Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Joensuu and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Joensuu: $1,892 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

91

Cost of Living Index in Joensuu
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Joensuu Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Joensuu

🇫🇮 Finland

$1,892

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,892 in Joensuu versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Joensuu $1,892
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,820 in Joensuu versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Joensuu $2,820
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,749 in Joensuu versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Joensuu $3,749
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Joensuu costs roughly 14% less than in Lisbon.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Joensuu 39% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.59 €13.97

$16.65 €14.92

-6.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 €60.7

$61.7 €55.3

9.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 €10.58

$11.36 €10.18

3.87%

Cappuccino

$3.64 €3.26

$2.97 €2.66

22.56%

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

$1.32 €1.18

$2.29 €2.05

-42.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 €1.62

$1.74 €1.56

4.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.14 €7.29

$3.40 €3.05

139.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.15 €7.30

$3.31 €2.97

146.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.16 €1.04

23.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.91 €1.71

35.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.85 €2.56

$1.51 €1.36

88.74%

Eggs

$2.81 €2.52

$4.02 €3.60

-30.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.43 €7.55

$12.94 €11.59

-34.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.77 €11.44

$7.77 €6.97

64.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.28 €20.86

$17.76 €15.92

31.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 €2.28

$2.30 €2.06

10.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.73 €1.55

14.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 €1.98

$1.86 €1.66

18.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 €3.50

$2.59 €2.32

50.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.48 €1.33

$1.82 €1.63

-18.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 €1.97

$1.97 €1.76

11.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.47 €1.32

2.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.29

$0.72 €0.65

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.75 €10.53

$6.58 €5.90

78.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.61 €12.20

$5.61 €5.02

142.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.02

$1.36 €1.22

65.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 €2.95

$2.14 €1.91

53.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.00 €2.69

$2.33 €2.09

28.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.9 €65.3

$44.68 €40.04

63.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.75 €6.05

$3.85 €3.45

75.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.07 €0.96

27.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$66.0 €59.1

$16.46 €14.75

300.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.20 €1.97

-0.91%

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

$35.8K €32.1K

$34.2K €30.6K

4.64%

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

$37.1K €33.3K

$38.7K €34.7K

-4.15%

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

$196 €176

$161 €144

21.81%

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

$24.30 €21.78

$18.41 €16.50

31.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.17 €29.73

$32.74 €29.34

1.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 €46.87

$44.55 €39.92

17.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.76 €22.19

$19.10 €17.11

29.63%

Cinema Ticket

$16.37 €14.67

$9.60 €8.60

70.52%

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

$276 €248

$668 €598

-58.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$133 €119

$102 €91.4

29.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.58 €35.46

$44.46 €39.85

-10.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.6 €79.4

$98.5 €88.3

-10.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 €133

$124 €111

19.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 €653

$1,608 €1,441

-54.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$645 €578

$1,190 €1,066

-45.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,244 €1,115

$2,812 €2,520

-55.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$968 €867

$2,013 €1,804

-51.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,070 €1,855

$7,839 €7,025

-73.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,763 €1,580

$4,576 €4,100

-61.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,023 €3,605

$1,575 €1,411

155.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

3.85

-17.14%

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

Last update for Joensuu: 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

Joensuu

$645 34.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 84.4% $545

Groceries & Markets

Joensuu

$352 18.6%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 22.6% $80

Eating Out

Joensuu

$273 14.5%

Lisbon

$243 11% 11.2% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Joensuu

$254 13.4%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 16.4% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Joensuu

$184 9.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 9.8% $18

Getting Around

Joensuu

$98 5.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 35.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Joensuu

$85 4.5%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 25.1% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Joensuu and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Joensuu pays about 2.6 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68 in Joensuu vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇮 Joensuu

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

03:21 3:21 AM

01:21 1:21 AM

2 h behind Joensuu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,060

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Joensuu Lisbon 3,720 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Joensuu
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

Joensuu vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay in Joensuu is about 2.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $729 in Joensuu versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 23% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $62 versus $68 in Joensuu. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Joensuu 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, Joensuu and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.