Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calarasi, Romania and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Calarasi: $884 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Calarasi
Learn more

Calarasi Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Calarasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$884

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $884 per month in Calarasi vs $2,210 in Lisbon, rent included.

Calarasi $884
Lisbon $2,210

A couple spends around $1,366 per month in Calarasi vs $3,275 in Lisbon, rent included.

Calarasi $1,366
Lisbon $3,275

A family of three spends $1,848 per month in Calarasi vs $4,341 in Lisbon, rent included.

Calarasi $1,848
Lisbon $4,341

Calarasi is about 60% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Calarasi sits 35% below the global median, while Lisbon is 62% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.87 RON 42.27

$16.65 €14.87

-46.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.46 RON 160

$61.7 €55.2

-45.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 RON 35.94

$11.36 €10.14

-33.63%

Cappuccino

$2.08 RON 9.89

$2.97 €2.65

-29.97%

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

$1.83 RON 8.73

$2.29 €2.04

-20.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 RON 8.18

$1.74 €1.56

-1.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 RON 7.30

$3.40 €3.04

-55.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 RON 6.89

$3.31 €2.96

-56.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 RON 6.90

$1.16 €1.03

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.92 RON 4.39

$1.91 €1.71

-51.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.08

$1.51 €1.35

-1.32%

Eggs

$2.71 RON 12.92

$4.02 €3.59

-32.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.58 RON 36.15

$12.94 €11.56

-41.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.30 RON 20.50

$7.77 €6.94

-44.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.38 RON 39.94

$17.76 €15.86

-52.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.09 RON 5.18

$2.30 €2.06

-52.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 RON 6.60

$1.73 €1.55

-20.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.88

$1.86 €1.66

-33.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 RON 6.91

$2.59 €2.31

-44.02%

Potato (1kg)

$0.44 RON 2.07

$1.82 €1.63

-75.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.62 RON 2.95

$1.97 €1.76

-68.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 RON 2.09

$1.47 €1.31

-70.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 RON 3.86

$0.72 €0.65

12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.19 RON 29.50

$6.58 €5.88

-5.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.23 RON 20.18

$5.61 €5.01

-24.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 RON 4.67

$1.36 €1.22

-27.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 RON 6.56

$2.14 €1.91

-35.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 RON 1.93

$2.33 €2.08

-82.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.30 RON 58.6

$44.68 €39.91

-72.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.87

$3.85 €3.44

-84.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.89

$1.07 €0.96

-42.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.34 RON 30.20

$16.46 €14.70

-61.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 RON 7.74

$2.20 €1.97

-26.36%

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

$28.3K RON 135.1K

$34.2K €30.5K

-17.08%

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

$25.1K RON 119.6K

$38.7K €34.6K

-35.20%

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

$163 RON 777

$161 €144

1.15%

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

$6.16 RON 29.35

$18.41 €16.44

-66.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.51 RON 31.05

$32.74 €29.24

-80.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.78 RON 228

$44.55 €39.79

7.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$51.6 RON 246

$19.10 €17.06

170.37%

Cinema Ticket

$8.22 RON 39.17

$9.60 €8.57

-14.37%

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

$375 RON 1,786

$668 €596

-43.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,713 RON 27.2K

$17.6K €15.7K

-67.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.5 RON 350

$102 €91.1

-28.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.65 RON 98.4

$44.46 €39.72

-53.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 RON 428

$98.5 €88.0

-8.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.9 RON 457

$124 €110

-22.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$313 RON 1,493

$1,608 €1,437

-80.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$191 RON 912

$1,190 €1,063

-83.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$413 RON 1,968

$2,812 €2,512

-85.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$327 RON 1,558

$2,013 €1,798

-83.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,190 RON 5,671

$7,839 €7,002

-84.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$965 RON 4,600

$4,576 €4,087

-78.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$728 RON 3,472

$1,575 €1,407

-53.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.85

3.85

103.90%

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

Last update for Calarasi: 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

Calarasi

$191 21.6%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 522% $999

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calarasi

$176 19.9%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 20.8% $37

Groceries & Markets

Calarasi

$166 18.8%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 64.2% $106

Eating Out

Calarasi

$143 16.2%

Lisbon

$243 11% 69.4% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Calarasi

$126 14.3%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 31.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Calarasi

$64 7.3%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 0.7% $0.5

Getting Around

Calarasi

$18 2%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 260% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $313 in Calarasi versus $1,608 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 in Lisbon are about 2.2 times higher, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Calarasi versus $62 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $166 vs $272 – making Calarasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Calarasi

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

07:27 7:27 AM

05:27 5:27 AM

2 h behind Calarasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,181

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 4.77 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Calarasi Lisbon 3,070 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Calarasi
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

Calarasi vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $884 in Calarasi, $2,210 in Lisbon – Calarasi comes out roughly 60% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,326 per month in Calarasi and $3,315 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Calarasi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $313 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Kindergarten costs $375 per month in Calarasi and $668 in Lisbon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 64% more in Lisbon, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Calarasi, where all-in costs run around $884, than in Lisbon at $2,210. In Calarasi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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