1,322
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,778 in Alexandria versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Alexandria $1,778
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Alexandria costs roughly 61% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Alexandria is 36% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.43 RON 40.29

$16.65 €14.91

-49.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.79 RON 142

$61.7 €55.3

-51.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 RON 35.93

$11.36 €10.17

-33.80%

Cappuccino

$1.69 RON 8.09

$2.97 €2.66

-43.10%

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

$1.75 RON 8.38

$2.29 €2.05

-23.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 RON 6.85

$1.74 €1.56

-17.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.07 RON 9.89

$3.40 €3.05

-39.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 RON 11.80

$3.31 €2.96

-25.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 RON 6.84

$1.16 €1.04

23.28%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 RON 4.16

$1.91 €1.71

-54.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.13 RON 5.41

$1.51 €1.35

-25.17%

Eggs

$2.11 RON 10.08

$4.02 €3.60

-47.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.07 RON 24.24

$12.94 €11.59

-60.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 RON 21.05

$7.77 €6.96

-43.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.92 RON 37.87

$17.76 €15.91

-55.41%

Apples (1kg)

$0.91 RON 4.33

$2.30 €2.06

-60.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 RON 5.64

$1.73 €1.55

-31.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.97 RON 4.64

$1.86 €1.66

-47.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.38

$2.59 €2.32

-64.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 RON 3.09

$1.82 €1.63

-64.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.62 RON 2.94

$1.97 €1.76

-68.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 RON 3.59

$1.47 €1.32

-48.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 RON 3.95

$0.72 €0.65

15.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.29 RON 25.27

$6.58 €5.90

-19.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.21 RON 24.89

$5.61 €5.02

-7.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 RON 4.56

$1.36 €1.22

-30.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 RON 5.10

$2.14 €1.91

-50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 RON 3.12

$2.33 €2.09

-72.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.63 RON 199

$44.68 €40.01

-6.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.43 RON 2.06

$3.85 €3.45

-88.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 RON 1.91

$1.07 €0.96

-62.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.33 RON 25.45

$16.46 €14.74

-67.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 RON 8.42

$2.20 €1.97

-20.00%

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

$16.5K RON 78.9K

$34.2K €30.6K

-51.74%

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

$22.4K RON 107.1K

$38.7K €34.7K

-42.15%

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

$116 RON 553

$161 €144

-28.16%

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

$5.26 RON 25.15

$18.41 €16.49

-71.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.55 RON 36.07

$32.74 €29.32

-76.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 RON 277

$44.55 €39.90

29.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.58 RON 117

$19.10 €17.10

28.69%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 RON 29.12

$9.60 €8.60

-36.56%

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

$318 RON 1,519

$668 €598

-52.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,749 RON 32.2K

$17.6K €15.8K

-61.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 RON 248

$102 €91.4

-49.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.29 RON 106

$44.46 €39.82

-49.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.0 RON 296

$98.5 €88.2

-37.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.6 RON 304

$124 €111

-48.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$309 RON 1,475

$1,608 €1,440

-80.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$242 RON 1,155

$1,190 €1,066

-79.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$573 RON 2,739

$2,812 €2,519

-79.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$411 RON 1,966

$2,013 €1,803

-79.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,269 RON 6,064

$7,839 €7,021

-83.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$793 RON 3,792

$4,576 €4,098

-82.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$846 RON 4,043

$1,575 €1,411

-46.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.73

3.85

74.81%

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

Last update for Alexandria: 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

Alexandria

$242 27.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 393% $948

Groceries & Markets

Alexandria

$151 17.4%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 81% $122

Eating Out

Alexandria

$138 16%

Lisbon

$243 11% 75.4% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alexandria

$129 14.9%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 65.1% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Alexandria

$90 10.4%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 84.5% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Alexandria

$70 8.1%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 9.1% $6.4

Getting Around

Alexandria

$47 5.4%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 35.4% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $309 in Alexandria and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 86% 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: $30 in Alexandria vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $151 vs $272 per month, with Alexandria cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Alexandria

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

20:28 8:28 PM

18:28 6:28 PM

2 h behind Alexandria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

45,434

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

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

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Alexandria Lisbon 2,910 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Alexandria
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

Alexandria vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alexandria wins on cost – living expenses run 61% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Alexandria the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 46% lower in Alexandria. 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: $309 in Alexandria 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 $866 per month in Alexandria versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Alexandria is about 61% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Alexandria runs roughly 7% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Alexandria is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Alexandria gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.