Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashgabat and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,400 in Ashgabat, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

163

Cost of Living Index in Ashgabat
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Ashgabat Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Ashgabat

🇹🇲 Turkmenistan

$3,400

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,400 in Ashgabat versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Ashgabat $3,400
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,109 in Ashgabat versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Ashgabat $5,109
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,818 in Ashgabat versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Ashgabat $6,818
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Ashgabat is roughly 54% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ashgabat 150% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.91 TMT 104

$16.65 €14.91

85.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.1 TMT 292

$61.7 €55.3

40.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.81 TMT 42.92

$11.36 €10.17

12.76%

Cappuccino

$6.98 TMT 23.40

$2.97 €2.66

135.02%

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

$1.56 TMT 5.21

$2.29 €2.05

-31.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 TMT 2.75

$1.74 €1.56

-52.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.60 TMT 18.76

$3.40 €3.05

64.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.68 TMT 45.84

$3.31 €2.96

313.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.49 TMT 15.03

$1.16 €1.04

287.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 TMT 6.72

$1.91 €1.71

5.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.77 TMT 19.34

$1.51 €1.35

282.12%

Eggs

$6.04 TMT 20.23

$4.02 €3.60

50.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$36.95 TMT 124

$12.94 €11.59

185.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.67 TMT 65.9

$7.77 €6.96

153.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.60 TMT 79.1

$17.76 €15.91

32.88%

Apples (1kg)

$5.10 TMT 17.10

$2.30 €2.06

121.74%

Banana (1kg)

$8.63 TMT 28.91

$1.73 €1.55

398.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.32 TMT 24.53

$1.86 €1.66

293.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 TMT 12.30

$2.59 €2.32

41.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 TMT 7.75

$1.82 €1.63

26.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 TMT 4.65

$1.97 €1.76

-29.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.63 TMT 8.81

$1.47 €1.32

78.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 TMT 3.62

$0.72 €0.65

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.92 TMT 86.8

$6.58 €5.90

293.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$41.19 TMT 138

$5.61 €5.02

634.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.08 TMT 17.01

$1.36 €1.22

273.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 TMT 9.51

$2.14 €1.91

32.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 TMT 0.49

$2.33 €2.09

-93.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.81 TMT 32.85

$44.68 €40.01

-78.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 TMT 9.39

$3.85 €3.45

-27.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 TMT 2.92

$1.07 €0.96

-18.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.75 TMT 29.33

$16.46 €14.74

-46.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.41 TMT 1.37

$2.20 €1.97

-81.36%

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

$44.6K TMT 149.3K

$34.2K €30.6K

30.38%

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

$57.0K TMT 190.8K

$38.7K €34.7K

47.09%

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

$576 TMT 1,930

$161 €144

257.44%

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

$58.3 TMT 195

$18.41 €16.49

216.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$103 TMT 347

$32.74 €29.32

215.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$197 TMT 659

$44.55 €39.90

341.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$43.87 TMT 147

$19.10 €17.10

129.69%

Cinema Ticket

$8.80 TMT 29.47

$9.60 €8.60

-8.33%

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

$23.22 TMT 77.8

$668 €598

-96.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.2K TMT 84.5K

$17.6K €15.8K

43.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 TMT 190

$102 €91.4

-44.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$116 TMT 390

$44.46 €39.82

161.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$371 TMT 1,242

$98.5 €88.2

276.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$194 TMT 650

$124 €111

56.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,396 TMT 4,675

$1,608 €1,440

-13.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,000 TMT 3,349

$1,190 €1,066

-16.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,244 TMT 7,519

$2,812 €2,519

-20.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,931 TMT 6,470

$2,013 €1,803

-4.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,614 TMT 12.1K

$7,839 €7,021

-53.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,901 TMT 9,717

$4,576 €4,098

-36.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$748 TMT 2,507

$1,575 €1,411

-52.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.5

3.85

146.75%

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

Last update for Ashgabat: 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

Ashgabat

$1,000 29.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 19.1% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ashgabat

$738 21.7%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 71.2% $526

Groceries & Markets

Ashgabat

$664 19.5%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 59% $391

Eating Out

Ashgabat

$434 12.8%

Lisbon

$243 11% 44.2% $192

Clothing & Footwear

Ashgabat

$332 9.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 50.1% $166

Sport & Entertainment

Ashgabat

$214 6.3%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 70.2% $150

Getting Around

Ashgabat

$18 0.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 260% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,396 in Ashgabat and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 2.1 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $87 in Ashgabat vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $664 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇲 Ashgabat

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

23:02 11:02 PM

18:02 6:02 PM

5 h behind Ashgabat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

909,000 Capital

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Turkmenistani Manat TMT m

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 TMT = 0.299 USD

1 TMT = 0.267 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TMT – Turkmenistani Manat Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇲 Turkmenistani Manat (m)

Turkmenistani Manat exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3.35 TMT (1 TMT = 0.299 USD). 1 EUR = 3.74 TMT (1 TMT = 0.267 EUR).

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

USD to TMT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ashgabat Lisbon 5,750 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Ashgabat
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

Ashgabat vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,400 in Ashgabat and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 35% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 52% lower in Ashgabat. 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: $1,396 in Ashgabat versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $23 in Ashgabat 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 144% higher in Ashgabat. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,400 in Ashgabat, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Ashgabat. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon 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.

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