Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Braila and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Braila: $1,143 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Braila, Romania
Lisbon, Portugal
Braila
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,143
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,143 in Braila versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

  • Braila $1,143
  • Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,725 in Braila versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

  • Braila $1,725
  • Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,308 in Braila versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

  • Braila $2,308
  • Lisbon $4,341

Living in Braila costs roughly 48% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Braila is 16% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Braila
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.68 RON 89.3
$16.65 €14.91
12.19%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.07 RON 187
$61.7 €55.3
-36.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.78 RON 41.93
$11.36 €10.17
-22.71%
Cappuccino
$2.63 RON 12.57
$2.97 €2.66
-11.45%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.06 RON 9.84
$2.29 €2.05
-10.04%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 RON 8.13
$1.74 €1.56
-2.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.63 RON 7.78
$3.40 €3.05
-52.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 RON 9.92
$3.31 €2.96
-37.16%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Braila
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.82 RON 8.69
$1.16 €1.04
56.90%
White Bread (500g)
$1.42 RON 6.80
$1.91 €1.71
-25.65%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 RON 7.04
$1.51 €1.35
-2.65%
Eggs
$3.36 RON 16.08
$4.02 €3.60
-16.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.71 RON 41.62
$12.94 €11.59
-32.69%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.65 RON 36.53
$7.77 €6.96
-1.54%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.51 RON 45.45
$17.76 €15.91
-46.45%
Apples (1kg)
$0.95 RON 4.53
$2.30 €2.06
-58.70%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 RON 6.96
$1.73 €1.55
-15.61%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.30 RON 6.22
$1.86 €1.66
-30.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.15 RON 5.49
$2.59 €2.32
-55.60%
Potato (1kg)
$0.84 RON 4.04
$1.82 €1.63
-53.85%
Onion (1kg)
$0.72 RON 3.45
$1.97 €1.76
-63.45%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.68 RON 3.24
$1.47 €1.32
-53.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.79 RON 3.75
$0.72 €0.65
9.72%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.16 RON 29.42
$6.58 €5.90
-6.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.19 RON 29.60
$5.61 €5.02
10.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.02 RON 4.86
$1.36 €1.22
-25.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.56 RON 7.44
$2.14 €1.91
-27.10%
🚌 Getting Around
Braila
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.61 RON 2.91
$2.33 €2.09
-73.82%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.47 RON 73.9
$44.68 €40.01
-65.38%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.03 RON 4.93
$3.85 €3.45
-73.25%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.72 RON 3.46
$1.07 €0.96
-32.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.77 RON 32.34
$16.46 €14.74
-58.87%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.58 RON 7.57
$2.20 €1.97
-28.18%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K RON 127.9K
$34.2K €30.6K
-21.70%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.7K RON 141.8K
$38.7K €34.7K
-23.35%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Braila
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$138 RON 660
$161 €144
-14.27%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.19 RON 39.12
$18.41 €16.49
-55.51%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$12.91 RON 61.7
$32.74 €29.32
-60.57%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Braila
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.14 RON 154
$44.55 €39.90
-27.86%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.83 RON 70.9
$19.10 €17.10
-22.36%
Cinema Ticket
$7.27 RON 34.76
$9.60 €8.60
-24.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Braila
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$366 RON 1,748
$668 €598
-45.20%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,266 RON 39.5K
$17.6K €15.8K
-53.07%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Braila
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$100 RON 478
$102 €91.4
-1.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$60.5 RON 289
$44.46 €39.82
35.96%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.3 RON 436
$98.5 €88.2
-7.33%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$123 RON 588
$124 €111
-0.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Braila
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$376 RON 1,798
$1,608 €1,440
-76.61%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$305 RON 1,458
$1,190 €1,066
-74.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$536 RON 2,562
$2,812 €2,519
-80.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$446 RON 2,132
$2,013 €1,803
-77.84%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,880 RON 8,984
$7,839 €7,021
-76.02%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,304 RON 6,230
$4,576 €4,098
-71.51%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Braila
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$851 RON 4,065
$1,575 €1,411
-45.99%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.3
3.85
115.58%

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

Last update for Braila: 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
Braila
$305
Lisbon
$1.2K 290% $885
Eating Out
Braila
$235
Lisbon
$243 3.4% $8
Groceries & Markets
Braila
$206
Lisbon
$272 32.3% $67
Clothing & Footwear
Braila
$169
Lisbon
$166 1.7% $2.8
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Braila
$159
Lisbon
$212 33.3% $53
Sport & Entertainment
Braila
$47
Lisbon
$64 36.5% $17
Getting Around
Braila
$23
Lisbon
$63 180% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $376 in Braila and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 85% 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: $39 in Braila vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $272 per month, with Braila cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇷🇴 Braila
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
06:34 6:34 AM
04:34 4:34 AM
2 h behind Braila
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
180,302
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Braila Lisbon 3,120 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Braila
  • 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
Braila vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Braila or Lisbon?
Braila wins on cost – living expenses run 48% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Braila the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Braila or in Lisbon?
On paper, salaries run 46% lower in Braila. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Braila compared to Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $376 in Braila versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How expensive is transport in Braila compared to Lisbon?
A monthly transit pass in Braila runs roughly 65% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
How do childcare costs compare in Braila and in Lisbon?
Childcare runs $366 in Braila versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Braila or in Lisbon?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Braila is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Braila or Lisbon?
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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Braila gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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