Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasov and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Brasov: $1,310 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Brasov
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,310
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,223
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,310 in Brasov versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

  • Brasov $1,310
  • Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,115 in Brasov versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

  • Brasov $2,115
  • Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,920 in Brasov versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

  • Brasov $2,920
  • Lisbon $4,319

Living in Brasov costs roughly 41% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Brasov is 3% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Brasov
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.91 RON 51.6
$16.50 €14.67
-33.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$52.7 RON 249
$61.3 €54.5
-14.02%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.49 RON 35.42
$11.27 €10.03
-33.54%
Cappuccino
$3.58 RON 16.93
$3.06 €2.72
16.99%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.42 RON 11.43
$2.26 €2.01
7.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.21 RON 10.44
$1.73 €1.54
27.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.16 RON 14.97
$3.39 €3.02
-6.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.33 RON 15.76
$3.40 €3.02
-2.06%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Brasov
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.52 RON 7.21
$1.12 €1.00
35.71%
White Bread (500g)
$1.42 RON 6.71
$1.86 €1.65
-23.66%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.78 RON 8.42
$1.53 €1.36
16.34%
Eggs
$3.60 RON 17.01
$3.96 €3.53
-9.09%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.75 RON 41.39
$12.76 €11.35
-31.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.95 RON 32.87
$7.90 €7.02
-12.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.48 RON 59.1
$16.97 €15.09
-26.46%
Apples (1kg)
$1.48 RON 7.00
$2.27 €2.02
-34.80%
Banana (1kg)
$1.54 RON 7.30
$1.75 €1.55
-12.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.62 RON 7.68
$1.85 €1.64
-12.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.73 RON 12.91
$2.57 €2.28
6.23%
Potato (1kg)
$0.76 RON 3.60
$1.86 €1.65
-59.14%
Onion (1kg)
$0.91 RON 4.30
$2.02 €1.80
-54.95%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.90 RON 4.27
$1.44 €1.28
-37.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.80 RON 3.79
$0.82 €0.73
-2.44%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.97 RON 28.23
$6.56 €5.83
-8.99%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.53 RON 35.63
$5.62 €5.00
33.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 RON 5.81
$1.28 €1.14
-3.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.81 RON 8.57
$2.07 €1.84
-12.56%
🚌 Getting Around
Brasov
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.07 RON 5.05
$2.35 €2.09
-54.47%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$23.18 RON 110
$44.18 €39.30
-47.53%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.63 RON 2.98
$3.99 €3.55
-84.21%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.62 RON 2.94
$1.09 €0.97
-43.12%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.56 RON 31.05
$16.64 €14.81
-60.58%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.92 RON 9.08
$2.28 €2.03
-15.79%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.2K RON 133.3K
$33.7K €30.0K
-16.33%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.1K RON 123.6K
$39.3K €35.0K
-33.53%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Brasov
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$179 RON 849
$167 €149
7.15%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.73 RON 36.56
$18.80 €16.72
-58.88%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$8.82 RON 41.74
$33.09 €29.43
-73.35%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Brasov
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.8 RON 269
$46.01 €40.93
23.49%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.60 RON 64.4
$19.19 €17.07
-29.13%
Cinema Ticket
$9.13 RON 43.19
$9.84 €8.75
-7.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Brasov
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$450 RON 2,131
$677 €602
-33.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,955 RON 32.9K
$16.9K €15.1K
-58.90%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Brasov
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$51.1 RON 242
$101 €90.1
-49.58%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.95 RON 165
$45.76 €40.70
-23.62%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.3 RON 356
$100.0 €88.9
-24.73%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.7 RON 424
$123 €109
-26.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Brasov
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$676 RON 3,197
$1,614 €1,436
-58.13%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$472 RON 2,235
$1,197 €1,065
-60.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,316 RON 6,228
$2,862 €2,545
-54.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,053 RON 4,980
$1,990 €1,770
-47.11%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,079 RON 14.6K
$7,577 €6,740
-59.37%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,386 RON 11.3K
$4,307 €3,831
-44.59%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Brasov
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,102 RON 5,212
$1,588 €1,412
-30.62%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.2
3.85
87.01%

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

Last update for Brasov: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Brasov
$472
Lisbon
$1.2K 153% $725
Groceries & Markets
Brasov
$228
Lisbon
$269 18% $41
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Brasov
$196
Lisbon
$219 11.9% $23
Eating Out
Brasov
$194
Lisbon
$242 25.1% $49
Clothing & Footwear
Brasov
$113
Lisbon
$166 47.4% $53
Sport & Entertainment
Brasov
$75
Lisbon
$66 12.5% $9.4
Getting Around
Brasov
$31
Lisbon
$63 102% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $676 in Brasov and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 44% 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: $53.0 in Brasov vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $228 vs $269 per month, with Brasov cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇷🇴 Brasov
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
08:42 8:42 AM
06:42 6:42 AM
2 h behind Brasov
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
253,200
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Brasov Lisbon 2,940 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Brasov
  • 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
Brasov vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Brasov and in Lisbon?
Brasov and Lisbon differ by about 70% in total monthly costs ($1,310 vs $2,223 including rent). Brasov is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 44% lower in Lisbon. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Brasov and in Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $676 in Brasov versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Brasov – a meal for two runs $53.0 versus $61.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more expensive overall: Brasov or Lisbon?
All in, you'll spend $1,310 per month in Brasov versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 70% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,310 in Brasov versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Brasov but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Brasov the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Brasov and 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.
Is Brasov or Lisbon safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Brasov and Lisbon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Brasov or Lisbon?
Expats usually find Brasov gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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