Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karakol and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Karakol: $438 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $21,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Karakol

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

$438

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $438 in Karakol versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Karakol $438
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $649 in Karakol versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Karakol $649
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $859 in Karakol versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Karakol $859
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Karakol costs roughly 80% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Karakol is 68% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 KGS 196

$17.04 €15.15

-86.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$9.34 KGS 817

$62.3 €55.4

-85.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

Cappuccino

$1.74 KGS 152

$3.12 €2.78

-44.23%

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

$0.58 KGS 50.9

$2.27 €2.02

-74.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 KGS 24.12

$1.74 €1.55

-83.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 KGS 102

$3.42 €3.04

-65.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 KGS 146

$3.74 €3.33

-55.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 KGS 66.3

$1.17 €1.04

-35.04%

White Bread (500g)

$0.24 KGS 21.06

$1.86 €1.66

-87.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 KGS 123

$1.54 €1.37

-9.09%

Eggs

$1.67 KGS 146

$4.06 €3.61

-58.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.82 KGS 597

$12.91 €11.49

-47.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 KGS 360

$7.90 €7.03

-47.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.58 KGS 488

$17.64 €15.69

-68.37%

Apples (1kg)

$0.81 KGS 71.2

$2.26 €2.01

-64.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 KGS 121

$1.75 €1.55

-20.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

Tomato (1kg)

$1.12 KGS 97.7

$2.56 €2.27

-56.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 KGS 47.59

$1.85 €1.64

-70.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 KGS 30.90

$1.45 €1.29

-75.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 KGS 51.0

$0.77 €0.69

-24.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.75 KGS 153

$6.71 €5.97

-73.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.28 KGS 462

$5.67 €5.04

-6.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 KGS 97.0

$1.37 €1.22

-18.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 KGS 195

$2.11 €1.88

5.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 KGS 15.65

$2.32 €2.07

-92.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 KGS 114

$3.95 €3.51

-67.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 KGS 91.1

$2.19 €1.95

-52.51%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

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

$38.3K €34.0K

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

$39.47 KGS 3,453

$164 €146

-75.91%

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

$4.24 KGS 371

$18.48 €16.43

-77.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.56 KGS 836

$32.96 €29.32

-71.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.34 KGS 1,342

$45.87 €40.80

-66.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

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

$91.0 KGS 7,958

$684 €608

-86.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$33.69 KGS 2,947

$125 €111

-72.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$228 KGS 19.9K

$1,589 €1,414

-85.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$172 KGS 15.0K

$1,169 €1,040

-85.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$283 KGS 24.8K

$2,851 €2,536

-90.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$291 KGS 25.4K

$1,993 €1,773

-85.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

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

Last update for Karakol: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Karakol

–

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Groceries & Markets

Karakol

–

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Eating Out

Karakol

–

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karakol

–

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Clothing & Footwear

Karakol

–

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Sport & Entertainment

Karakol

–

Lisbon

$65 3%

Getting Around

Karakol

–

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $228 in Karakol and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $9.00 in Karakol vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $129 vs $273 per month, with Karakol cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇬 Karakol

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

22:05 10:05 PM

17:05 5:05 PM

5 h behind Karakol

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,400

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Kyrgyzstani Som KGS сом

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 KGS = 1.14 USD

100 KGS = 1.02 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to KGS – Kyrgyzstani Som Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstani Som (сом)

Kyrgyzstani Som exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 87.48 KGS (100 KGS = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 98.35 KGS (100 KGS = 1.02 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to KGS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karakol Lisbon 7,050 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Karakol
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

Karakol vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karakol and Lisbon differ by about 403% in total monthly costs ($438 vs $2,202 including rent). Karakol is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $657 in Karakol and $3,302 in Lisbon to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $228 in Karakol versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 112% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $438 per month in Karakol versus $2,202 in Lisbon – a 403% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $438 in Karakol versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karakol but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Karakol 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, Karakol and Lisbon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Karakol gentler on the wallet – expenses run 403% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.