Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Heraklion and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Heraklion: $1,612 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Heraklion
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Heraklion Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Heraklion

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,612

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,612 in Heraklion versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Heraklion $1,612
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,516 in Heraklion versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Heraklion $2,516
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,420 in Heraklion versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Heraklion $3,420
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Heraklion costs roughly 27% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Heraklion 18% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.90 €11.56

$16.65 €14.92

-22.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.5 €49.75

$61.7 €55.3

-10.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 €9.13

$11.36 €10.18

-10.30%

Cappuccino

$3.69 €3.31

$2.97 €2.66

24.24%

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

$2.45 €2.19

$2.29 €2.05

6.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$1.74 €1.56

-56.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.47 €4.90

$3.40 €3.05

60.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.27 €4.72

$3.31 €2.97

59.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.16 €1.04

49.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 €1.30

$1.91 €1.71

-24.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 €2.30

$1.51 €1.36

70.20%

Eggs

$4.50 €4.03

$4.02 €3.60

11.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.89 €14.24

$12.94 €11.59

22.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.49 €9.40

$7.77 €6.97

35.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.31 €13.72

$17.76 €15.92

-13.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 €1.91

$2.30 €2.06

-7.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.73 €1.55

19.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.86 €1.66

-24.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 €1.51

$2.59 €2.32

-35.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 €1.06

$1.82 €1.63

-35.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.05

$1.97 €1.76

-40.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 €0.86

$1.47 €1.32

-35.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$0.72 €0.65

4.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.88 €4.37

$6.58 €5.90

-25.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.04 €7.21

$5.61 €5.02

43.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.99

$1.36 €1.22

63.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 €2.58

$2.14 €1.91

34.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.33 €2.09

-37.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.9 €61.7

$44.68 €40.04

54.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 €3.90

$3.85 €3.45

13.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.07 €0.96

2.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.35 €10.17

$16.46 €14.75

-31.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

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

$28.5K €25.5K

$34.2K €30.6K

-16.77%

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

$24.5K €22.0K

$38.7K €34.7K

-36.68%

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

$194 €174

$161 €144

20.31%

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

$29.91 €26.80

$18.41 €16.50

62.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.16 €34.20

$32.74 €29.34

16.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €49.03

$44.55 €39.92

22.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.02 €34.97

$19.10 €17.11

104.29%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 €8.13

$9.60 €8.60

-5.52%

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

$412 €370

$668 €598

-38.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,013 €3,596

$17.6K €15.8K

-77.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.0 €81.5

$102 €91.4

-10.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.15 €38.67

$44.46 €39.85

-2.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.2 €74.6

$98.5 €88.3

-15.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €119

$124 €111

7.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$666 €597

$1,608 €1,441

-58.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$511 €458

$1,190 €1,066

-57.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 €1,084

$2,812 €2,520

-57.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$997 €893

$2,013 €1,804

-50.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,562 €3,192

$7,839 €7,025

-54.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,653 €2,378

$4,576 €4,100

-42.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,108 €993

$1,575 €1,411

-29.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

3.85

15.32%

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

Last update for Heraklion: 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

Heraklion

$511 31.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 133% $679

Groceries & Markets

Heraklion

$295 18.3%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 7.7% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Heraklion

$262 16.3%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 19% $50

Eating Out

Heraklion

$229 14.2%

Lisbon

$243 11% 6% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Heraklion

$158 9.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 5.2% $8.2

Getting Around

Heraklion

$85 5.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 25.3% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Heraklion

$73 4.5%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 12.5% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $666 in Heraklion and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 42% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $56 in Heraklion vs $62 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $295 vs $272, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Heraklion

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

08:13 8:13 AM

06:13 6:13 AM

2 h behind Heraklion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,730

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

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

From you

Heraklion
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

Heraklion vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Heraklion is about 27% cheaper overall, especially in eating out and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 30% lower in Heraklion. 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: $666 in Heraklion versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $412 in Heraklion versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Heraklion gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Safety-wise, Heraklion and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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