Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cagliari and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Cagliari: $1,750 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Cagliari
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Cagliari Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Cagliari

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,750

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,750 per month in Cagliari vs $2,223 in Lisbon, rent included.

Cagliari $1,750
Lisbon $2,223

A couple spends around $2,736 per month in Cagliari vs $3,271 in Lisbon, rent included.

Cagliari $2,736
Lisbon $3,271

A family of three spends $3,723 per month in Cagliari vs $4,319 in Lisbon, rent included.

Cagliari $3,723
Lisbon $4,319

Cagliari is about 21% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cagliari and Lisbon sit above the global median – Cagliari by 30%, Lisbon by 65%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.30 €19.84

$16.50 €14.67

35.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.1 €74.8

$61.3 €54.5

37.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.01 €9.79

$11.27 €10.03

-2.31%

Cappuccino

$1.98 €1.76

$3.06 €2.72

-35.29%

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

$3.28 €2.92

$2.26 €2.01

45.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.73 €1.54

-11.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.44 €4.83

$3.39 €3.02

60.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 €4.51

$3.40 €3.02

49.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.12 €1.00

40.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 €2.41

$1.86 €1.65

45.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$1.53 €1.36

84.31%

Eggs

$3.80 €3.38

$3.96 €3.53

-4.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.46 €19.09

$12.76 €11.35

68.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.84 €10.53

$7.90 €7.02

49.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.30 €19.83

$16.97 €15.09

31.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.27 €2.02

16.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.75 €1.55

1.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.85 €1.64

21.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.51 €3.12

$2.57 €2.28

36.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.86 €1.65

3.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.33 €2.07

$2.02 €1.80

15.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.44 €1.28

7.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 €0.46

$0.82 €0.73

-36.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.37 €6.55

$6.56 €5.83

12.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.41 €7.48

$5.62 €5.00

49.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.28 €1.14

27.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.07 €1.84

-12.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 €1.27

$2.35 €2.09

-39.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.13 €33.92

$44.18 €39.30

-13.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.26 €8.23

$3.99 €3.55

132.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.32

$1.09 €0.97

36.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.52 €28.04

$16.64 €14.81

89.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.28 €2.03

-9.65%

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

$35.7K €31.7K

$33.7K €30.0K

5.90%

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

$35.1K €31.2K

$39.3K €35.0K

-10.59%

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

$157 €140

$167 €149

-6.14%

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

$9.07 €8.07

$18.80 €16.72

-51.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.65 €26.38

$33.09 €29.43

-10.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 €45.38

$46.01 €40.93

10.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.59 €21.87

$19.19 €17.07

28.14%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 €10.06

$9.84 €8.75

14.94%

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

$525 €467

$677 €602

-22.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,007 €7,122

$16.9K €15.1K

-52.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.1 €83.7

$101 €90.1

-7.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.94 €37.31

$45.76 €40.70

-8.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.6 €80.6

$100.0 €88.9

-9.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 €103

$123 €109

-6.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$868 €772

$1,614 €1,436

-46.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$613 €545

$1,197 €1,065

-48.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,395 €1,241

$2,862 €2,545

-51.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 €895

$1,990 €1,770

-49.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,278 €2,916

$7,577 €6,740

-56.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,315 €2,059

$4,307 €3,831

-46.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,807 €1,607

$1,588 €1,412

13.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.27

3.85

-15.06%

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

Last update for Cagliari: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cagliari

$613 35%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 95.4% $584

Groceries & Markets

Cagliari

$362 20.7%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 25.5% $92

Eating Out

Cagliari

$292 16.7%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 17% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cagliari

$196 11.2%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 12% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Cagliari

$154 8.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 8.2% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Cagliari

$74 4.2%

Lisbon

$66 3% 10.8% $7.9

Getting Around

Cagliari

$61 3.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 4.1% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $868 in Cagliari versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 14% higher in Cagliari, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84.0 in Cagliari versus $61.0 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $362 vs $269 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Cagliari

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

01:46 1:46 AM

00:46 12:46 AM

1 h behind Cagliari

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

154,478

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Cagliari Lisbon 1,580 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cagliari
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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

Cagliari vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 27%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,625 per month in Cagliari and $3,335 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cagliari, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 16% less in Cagliari. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $525 per month in Cagliari and $677 in Lisbon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Cagliari, where all-in costs run around $1,750, than in Lisbon at $2,223. In Cagliari it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cagliari – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Cagliari. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.