Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karaj and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Karaj: $823 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Karaj
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Karaj Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Karaj

🇮🇷 Iran

$823

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $823 in Karaj versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Karaj $823
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,058 in Karaj versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Karaj $1,058
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,293 in Karaj versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Karaj $1,293
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Karaj costs roughly 63% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Karaj is 40% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.54 $3.54

$16.65 €14.91

-78.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.19 $16.19

$61.7 €55.3

-73.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.97 $3.97

$11.36 €10.17

-65.05%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.48 $0.48

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 $1.06

Cappuccino

$1.06 $1.06

$2.97 €2.66

-64.31%

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

$0.43 $0.43

$2.29 €2.05

-81.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.74 €1.56

-5.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

Milk (1 liter)

$0.70 $0.70

$1.16 €1.04

-39.66%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 $0.52

$1.91 €1.71

-72.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.51 €1.35

37.09%

Eggs

$1.03 $1.03

$4.02 €3.60

-74.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$12.94 €11.59

-65.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$7.77 €6.96

-57.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.43 $10.43

$17.76 €15.91

-41.27%

Apples (1kg)

$0.89 $0.89

$2.30 €2.06

-61.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.73 €1.55

-1.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.80 $0.80

$1.86 €1.66

-56.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.49 $0.49

$2.59 €2.32

-81.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.46 $0.46

$1.82 €1.63

-74.73%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 $0.47

$1.97 €1.76

-76.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 $0.54

$1.47 €1.32

-63.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 $0.21

$0.72 €0.65

-70.83%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.83 $0.83

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 $0.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 $1.34

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.48 $2.48

$6.58 €5.90

-62.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 $0.20

$2.33 €2.09

-91.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.11 $13.11

$44.68 €40.01

-70.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 $0.29

$3.85 €3.45

-92.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 $0.31

$1.07 €0.96

-71.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 $2.64

$16.46 €14.74

-83.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.08 $0.08

$2.20 €1.97

-96.36%

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

$49.5K $49.5K

$34.2K €30.6K

44.63%

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

$45.6K $45.6K

$38.7K €34.7K

17.80%

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

$13.24 $13.24

$161 €144

-91.79%

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

$1.54 $1.54

$18.41 €16.49

-91.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$3.81 $3.81

$32.74 €29.32

-88.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.04 $23.04

$44.55 €39.90

-48.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.08 $10.08

$19.10 €17.10

-47.23%

Cinema Ticket

$1.06 $1.06

$9.60 €8.60

-88.96%

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

$108 $108

$668 €598

-83.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$839 $839

$17.6K €15.8K

-95.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.32 $25.32

$102 €91.4

-75.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.83 $27.83

$44.46 €39.82

-37.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.8 $97.8

$98.5 €88.2

-0.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 $73.3

$124 €111

-40.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$298 $298

$1,608 €1,440

-81.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$488 $488

$1,190 €1,066

-59.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$798 $798

$2,812 €2,519

-71.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$476 $476

$2,013 €1,803

-76.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,274 $1,274

$7,839 €7,021

-83.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$527 $527

$4,576 €4,098

-88.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$239 $239

$1,575 €1,411

-84.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

497.40%

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

Last update for Karaj: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Karaj

$488 59.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 144% $702

Groceries & Markets

Karaj

$113 13.8%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 141% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Karaj

$101 12.3%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 64.4% $65

Eating Out

Karaj

$61 7.5%

Lisbon

$243 11% 296% $181

Sport & Entertainment

Karaj

$25 3.1%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 153% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karaj

$19 2.3%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 1042% $194

Getting Around

Karaj

$16 1.9%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 301% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $298 in Karaj and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 6.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $16 in Karaj vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $113 vs $272 per month, with Karaj cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Karaj

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

05:10 5:10 AM

01:40 1:40 AM

3 h 30 min behind Karaj

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,712,000

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

USD USD

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Karaj Lisbon 5,230 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Karaj
Lisbon

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Karaj vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $823 in Karaj and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Karaj is about 63% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 85% lower in Karaj. 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: $298 in Karaj versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 141% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Karaj – a meal for two runs $16 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $823 in Karaj versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Karaj but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Karaj the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Karaj gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.