Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bissau and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Bissau: $814 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Bissau

🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau

$814

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $814 in Bissau versus $2,206 in Lisbon.

Bissau $814
Lisbon $2,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,314 in Bissau versus $3,276 in Lisbon.

Bissau $1,314
Lisbon $3,276

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,813 in Bissau versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Bissau $1,813
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Bissau costs roughly 63% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bissau is 40% below, Lisbon is 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.01 F CFA 2,923

$16.86 €15.02

-70.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.78 F CFA 15.1K

$61.0 €54.4

-57.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.31 F CFA 5,435

$10.98 €9.78

-15.21%

Cappuccino

$1.71 F CFA 1,001

$3.05 €2.72

-43.93%

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

$1.05 F CFA 611

$2.28 €2.03

-53.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 F CFA 509

$1.68 €1.50

-48.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.71 F CFA 416

$3.44 €3.06

-79.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 F CFA 982

$1.15 €1.02

46.09%

White Bread (500g)

$0.91 F CFA 533

$1.89 €1.68

-51.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 F CFA 1,168

$1.50 €1.34

33.33%

Eggs

$5.08 F CFA 2,965

$4.12 €3.67

23.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.22 F CFA 8,306

$13.01 €11.59

9.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.39 F CFA 7,819

$8.04 €7.17

66.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.77 F CFA 8,042

$17.89 €15.94

-23.03%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 F CFA 2,415

$2.27 €2.02

82.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 F CFA 605

$1.74 €1.55

-40.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.27 F CFA 2,496

$1.82 €1.62

134.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.18 F CFA 104

$2.69 €2.39

-93.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 F CFA 777

$1.77 €1.57

-24.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 F CFA 800

$1.94 €1.73

-29.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 F CFA 734

$0.76 €0.68

65.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.93

Wine (Bottle)

$6.78 F CFA 3,958

$5.64 €5.02

20.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 F CFA 766

$1.29 €1.15

1.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 F CFA 504

$2.14 €1.91

-59.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 F CFA 304

$2.30 €2.05

-77.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.31 F CFA 14.8K

$44.02 €39.21

-42.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.55

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.86

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 F CFA 833

$2.28 €2.03

-37.28%

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

$32.1K F CFA 18.8M

$33.4K €29.7K

-3.69%

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

$28.9K F CFA 16.9M

$38.5K €34.3K

-24.88%

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

$103 F CFA 60.3K

$158 €141

-34.76%

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

$34.08 F CFA 19.9K

$17.54 €15.62

94.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.88 F CFA 26.8K

$31.18 €27.78

47.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.15 F CFA 24.6K

$44.64 €39.77

-5.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.91

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.53

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

$759 F CFA 443.4K

$674 €600

12.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,301 F CFA 1.3M

$18.7K €16.7K

-87.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.89

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$516 F CFA 301.4K

$1,641 €1,461

-68.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 F CFA 97.9K

$1,187 €1,058

-85.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$843 F CFA 492.4K

$2,825 €2,516

-70.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$431 F CFA 251.8K

$2,018 €1,798

-78.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,980

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,188

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,042 F CFA 608.6K

$1,687 €1,503

-38.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

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

Last update for Bissau: November 3, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bissau

–

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Groceries & Markets

Bissau

–

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Eating Out

Bissau

–

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bissau

–

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Bissau

–

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Sport & Entertainment

Bissau

–

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Getting Around

Bissau

–

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $516 in Bissau and $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 62% 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: $26 in Bissau vs $61 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $294 vs $275, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇼 Bissau

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

20:05 8:05 PM

Same time as Bissau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

395,954 Capital

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 584 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to XOF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bissau Lisbon 3,050 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bissau
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

Bissau vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $814 in Bissau and $2,206 in Lisbon, so Bissau is about 63% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 38% lower in Bissau. 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: $516 in Bissau versus $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $759 in Bissau versus $674 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $814 in Bissau versus $2,206 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Bissau but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Bissau 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.

It comes down to priorities – Bissau wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.